Is It Luck...?

I was going to start this post by saying I'm not a superstitious person. But...

It's a tradition in my family to serve pork and sauer kraut on New Year's Day, so we'll have good luck throughout the year. While I'm not a huge fan of sauer kraut, this is the one day of the year when I'll fix it. Another "good luck" thing--I'm in the habit of saying "knock on wood" after I voice a "I'm lucky that...(fill in the blank of nothing bad has happened) kind of statement. And if I'm walking with a friend and we pass on opposite sides of a pole/tree/whatever, I say "bread and butter" to protect the friendship.

All that aside, I've also been known to walk under a ladder, laughing in the face of danger. Of course, I then throw a pinch of salt over my left shoulder.

The number 13 doesn't hold any significant source of misgivings for me (as a matter of fact, in some parts of the world--and with at least one of the Deliciously Naughty Writers--13 is considered to be lucky), I don't carry a rabbit's foot or four-leaf clover, I don't have an upside-down horseshoe hanging anywhere in or on my house, and there are no other "good luck" items that I carry or rituals that I observe in order for good luck to grace my path. Because, pragmatically, I believe that we make our own luck, and hard work and persistence go a long way toward getting what you want.

But let me consult my Magic Eight Ball before I say that with any authority...



Remember that earlier I wrote about knocking on wood? In olden times when (most) people believed in sprites and faeries, they would knock on wood to scare the wood sprite back into the table so he or she wouldn't do the person harm. Not sure if it works by knocking yourself on the head, which I've been known to do, too. Though that could explain the voices...

So, what sort of things do you (or people you know, if you don't want to own up to it) do to make sure you have good luck?

~ * ~

Oh, and hey! My newest book is due out today. Check out Edge of Night at Liquid Silver Books!



For an excerpt, click here.