Good Luck and Go To Hell: What If?

Welcome, welcome, welcome to my blog - an outlet for me to express what I have learned, experienced and thought of through the years and what I wish to send back into universe to inspire others. Wish me Good Luck, or rather "Go to Hell!".

While growing up in Russia, I was exposed to a lot of superstition that defined my life, my experiences and my subconscious fears: I never whistle in the house as to not whistling all my money away; I make my entire family sit down before any long trip in silence including our dog in hopes for a good and successful journey; if I forget something and must return back to the house, I venture into the bathroom for just a quick second to look in the mirror and spit three times over my shoulder (I make my American husband do that now too, he is mortified); I get excited if the palm of my hand (usually left hand) would start itching uncontrollably because I knew unexpected money was on the way shortly; I could easily reach panic mode if a bird unexpectedly flies into the house in anticipation of an imminent death in the family; or as a young unmarried lady, I never set on the corner of the table, ever, as to prevent staying a spinster for the rest of my life. May be, just may be it was the results of my secular upbringing, but a topic for another time. This list of supersticious rules can go on forever.

One of those most commonly used superstitions was the way we would say Good Luck to each other. I connect with my mother at least once a day and every conversation we end with the same exchange. My mom would tell me "Не пуха не пера", (roughly translated as "Not a Down! Not a feather"), and I would be given card blanch to send my mother to Hell, "К черту!" (roughly translated as "Go to Hell", or literary "To the Devil!"). I would return the favor by saying "Не пуха не пера", to which she would lovingly send me to "Hell" as well. Sometimes, we would end the conversation, and then one of us will remember something else to say, and we would go again: - "Не пуха не пера!"; - "Go to Hell". At some point the only thing we would say to each other is simply "Go to Hell". To the innocent bystander this would be the strangest conversations. One time, my mom called me back because she couldn't remember if I send her to Hell or not.

But ask me if I believe this nonsense? When I was younger, I just followed these silly rules, because they sounded like pearls of wisdom I was given as a gift, something not found in any textbook. Later in life, some of it was so automatically ingraned in me that I really didn't think about it until I had my own kids. When saying them out lou, "What nonsense", I would think to myself, but who am I to defy fate. What if?

Go to Hell,

Ray of Sunshine

#go2hell