It only happens a couple of times a year. Sometimes not even that much. It’s not finals week. It’s not the week of mid-term exams. It’s the day dreaded by all people who are superstitious. It’s Friday the 13th.

Remember back to when you were a child and you were warned not to do something that was considered bad luck? Maybe you don’t believe those silly things now, but back then you lived in fear of your mother’s back being broken when you got home after stepping on a crack in the sidewalk.

What do you do when a black cat crosses your path? Do you go a long way off the beaten path to avoid the bad luck associated with that cat, or do you just go on anyway? Has anything ever actually happened to someone who preceded after a black cat has crossed their path? If something has happened, maybe it was just coincidence.

Another superstition is to avoid walking under a ladder. What happens? Has anybody ever found out? Other than the obvious danger of the ladder actually falling on you or items falling off the ladder onto your head, what’s wrong with walking under a ladder?

Don’t walk on the Zodiac in the Union today, you’ll fail your next exam. If you do happen to walk on the Zodiac, throw a penny into the fountain, and you just may pass that exam.

People usually don’t completely outgrow the superstitions they were taught as children. On the other hand, some outgrow them and make fun of those of us who tend to believe superstitions.

Almost everyone must remain superstitious to some degree because the myths never seem to go away, they’re passed on to the next generation.

If you are a superstitious person, maybe you should just stay in bed today and avoid the world. Wake up tomorrow and pretend that Friday the 13th of October never happened.

Or you could get up and take your chance.