Signs

I don’t particularly think of myself as being superstitious but the other day when I was in a set of circumstances that I really wanted to work for me, I found myself counting signs. Not street signs or poster boards (even though one of my so called signs did take this form) but curiously circumstantial events occurring through hapinstance that I wanted so much wanted to believe were portents, good omens or just plain lucky. I had to check myself, where did an educated 21st century woman like myself, come off looking for confirmation of direction through random events?

My questions continued. Was this something that I developed on my own as an adult, or was it my Jamaican Socialization? Is this type of behavior unique to Jamaicans or can almost every culture be tipped to reveal their own curious behaviors or traditions that border on superstition or should we say comfort actions (we all know my experience with holding my heart). For instance, I know that my American friends can recall the playground legend, “step on a crack, break your mother’s back,” and I know some West Indians who don’t even want to see an umbrella in the house; and do wind chimes have particular significance in some cultures and what about some of these emails that we all have gotten that say pass this on to all your friends or else(a new millennium chain letter if you may); and how many of us dare to put a hat on a bed (I’m just saying)?

So although I would have loved to believe that a street sign of showing the name of a road that I grew up on in an unexpected location as being significant, or a familiar car leading me on my journey in unfamiliar territory and a dream having special meaning and all of these experiences adding up to one bonanza of fortuitous situations, maybe I should as the song of praise and says, “….Turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face, and the things of this earth will go strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace"