Eid Mar

Beware the Ides of March! With breaking news every five minutes these days, who knows what dire event might make us all wince in fear before the day is over?

In ancient Rome, the "ides" were days of settling debts. In the months of March, May, July, and October, the ides fell on the 15th of the month. On the other months, the ides fell on the 13th. So imagine if the ides of January (or the seven other months) fell on a Friday the thirteenth? The culture of superstition is ubiquitous!

As you all know, "Beware the Ides of March!" is a quote from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and was the date of the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC, a turning point in Roman history. A year or so later, Brutus, one of Caesar's assassins, issued a coin to commemorate the event. Wanting to remind his people that he set the Romans free, the coin was marked with "EID MAR," meaning "the Ides of March."

I will confess to being a bit superstitious, despite knowing how silly it is. Lately, things have been falling down in my condo for reasons which I cannot discern. First, it was a decorative faux shutter in my dining room. ("Shutter down!" I keep thinking.) Then it was a brass sign on the guest room door which reads "Blue Heron Room." Those of you who know me well know the importance of the Great Blue Heron to me, and so the fall of the sign appears to be, literally, a SIGN! Of what, I worry. (And perhaps the current occupant of my guest room is worried, too?) And mysteriously, my closet light decided not to work for three days despite a recently new bulb, and then, just as mysteriously, it began working again with no help or adjustments from me. At least I can see the light if not the meaning.

My grandmother always told me that bad things happen in threes, and I have found that to be true many times in my life. (What an easy superstition to manipulate! Let's see, my dog died and then my credit card got hacked and then, um, let me think, oh yeah, I spilled some milk. Three bad things; I'm done now.)

Although there have been three unexplainable things happen in my home, I will not rest easy until this day is over and the world is still in one piece.

I just wish it was in one peace. Et tu?