あなたは迷信を信じますか？

Are you superstitious?

The reason I ask is because as most of you probably know, last Sunday was October 10, 2010 or 10/10/10 and for many people, they saw yesterday as a very special day and one that would bring them luck.

Similar to August 8, 2008 (08/08/08) and July 7, 2007 (07/07/07), there was a rush on for many people to get married, buy lottery tickets, and to just generally feel lucky.

I’m not someone who believes such things but there are many people who do. For example, there are many who believe the interpretation of the ancient Mayan calendar that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Some see it as a sign of positive transformation and others believe it is the “end of days” as told in the Bible.

I have heard these kinds of beliefs for many years and each time they come and go, the same people who predicted the end was near, seem to look for the new date they can begin to look forward to as the “new” end. For example, does anyone remember the Y2K bug? This was the date that many predicted was going to be the end of the world or at least the end to the Internet and the rest of our technological infrastructure. However, December 31st quietly turned into January 1st with very little commotion beyond the usual champagne and fireworks.

Some people believe in lucky numbers like 7 and 11 and others believe that the number 13 is equally unlucky. Some hotels and office buildings don’t have a 13th floor because some superstitious people may not feel comfortable living or working there. Incredible!

But there are more than just numerological superstitions. Some people always put their pants on right leg first, or vice versa. Some people can only sleep on the left side of the bed (or vice versa). Some people believe if they see a black cat, they will have bad luck. Again, incredible!

There are other common bad luck superstitions in the US, for example:

Broken mirrors
Ladders
Owls
Salt
Sparrows

And there are some good luck superstitions:
Horseshoes
Four leaf clovers
A rabbit's foot
An itchy palm
Wishbones

So, you probably already know my feelings about this so how about you? Are you superstitious? What kind of superstitions are there in Japanese culture? What kind of superstitions do you have in your life?

I will look forward to hearing your answers when we speak this week.

Be well,

This week's vocabularies:

superstitious
迷信を信じる

there was a rush on
あわてて行動を起こす

lottery
宝くじ

interpretation
解釈

ancient Mayan
古代マヤ人

positive transformation
ポジティブな変容

end of days
この世の終わり

bible
聖書

beliefs
信じられていること

come and go
出たり、消えたり

predict
予言する

Y2K bug
2000年問題

technological infrastructure
テクノロジーの基盤

commotion
動揺

equally unlucky
同じくらいアンラッキーな

Incredible!
信じられない！

numerological
数秘術的な

vice versa
逆の場合も同じ

broken mirrors
壊れた鏡

ladders
はしご

owl
ふくろう

sparrow
すずめ

horseshoe
馬蹄（ばてい）

four leaf clover
４つ葉のクローバー

a rabbit's foot
ウサギの後ろ足

itchy palm
かゆい手の平

wishbone
暢思（ちょうし）

pastedGraphic

後悔していることはありますか？

Do you have any regrets in life? Are there any times when you wonder what your life would have been like if you had made some different decisions or chosen a different path? Are there times when you have felt regret over a decision that you made? Or perhaps, do you regret not making a particular decision in your life?

Almost everyone I know (including myself, of course!) has made some poor choices or have made a regrettable decision. I think this is somewhat natural and I also believe that poor decisions or regrets are a great chance to learn life’s most valuable lessons. I have made many mistakes and have regretted some of them however, I know that all of my errors and missteps have brought me to where I am today. 

The Irish poet, Oscar Wilde once said, “One's real life is often the life that one does not lead”(自らの意志で創りあげる人生よりも、ほとんどの場合、そうしてこなかったことの方が現実の人生となる）. 

Do you think this is true for you?

And if you could go back in time, what, if anything, would you do differently?

I will look forward to your answers when we speak this week.

Take care,

Keith//


regret
後悔する／残念に思う

wonder
不思議に思う

choose a different path
違う道を選択する

particular
独自の

make a poor decision
（今となっては）良いと思えない決断をする

make a regrettable decision
後悔する決断をする

somewhat
いくぶんか

life’s most valuable lessons
人生で一番価値のある学び

error
間違い

missteps
誤り