Polly Thinks Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I went out to get my newspaper this morning, and > all of a sudden a black stray cat ran right in > front of me. Should I worry?
Does the stray cat need food? Water?
If so, I hope you will feed him or her, and provide a bowl of clean water.
S/he is probably going to be okay weatherwise tonight (can you believe this is mid-February from the temps we've been having?).
The next time you are in the supermarket, you might pick up a few cans of cat food (a few chicken, a few turkey, and a few fish). (Canned cat food is much better for cats than is dry cat food.)
Someday...sometime...YOU are going to be in need help of some kind, and when that happens, it will be good to know you've built up some good karma to help you out when YOU need it the most.
Naw. Black cats are cool. Our neighbor has a black cat. He's my buddy. He comes over and greets me when I'm outside. He catches mice in our backyard. If the garage door is open and I'm working on my classic car he comes in and hangs with me.
Does it bring you some kind of comfort to think that the universe in its immensity would throw signs and omens in your path?
We seek patterns in the way we interact with our natural environment to be able to better protect ourselves from harm, but when this tendency to self-preservation unthinkingly incorporates irrational pattern seeking, we risk greater harm than that which we're trying to protect ourselves from.
Did you ask about the last time a squirrel crossed your path? A bird? A dog? Another human - which frankly is almost certainly the most dangerous of the options? Incorporating old baseless myths doesn't help you actually engage with reality.
Consider the more sensible of the myths:
- breaking a mirror could result in cutting yourself on glass - walking under a ladder could result in a person falling and injuring themselves or result in you getting injured from a falling ladder - opening an umbrella indoors because they are large ungainly items could knock over items or hit someone in the eye
Devoid of their superstitious overtones, these are sensible advice for reasons of personal safety. Most other superstitions don't carry such value and are better ignored and preferably unlearned.