ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

My father refuses to go to work on Friday the 13ths. He doesn't come right out and say it, but he is afraid that there will be a giant industrial accident, so he stays home. Is there any evidence to back this up? No. But he goes along with it and the family accepts it.

I accept it because I know I have my own superstitions. For example, if I hear the Pearl Jam version of "I've Got a Feeling" before an improv show, I will perform poorly. At one point during my development, I would slap the stage three times with both hands before performances - no reason, just something I did. I no longer do that (although I will likely try it tonight, just to see what happens).

When I spill salt, I will toss a little over my left shoulder. When I go through a yellow light, I will kiss my hand and slap the dashboard. I don't think either of these things actually do anything, I don't know if they qualify as superstition - they are just behaviors that have become idiosyncratic and automatic.

When I played basketball, I would do my best to listen to the same music before each game (soundtrack from Rocky IV). While I regarded it as superstition at the time, isn't it possible that I was preparing the mental groundwork for success? Putting myself in "basketball mode," so to speak? Doesn't it seem like that's a rational basis for these beliefs?

During football season, I will spend an inordinate amount of time on superstitions - lucky jersey, beef jerky, etc. And while there's no proof that any of this works (just look at the Bears' record), isn't it the tiniest bit possible that the combined goodwill of all the Bears fans can reach through the Collective Oversoul and impact the game? Just the tiniest bit?

Probably not.