Archive for the ‘jimmy connors’ Tag
SUPERSTITION IS THE POETRY OF LIFE, SO THAT IT
DOES NOT INJURE THE POET TO BE SUPERSTITIOUS.
(Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)
BED SUPERSTITIONS
- It is said one should never sleep with their feet towards the door, because only corpses lie like that.
- Some believe it is very unlucky to get out of bed backwards.
- In Scotland, there is the belief that it is unlucky to leave the bed while making it. If the bed making is interrupted, the occupant of the bed will pass a sleepless night, or some much worse evil will befall him or her.
- Some believe that if three people take part in making a bed, there is sure to be a death in the household with in the year.
CELEB SUPERSTITIONS
- Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore always gave each other an apple on the night of a show’s premiere.
- Jimmy Connors wouldn’t compete in a tennis match without a little note from his grandma tucked into his sock.
- The late actor Jack Lemmon always whispered “magic time” as filming started on a new movie.
- American inventor Thomas Edison carried a staurolite, a stone that forms naturally in the shape of a cross. Legend has it that when fairies heard of Christ’s crucifixion, their tears fell as these little “ferry cross” stones.
- Actress Gretta Garbo always wore a lucky string of pearls.
- Mario Andretti the famous racecar driver would not sign autographs with a green pen.
- Actor John Wayne always considered it extremely lucky to be in a movie with fellow actor Ward Bond.
- Baseball pitcher Randy Johnson always ate pancakes before a game.
“SUPERSTITION BRINGS THE GOD’S INTO
EVEN THE SMALLEST MATTERS.”
(Titus Livy)
We humans are a superstitious lot. We love things that make us shiver and if we run out of those kinds of things, someone steps forward to think up some new ones. I guess we need a certain level of that superstitious nonsense to make our lives a little more interesting and give us something to chitchat about with our friends. I’m all for bizarre and crazy superstitions but I decided to do a little research to try and determine where they actually originated. I’ve had a little success and I’ll pass that information along to you now.
FOUR LEAF CLOVERS
A lot of things from the ancient world are laid at the feet of the Druids. They seem to be a catchall for anything that no one can identify or explain. Well, it appears that the four-leaf clover superstition actually did originate with the Druids. During many of their rituals several times a year they gathered at Oak tree groves to settle disputes and make other sacrifices. They ended these gatherings by looking for four leaf clovers because they believe it helped the owner to perceive evil spirits and witches so they could avoid them. Sounds good to me but I.ve found a number of them over the years and I have yet to see any evil spirits or witches. All I ever saw were bitches not witches. I guess I’m no Druid.
KNOCKING ON WOOD
Some claim that this superstition came from a religious source during the Middle Ages. I assume it was because Christ was crucified on a wooden cross, but it certainly didn’t bring him much luck. Both Native Americans and the ancient Greeks developed the belief independently that oak trees were the domain of important gods. By knocking on wood, they were communicating with the gods to ask for forgiveness. The Greeks passed the tradition along to the Romans and it became part of European lore. The religious types adopted it for their own use as they are apt to do even now.
Even celebrities, my readers favorite topic, believe in superstitions.
- First on my list is John Madden former coach of the Oakland Raiders football team. He wouldn’t let the team leave the locker room until running back Mark Van Egan had belched. I’d love to hear the backstory on how that developed.
- Tennis player Jimmy Connors wouldn’t compete in a tennis match without a little note from his grandmother tucked into his sock.
- Former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan always wore the shorts from his college basketball uniform under his professional uniform. “As long as I have these shorts on… I feel confident,” he said.
- Tennis player John McEnroe thinks it’s bad luck to play a match on Thursday the 12th. He is also careful to avoid stepping on the white lines of the tennis court. Strange but true.
😬😬😬
The only superstition in my family was that if we kids made a great deal of noise and commotion, there would be hell to pay. Especially if the head god (my father) happened to be napping. There would be no luck but bad luck then.
WATCH YOUR STEP
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