Superstitions and a Spoonful of Black-Eyed Peas

I have never considered myself to be much of a superstitious person. In fact, I’m not sure I really ever thought much about superstitions until I met my husband. Sure, I know better than to walk under a ladder or open an umbrella in the house. I toss a bit of salt over my shoulder when I accidentally spill it from the shaker. You might catch me knocking on wood about things to avoid jinxing them. And after working as an ER nurse in Chicago, I wholeheartedly believe there is definitely something kooky about Friday the 13th. Oh and every year I eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck. But that’s all pretty usual stuff, right?

I suppose now that I list all of that out, it seems possible that I am more superstitious than I give myself credit for. It’s interesting to consider how much of these things are simply engrained into our lives without us necessarily understanding why. These things have always just been “what people do” and I never knew any differently. All I know, is that superstitions did not have an overt presence in my life until I got to know Paul.

My husband is, without a doubt, the most superstitious person I know.

He was born and grew up in Ukraine and most of his superstitions are deeply rooted in his cultural upbringing. As a result, superstition now has a prominent place in my life.

The easiest example to share with you, is about our household trash. We have a house rule that the trash never ever gets taken out after dark. Never, ever. No matter how stinky. And no matter how full. For a long time I thought this was completely absurd. You can probably imagine the arguments. But over the years I’ve made peace with it as a part of our everyday lives.

And just for fun, here are a few other superstitions you might find interesting:

• If you step in dog poop (accidentally!) – that’s really good money luck
  
  
• Don’t go back inside once you’ve left the house for anything (but if you have to, then make sure to change your appearance in some way while looking in a mirror to decrease the impact of your bad luck)
  
  
• Never eat anything from a knife (or lick the end of a knife) – you’ll inevitably have an argument with someone
  
  
• Sit down together for a short period of time before any long journey to ensure good luck for your trip
  
  
• Don’t whistle in the house – it’s bad money luck because you’re whistling away your money. *I refuse to go along with this one because I love to whistle in the house!
  
  
• Never step over a person (even if they are sitting on the floor playing legos and completely blocking your way!) and don’t pass things across a threshold
  
  
• Spiders are a sign of impending good news (which won’t come if you stomp on them) *If Paul wants to save the spiders when he’s home, then so be it. But when I’m home alone – no promises on my part!!
  
  
• Never give a knife as a gift to anyone you care about – it can sever your relationship. Unless they “pay” you for it (this can even be a small handful of change!) – and then it’s ok.

All that being said, I’m always on my toes and it keeps things entertaining! I’m not sure Paul ever really considered himself superstitious either until I pointed out how bizarre some of these things seemed to me. They are simply the ways he’s always done things. Sound familiar? Mostly we just agree that it never hurts to have all the good luck you can get.


So you can bet we will be eating some black-eyed peas (here is my favorite recipe!) on the 1st for good luck throughout the year!

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