very superstitious

buffalo girls dancing the ring of fire

superstitions and rituals...we all carry them.  some are personal.  some secret.  some seem ridiculous though we feel incapable of letting them go.  most of us from a time before we can remember were taught them at the knees of the women who raised us.  “don’t step on that crack or walk under that ladder.”  worse, “touching yourself will cause hair to grow on your palms or blindness”...perhaps both.  some were old wives tales weaved to modify and change behaviors.  usually there is some basis in the truth to be found in them.  

my great grandmothers kitchen was always filled with women.  some of them were related but not always.  they gathered together to cook and bake and to chat.  i listened carefully to them as i played on the floor.  i was often more interested in what they were talking about then what i was playing with.  i was that kind of child.  my beliefs and values were seeded here along side the yeast rising the breads they baked.  

superstitions for the most part are rooted in the stories of real events.  the true story is often lost in lore...the teller embellishing it to suit the attentions of her or his audience.  these garnishes become truth to the listeners...gospels spoken around campfires and water coolers.  we listen to them and then we perpetuate them.

in sports there are hundreds of peculiar rituals.  in baseball pitchers have all sorts of ticks and taps they perform before throwing the ball. god bless america has been sung during the 7th inning stretch at every MLB sunday game since 9/11.  the NHL players have their playoff beards during the stanley cup and my favorite of course is the hat trick.  the buffalo girls (an olde girls rugby touring side) dance to johnny cash’s ring of fire before each match.  http://www.youtube.com/embed/gRlj5vjp3Ko 
and the NFL bathes its coaches in gatorade after each victory.  

rituals can be found in each and every religion and spiritual practice.  catholics kneel and cross themselves muslims pray towards mecca pagans celebrate in ritual the dark and new moons and jews wail at the wall. the inca raised a gold disc to the sun in celebration of inti the sun god.  religious tradition and ritual blended with colonialism to preserve tradition from extinction.  the romans did the same as they conquered.   

i knew a woman who ritualized getting out of her vehicle.  she was OCD of course but she believed she must follow to form or disaster awaited.  she walked about her vehicle touching the tops of each window to ensure they were closed and pulling the door handles to make sure they were locked.  worry furrowed her brow as she went through each step making sure she executed them precisely.  there was of course a quite rational and perfectly logical reason she did this.  to most who observed though it seemed unnecessary and a bit crazy.

as i think about this though i realize that i also have my little rituals.  i may not even recognize some of them.  i shower in a certain order so that while bleary eyed and half asleep i do not forget a step.  god forbid i try to dry my hair with conditioner still in it.  and yes i carry in my pocket a gris gris given me by a voudoun priestess for protection.  http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/gris-gris.html seem strange to you?  consider the cross or st. christopher medal or rabbits foot around your necks and in your pockets.  i used to carry a lucky bean...which i still have btw. http://stjosephaltar.blogspot.com/2009/02/lucky-bean.html

last weekend while rounding through the emergency department a visiting doctor stood up went into the physicians office and loudly proclaimed, “wow it’s really quiet in here today!”  a palpable thrill of shock and horror filled the air and simultaneous gasps were heard along with a chorus of “don’t ever say that in an ER!” which arose from all quarters.  nurses doctors and paramedics in unison chastised him for saying it.  i caught myself knocking on wood but i had feared the damage was done.  and as we indeed were to find later...it was. 

horseshoes are hung over a doorway to bring luck. (i have one over mine.) the aymara bury llama fetuses under a doorway for the same thing. and last sunday after the hell that was unleashed by the unfortunate use of the Q word in the ED the day prior i decided to break the spell by wearing pink converse high tops. with infectious enthusiasm at hearing my plan the ED peeps also wore pink and changed screen savers to pink monkeys.  why yes it did work thank you for asking. and i plan to continue it.  who knows 30 years from now those in the ED will still be seen wearing pink on sundays.  some intern scratching his head will wondering at what started this madness in the first place.

...and so it began.