On a particularly hard day of coloring and playing with our class bunny, all my kindergarten brain could think about was that it was finally recess. As a nature loving kid, I chose to sit in the grass instead of a table. Once I had been sitting down for a minute my eyes started roaming, and eventually I was full force searching through the grass for a mystical and elusive phenomenon: a four leaf clover. Most of the time, I came back empty handed, but the few times I found one it brightened my whole day. Yes, it was just a weed but it might as well have been a beautiful flower due to the sense of pride and lucky mindset that it brought me.  

Since my childhood, I have been taught practices that have seeped through generations. To this day, I cross my fingers for good luck and make wishes at 11:11. I also tend to steer away from tales that I was told by my family and peers, avoiding ladders and knocking on wood when I don’t want to jinx something. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to stray too far from the ideals of the people around me, but what was more important to me was the sense of comfort and community that these seemingly unimportant “rules” brought me. 

Superstitions can bring people together and give them something in common. The ones that we sustain, and the ones we don’t, represent our personal and collective values. Everyone needs to feel like something in their life is on purpose. Superstitions harmlessly allow our brains to take randomness from the universe and make patterns from it. Without these patterns, the thought that everything is random and impermanent with no ultimate purpose would overwhelm each and every one of us.