Friday the 13th... dum de dum dum

Do you ever pay attention to when a 13th will fall on a Friday? If you do, will you avoid certain activities on that day for fear of bad luck? I began to wonder why Friday the 13th is regarded as unlucky and found several possible answers. I learned they come 3 times in a year and any month that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th. The theories for why it's unlucky are many and widespread, but they all agree it goes way back. One belief is it comes from the Last Supper on a Friday and with 13 at the dinner table. Then there is the idea that 13 itself is an unlucky number and Friday an unlucky day.

In numerology, 12 is considered a number of completeness-- 12 months of the year; 12 tribes of Israel, 12 signs of the Zodiac, 12 hours on a clock; 12 Apostles for Jesus; 12 gods of Olympus; Since 13 follows 12, guess it cannot be complete, now can it?

Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s. It's supposedly a bad day to start a project .  Author Charles Panati (don't ask me who he is as I found this quote from him in Wikipedia) said:

The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil — a gathering of thirteen — and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as "Witches' Sabbath."

Another theory is it relates to the day so many from Knights Templar were arrested (again from Wikipedia):

'The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118 C.E., whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy. Threatened by that power and eager to acquire their wealth, King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307 - Friday the 13th.'

 For me I have never found it to be an unlucky day or for that matter a lucky one. It's just a day but I generally am aware of it in a kind of backhanded way, and if I am not, someone reminds me. I have never altered plans because of it.

This Friday the 13th was a pretty good one actually. I had gone to the dentist on Monday and was told I needed two small fillings. When we called for an appointment that would let Farm Boss also get a check up and have his teeth cleaned, surprisingly we could both get it done Friday morning. Was that because some are fearful of the day and hadn't been willing to schedule something at a dentist's that day? If so, it was lucky for us.

When I was waiting in the reception area, I noticed something had changed and asked if they now had nitrous oxide. Sure enough, they did and asked if I wanted it with no extra cost. Do bears live in the woods? I love it as it helps my back a lot when in those dentist chairs and makes having fillings into a pleasant experience instead of one of stress.

Even better as I talked to the dentist, I mentioned previously I had been able to have small fillings with just nitrous. She asked if I wanted to try and that's what we did. It meant I did not have 2 hours afterward with my mouth and tongue feeling swollen. The fillings were beautifully done and the drilling only mildly uncomfortable, which with the nitrous, I didn't mind at all. I asked more questions regarding the future crown and learned there was no decay that she can see. This is more something to do proactively than required immediately. That was more good news but I will be putting money aside toward the eventual crown and maybe root canal.

The rest of the day was equally good with shopping going better than usual. At Costco the parking lot was less full. We got right in for gas with no line. Now I can't say some people stayed home due to the date; but if they did, it made it a lot quicker for me in getting my groceries and back out.

Even better is that I have now checked off the last medical type event that I felt I should do this year but had been putting off. I kept feeling guilty, and now my teeth are once again up to date.

At home, to celebrate, I made margaritas after dinner and before we laid out the irrigation line. This was my second time. They came out great. Come on over and have one with us. It was a great way to end a good day.


Photo on top taken by Farm Boss Friday afternoon in our back yard with our boys-- BB and Blackie.  Black cats cross my path very regularly in fact they sometimes try to trip me up in their eagerness to reach the door or food bowl first. Guess that could be considered bad luck.

The one below is of a set of coasters I bought Friday as a reminder every time I use them of a philosophy of life worth not forgetting.