People throw around the word superstitious way too casually.
I’m not superstitious. I just happen to know that if I leave the house, realize I forgot my wallet, and have to go back inside, the entire day is now operating under a cloud of administrative inconvenience.
Coincidence? Maybe.
But why risk it? And no, I don’t avoid walking under ladders because of bad luck. I avoid walking under ladders because gravity has a 100% success rate. That’s called critical thinking.
Now, if I accidentally put on my left shoe before my right one, well, the day just feels… off.
Could I switch them? Sure.
Will I? Absolutely not.
We don’t tamper with the sequence once the process has begun. See, that’s not superstition. That’s quality control.
Then there’s the television remote. It only works if you’re aiming it with the precision of a military sniper.
You point it at the television…nothing.
You raise it a little higher… nothing.
You lean left… nothing.
But the second you stand up to adjust the volume by hand, it’ll change the channel from the other room. As if the remote suddenly remembered it has a job.
Explain that.
Exactly!!!
People also ask why I tap the steering wheel three times before starting the car. It’s because one day I did it… and the car started.
Science.
My favorite is when someone says, “You know that has nothing to do with your luck.”
Maybe.
But have they tested my luck?
No.
Until there’s a peer-reviewed study titled Effects of Wearing the Lucky Socks During Minor Tuesday Errands, I think we should all remain open-minded.
Athletes call them rituals.
Writers call them routines.
Musicians call them warm-ups.
The rest of us call them “that thing I absolutely have to do or everything falls apart.”
Different branding.
The truth is, humans love patterns. Our brains connect dots that aren’t even on the same page. One good outcome after one weird little behavior, and suddenly congratulations—you’ve accidentally created a lifelong tradition.
You sneeze before a job interview and get hired. Now you’re standing in your bathroom for the next interview hoping allergies come through in the clutch.
Tell me that’s not how civilization got started.
So no…
I’m not superstitious. I just happen to respect the delicate balance of the universe.
Because if putting on my socks in the right order, patting my pockets twice before I leave the house, or refusing to say “this is going too well” keeps the cosmic wheels from flying off, who am I to argue with centuries of absolutely no scientific evidence?
The truth is, everybody has one. That one little thing they insist isn’t a superstition. “It’s just how I do it.”
Sure it is.
Most of us have one or two quirks our family knows about.
“Oh, don’t hand him the keys. He has to pick them up himself.”
“Don’t touch her coffee mug before she leaves for work.”
“Let him lock the door. He has a system.”
And then…
There are the private ones. The ones nobody knows about. The tiny rituals performed in complete secrecy. The silent bargain between you… and whatever higher power, cosmic force, guardian angel, or administrative department happens to be running the universe.
You know the one. The little thing you do just in case. Because deep down, we’re all rational people right up until the universe gives us a reason not to be. We all laugh at superstition, until someone tries to interrupt the little thing we do before an important day.
Then suddenly it’s not a superstition.
It’s a process.
There’s more waiting at https://xinkblotz.com.
Telling stories, sharing thoughts, and drinking coffee. A blend of fiction, reflection, and whatever’s brewing—one post at a time.
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© 2026 Mariano Velez ~ InkBlotz Press
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