Triskaidekaphobia

Now that is a twenty-five cent word! I can imagine it being the final challenge in the National Spelling Bee. Imagine beads of sweat pouring off of the face of the poor young person who has to spell the word that means phobia of the number 13. So much superstition and fear is associated with this number. Why? Do people even know? Some people deliberately avoid scheduling events or going anywhere on Friday the 13th. Bad luck. Avoid the 13th step. Skip anything that has 13 associated with it. Just stay away and you will be fine.

I don’t consider myself someone who is superstitious. I never carried a rabbit’s foot or a lucky charm. I didn’t go searching for four leaf clover’s. I never expect to win when I buy a lottery ticket or purchase a raffle for a door prize. When I could walk, I never thought something bad was going to happen if I stepped on a crack in the sidewalk.

Turning 13 was a long time ago. Very far in my rearview window as I’m 51 now. Right now I am absolutely loving the number 13. On September 3, 2018, Tony and I will be celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary. There is absolutely nothing unlucky about that. In fact, quite the contrary. I feel like the luckiest woman in the universe to be married to such a wonderful man for 13 years. Certainly, there have been ups and downs, challenges and adventures, sickness and health, and happy and sad events. But our relationship has grown, evolved, changed, and become even deeper over these 13 years.

Tony reminded me today that he does not have a phobia of the number 13. Without skipping a beat, he recalled that he won $75 when he was a teenager on Friday the 13th. And that was a big deal back then (not that we are ancient). And he reminded me that Dan Marino wore the number 13 proudly, one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time. Given more time, I’m sure we could come up with other examples of positive things associated with the number 13.

I like to look up the modern and the traditional gift associated with each anniversary. It helps when you want to buy a big or little gift for the occasion. The one thing I can say about 13 is that the choices are bizarre. Lace and fur. Besides sexy lace lingerie, a fur coat, or possibly clothing made of lace or fur, I can’t imagine what Tony would buy for me without me wanting to return it. The same goes for Tony. What the heck do you get a guy that has lace? And I’m not going to get kinky here. There are more options for fur, such as a warm scarf, hat, gloves, or even a leather coat with a fur collar, but after 13 years I know that Tony would not be thrilled with any of these gifts. Cashmere is one thing, but fur? I don’t think so.

So here’s the deal. We are going to fully embrace and celebrate our 13 years together on September 3. We are going to dine at a restaurant right on the boardwalk looking out at the beach (assuming that bad luck doesn’t bring rain) and be grateful that we found each other and continue to enjoy a beautiful life together. We will laugh and maybe we’ll even find a way to incorporate something about the number 13 into our anniversary celebration. Maybe we will just keep it simple and order the 13th bottle of wine listed on the menu or ask the waiter or waitress if we can have an appetizer of 13 shrimp cocktail. What I know for certain is that Tony and I do not have triskaidekaphobia. 13 years of awesome marriage! That is nothing to be afraid of.