My Karma ran over my Dogma

"I don't believe in superstitions, it's bad luck"

I was not going to post today, As I am technically on vacation.

But seeing as it is 8 am and I'm awake anyway, I've already taken the dog for a walk, no one else is up, and my only other thing to do on my list this morning is sort through some workers comp government craziness, I guess I will post.

It's kind of becoming a mid-week routine anyway.

I felt a little empty not posting last night.

Like missing Sunday morning bacon and eggs... it just felt like I was screwing my week up.

I know not everyone believe in routines and rituals. I explained one of my weirder ones to a friend once.

When I use a public bathroom, I always unlock the stall door before I flush.

It's a simple precaution I take, just to avert disaster in a public place.

My reasoning is... I'm always a little bit afraid that the toilet may overflow, and at the same time, the stall door lock gets stuck.

My friend (who I must mention is extremely co-ordonated and not really given to belief in rituals to please a higher power) told me it would have to be a big coincidence that two terrible things happen in the same stall, on the same day, to the same person.

My belief (and I must mention that I'm generally banging into walls for no reason, and grew up Catholic with the belief that when something bad happens you must have deserved God's vengeful wrath...) is that life does that type of thing to me just for sh#ts and giggles.

---- I must add, as a side note, as soon as I typed this last sentence my computer froze for ten minutes, again, that's what I get for that little sarcastic poke at the almighty.

It's now 8:45 and I've spent 10 minutes typing and 35 minutes trying not to throw my computer on the cement floor and step on it-----

My belief that life can hand out more than one bad occurrence at a time was magnified this vacation.

Not by the fact that we chose to tent during a hurricane, that's just plain odd luck.

Not by the fact that I came to hike through the Highlands and the only thing that didn't get packed was my sneakers. I'll blame that one on poor communication.

But yesterday I somehow managed to slip on the cliff rocks (even with my brand new perfectly treaded sneakers I had just bought).

I slipped down a small crevice of rocks and dirt and water and general garbage.

Cut my hands on some glass, left behind by scuzzy party-litterers.

I let go of the dog-leash in all of the general klutzy confusion, and when I stood up to get him back,I managed to get my hair tangled in a tree.

I was wet, hurt, dirty, dog-less, and hanging from the side of cliff by six inches of curls and a pine cone.

It is slim chance moments like that in my life that re-affirm my belief that I should always unlock the stall door, before flushing a toilet in a public bathroom.

It's not always easy trying to get ahead in this universe, and I am going to take all the precautions I can think of.