Yes, it's Friday the 13th, are you scared?
No, I'm not. I don't mind 'Friday the Thirteenth' any more than I mind 'Monday the Sixteenth' or 'Thursday the Twenty-third'. But then I don't suffer from triskaidekaphopia (fear of the number thirteen), It's kind of funny when you think about it. Asian cultures aren't afraid of it, Greeks think it's 'TUESDAY the thirteenth' that's bad and Italians think it's 'Friday the Seventeenth.' I loved the movie "Saturday the Fourteenth" when I was a kid. (It's a totally campy monster romp starring Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin.)
I don't think Margaret Thatcher, Steve Buscemi or the Olsen twins think that Friday the Thirteenth is a bad day, since they were all born on a Friday the Thirteenth. (Okay, the Olsen twins may be evil spawn, so let's pick Julia Louis-Dreyfus instead, she was born on F13th too.) Some people say that F13th is a bad day because Jesus was crucified on a Friday, but I argue that since Christians call that day "Good Friday" you can't be scared of it. (I've also always contended that it was wrongly named, but that is beside the point.)
Look, I'll admit to a few superstitions. I throw salt if I spill it. I occasionally knock on wood. I won't walk under a ladder unless it's a pain to go around it then my lazy ass will just deal with the bad luck. It's not that I have no fear, it's just that I have things that are real and tangible that I fear way more than a date on a calendar.
I'm afraid of failure. I'm afraid of dentists. I'm afraid of growing old alone and no one finding my body for a really long time after I die. I'm afraid of outliving my family. I'm afraid of making a really horrible movie that becomes a cult classic because it's so bad. I'm afraid of parties where I don't know anybody.
But do you know what? I go the the dentist (albeit with some help from prescription Xanax). I make movies (good and bad) because it's what I love to do. I try to keep my family safe and healthy so they can be around as long as possible. And I go to parties where I don't know anybody because you never know who you might meet (and the food might be good.) Mark Twain once said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."
Fear is good, fear is what keeps us on our toes, what keeps us from deep danger. As long as you don't let fear keep you from doing what you need to do to make yourself happy. So I'll drive to the store today and I won't freak out if a black cat crosses my path. And I'll pick up my pen and keep writing, because the adventure I'm on right now is the scariest thing I've ever done. But it's okay, I have my fingers crossed and a four leaf clover just in case.
2 comments:
I agree. How did this superstition even get started? It's kind of like astrology. How can everyone born on the same day have the same character traits? Or how can you be sure that someone is going to be a compatible mate based on what day they were born? I'm willing to bet that a woman from Borneo born on the same day as I was is not going to have the same character traits that I have. These are just dates. They don't have mystical powers.
I remember that Saturday the 14th movie, too. I don't remember all the details of it but I know I liked it when I saw it.
HA! I have many of the same fears... I think it makes us all interesting, and if we didn't fear anything we'd be awful annoying. Arrogance is only a few steps forward from confidence, you know. I love riding those fine lines..
13 just happens to be one of my lucky numbers. But I'm not sure if I'd want to be on the 13th floor of anywhere. :-)
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