It’s the day that many consider to be one of the unluckiest, Friday the 13th. How do you feel about it? Let’s be honest here. Has anything truly unlucky happened to you on Friday the 13th?
When we were growing up, we had a neighbor who was a tad eccentric. She wore bright, flowy robes and drove a dark green Jaguar. Her house was on a lake and her property sloped down to water’s edge. Yup. You guessed it. Her car rolled down the hill and into the lake on Friday the 13th. Twice! And that is the lake where they filmed the original “Friday the 13th” movie in 1980. We were certain the day was cursed. In reality our neighbor, in addition to being eccentric, was a bit forgetful and never put on the handbrake. Or maybe she just wanted a new car.
So what is the deal with Friday the 13th? If the day makes you nervous and anxious, you are not alone. Psychologists have come up with a completely unpronounceable name for how you are feeling—paraskavedekatriaphobia, fear of Friday the 13th. In numerology, 13 is considered to be an “irregular” number. For us, when counting, it seems to follow 12 with great regularity. Unless you are a hotel floor. Chances of there being a 13th floor in a hotel vary depending where in the world you are.
We took a look at the number 13 to see what we could find. Going back to biblical times, there were 13 people present at Jesus’ last super. It is also the number of witches you need to form a coven. And that is about all we found. Mostly we think 13 get a bad rap for what it isn’t: 12.
There are many examples of 12 being an optimal number. There are 12 months in the year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 hours on a clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus and even 12 days of Christmas.
Speaking of Friday the 13th, how are your New Year’s resolutions going? Yes, those resolutions you made one year only to be broken the next. Are you still keeping yours? Let’s see: “I will no longer jog while juggling knives.” Yes, we have successfully managed to keep that one so far. Or “I will no longer throw my friends in the trunk of my car.” Yes, that one is intact as well. Because of the drought here in Greenwich, we vowed “to save water, we would not bathe.” Unfortunately, others in the office took offense. And we are still considering taking up a new hobby, such as procrastination.
New Year’s resolution should not all be serious. Yes, we do need to go to the gym more often. (I just ran into my trainer at the bank and did not recognize him at all—bad sign. #HitTheGymSoon). And it is always good to be more polite and positive, but have some fun with it. Don’t stress too much if you are not immediately successful with your self-promise. Sometimes our resolutions are too large to be realistic. “Give up chocolate for a year!” If we know we are not going to succeed, why do we put it on the list? Even Oscar Wilde said: “Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.” He must not have gotten very far with his resolutions.
Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration. The actor Al Pacino gives a well-known speech in the movie “Any Given Sunday” in which he talks about inch by inch. Paraphrased significantly, he says: “inch by inch, play by play … we can fight our way back into the light.” It is about taking it one inch at a time (which is good if your resolution was to lose weight) and not being overwhelmed by the overall picture. Which is also good if you are suffering from paraskavedekatriaphobia. If today—Friday the 13th—is overwhelming for you, then remember it is actually just the start to the weekend. Enjoy.
