March 21- It’s a Good Good Friday

Indeed, it is Good Friday –I always remember a gal in our high school would then respond- ‘what’s so good about it?” In fact, I know that some people consider it a day of bad luck-obviously, there must be a religious slant to that way of thinking. But- after the recent St. Patrick’s Day, with people saying shamrocks were good luck (and others saying that it’s a four –leaf clover that’s good luck- not the three-leaf shamrock) and touting  “the luck o’ the Irish” and the leprechaun mockers bringing up “Lucky Charms” (magically delicious, I must say)…good and bad luck have been on my mind…
Personally, I seem to be a “bad luck” guy in a lot of ways- if there’s only one person on the block who didn’t get their newspaper delivered- I’m that guy. If I’m parked at a parking meter for only two minutes past the expiration- I’m the guy who gets the ticket. If we’re going through the metal detector at the airport-even if I’m SURE I took every bit of metal off myself- I’m the one who sets off the alarm, and has to go into the Plexiglas booth for a thorough wanding. And yet-looking on the positive side- I’ve been lucky enough to have good relationships in my life, a great family, been able to make a living in a very difficult business, survived a heart attack, etc.
So, maybe I’m lucky in all the important things…
I read an article that had both sides of the coin regarding good and bad luck. On the good luck side, it mentioned that some legends claim that the reason a four-leaf clover is good luck- is because Eve took a four-leaf clover with her when she left the Garden of Eden (was it part of her leafy wardrobe?) But- why was it good luck, if she was being thrown OUT of Paradise?
Hmmm…
Also on the good luck side- a horseshoe is considered to be lucky because it resembles – a pair of horns, and the horn is considered a universally powerful symbol that repels evil- like the gold Italian horn jewelry you see on a chain. However, it would seem that horns have not been able to totally repel the evil for our Chicago Bulls- though I’m crossing my fingers for a playoff berth.
On the bad news side- why is walking under a ladder bad luck? Well, Mummy fans, it would seem the ancient Egyptians
put ladders in their tombs so that the dead could climb to the heavens. They also thought that spirits gathered in the space between the ladder and the wall- and walking through there would disturb and anger them. I always thought it was bad luck to walk under a ladder in a 3 Stooges short, since they’d be dropping paint, wallpaper paste, or Larry on you…
Anyway, I hope your Good Friday is good- and not bad luck- let’s face it, it’s not even a Friday the 13th (which certain people think was a good movie…)