shakedown

So this morning on the way to work I had an interesting experience. It lasted about twenty seconds, if that, but the idea of it has stuck with me all day.

I was on 46th Street walking from 7th avenue to 6th avenue, when I saw a ladder ahead. It was a straight ladder, going to a second floor window. There was no major construction going on, and it was empty of climbers.

About 75 percent of the walk able street was under the ladder. The other 25 percent of sidewalk was in front, but there was also a man on that side leaning against a car obstructing part of this path.

It took about two seconds to asses the situation. I had about twenty feet to walk before choosing a direction.

Choose to walk under the ladder, risk potential bad luck. Bad luck may not exist and superstitions may be silly, so why worry?

But what if superstitions are real? Don't I believe there is magic in the world, phenomena beyond our comprehension?

To walk under the ladder would show the world that I am above fear of such silly things. To walk around the ladder would show in no uncertain terms that indeed I am intimidated by old wives tales. What kind of tough new yorker avoids walking under a ladder?

Yeah, I totally walked around the ladder. Fuck what other people think, I gotta follow my gut. And my gut said walk around, just in case. I'll trust my instincts over self-consciousness any day.