We all have some level of belief in the “luck” that comes our way because we do something that no one else understands. There are many college teams that have an icon or plaque strategically placed between the locker room and the playing field and the hype of touching said icon or plaque has been passed down from team to team. After watching the movie, “Rudy”, there was a plaque that each football player walked under as they touched it as they went through the tunnel, getting psyched to take the field and play against their opponent. Have you seen the alcoholic beverage commercial (think Super Bowl) that has a group of people who hold their drinks a certain way (labels out) to try to give more luck to their team? And the crazy thing is that even if it doesn’t work, we will still continue to say the same mantra or prayer we have said for years. We will touch the same icon, believing that this time it will work. When I was little, I played a lot of sports. Some things that I didn’t realize were a superstitious habit at the time, I now realize were the normal routine for me and I felt “off” if my routine was not replicated every time. For example, if I was taking a free throw shot, I would have to bounce the ball 5 times before I could shoot. And they were not just any 5 bounces, either. They were purposeful, closer to the ground, eyes focused on the leather, and as I brought the ball up to my hands and gently rotated the ball to have my hands perfectly placed on the seams, I could feel the strength in those 5 bounces. Did it always work? No, Did I still bounce the ball the same way every time? Yep…and I still do. Are there things that you do that for some strange reason, give you a little but more hope? Maybe you cross your chest before you come up to the plate or draw something in the mound as you start the inning…maybe you always say a quick prayer before you head out for the day…maybe you touch something someone gave you because of the meaning behind it… But what I find most interesting is that when you STOP rubbing your lucky rabbit’s foot how people think their luck will change. I recently returned from Ireland and loved listening to the stories of leprechauns and fairies and Hawthorne Trees and how these simple tales had been passed down from generation to generation. During football season, my husband wears his Steelers socks, hoping that by that simple gesture that the team will play well. If you think you aren’t superstitious, you are. We all are. We all have some little “thing” we do that makes us feel better about what is about to happen. It can be something we say…something we wear…or something we do. And the best part is that no one needs to know we do it. Most times, I really don’t believe in luck. I mean…the outcome has already been pre-determined, right? Am I tempting fate even more by acknowledging that it is now in jeopardy of being false? We need to feel like we have some small part in where fate takes us and this is how we try to manipulate what happens next. If I didn’t bounce the ball 5 times before I took a free-throw shot, would it decrease the chances of the ball going in? Maybe…maybe not. But for some reason, I still have to bounce the ball 5 times….exactly like I have for years. And even when it doesn’t work, we still do it anyway. Whether it is the not walking under a ladder, having a black cat cross our path, or a broken window, we ALL have some level of believing in something we just don’t understand…and we call that “Superstiton” byStevie Wonder
Michelle A. Homme 2014 ©
