2013? Now Who’s Superstitious?

Happy 2013! And, is it just me, or did anyone else feel a bit of a twinge saying that?

After all, in 1913, people would have been quite right to feel a little uncertain. Indeed, had they known that the following year they would be witnessing the First World War, they might well have decided to take to their beds on 1^st January 1913 and stay there.

Which I guess if they had, then there wouldn’t have been a war as everybody would still have been in their pyjamas by 1914. So maybe superstition does have something to be said for it.

Fear of the number 13. Or as the Greeks call it: Triskaidekaphobia.

Certainly, the number 13 has a deeply-held significance in various religions. In Christianity, for instance, the number 13 is held to represent the number of people taking part in the Last Supper.

And, as a result, Friday 13^th is treated with wariness in certain countries. I had a boss once, who though perfectly rational in every other way, would always refuse to fly on Friday 13^th. It caused more than a little trouble when it came to me organising travel itineraries for him but at least it gave him peace of mind.

Had he been Spanish though, he wouldn’t have had that problem. When I worked in Majorca, for instance, Friday 13^th passed without a murmur from my Catholic colleagues. On the other hand, when Tuesday 13^th came around, all hell broke loose with much talk of spirits and ne’er-do-wells.

In Judaism, on the other hand, 13 is seen as a very auspicious number. It’s the age when a boy becomes a man. And at his barmitzvah there is much celebrating, cheering and sweet-throwing.

Of course, another way of looking at 2013, might be simply to adopt the Chinese point of view and just call it the Year of the Snake. A year traditionally associated with prosperity and peace. Sounds promising.

Or we could even adopt the Israeli calendar where they left the year 2013 behind thousands of years ago. There they’re already way ahead of the game in 5773.

I suspect though that 2013 will turn out to be just like most other years. Certainly, a bit less lacklustre after the spectacle of 2012 with all its Jubilee and Olympic pomp and magnificence. But, probably, just another year with tragedy and triumphs for some people, and an ample mixture of the good and not-so-good for the rest of us.

Oh, and a Royal baby thrown in. Hope you haven’t thrown away all your red-white-and-blue flags from last year yet. If so, it’ll certainly be a case of Cry Baby Bunting!

So will I be any more superstitious this year just because it’s 2013? No, not at all. Just pass me the salt and a black cat and I’ll be fine.

Happy 2013 everyone and don’t go stepping under any ladders.

Goodness, all this talk of snakes and ladders, bring it on 2013, I’m game!

NEW YEAR REVOLUTION

So here we are again. 31st December 2012. End of another year. A Jubilee Year in which to everyone’s surprise and relief the world did not end. Cause for jubilation indeed.

So yet again, it’s time to sit down and plan our New Year’s Resolutions.

And if you’re stuck, it’s not difficult to choose one. Tomorrow’s newspapers, magazine and websites will all be shrieking the headline: “New Year, New YOU!”

Let’s face it, we’ve all over-eaten over the Christmas festivities. So we will be more than usually receptive to the latest diet offerings: whatever variety of low-fat/low-carb/low-taste offerings that the diet gurus are suggesting this year.

I take my hat off to MP Jo Swinson who recently sent an open letter to magazine editors asking them to “shed the fad diets and fitness myths” in their New Year editions. She was rightly concerned that so-called ‘miracle’ diets, which are nothing more than crash diets, may adversely affect people’s health.

Whilst admiring her, I fear this is too little, too late. Magazine editors plan their special features many months in advance. Possibly in summer when the thought of existing on salads probably seems much more appealing than it does in the deep mid-winter when their New Year issues are actually published.

All of which brings me to the crux of the matter. The problem with New Year resolutions is just that. They’re made in the New Year. And, if you’re living in a place with a cold clime, like the UK in January, you really need to be eating comforting and – dare I say it – stodgy foods, just to keep warm.

So here’s my revolution to end all resolutions. Let’s not try and be perfect on 1^st Jan. Let’s aim for being just a little bit better than we were this year. And maybe if you want to shed a few pounds, do it in the summer, when it’s hot and your appetite will be less and salads will be much more inviting.

My own New Year’s resolution is easy. Every day starting from tomorrow, I shall be getting up at 7.00 am. I will start the day with an hour’s yoga and meditation, followed by a freshly-squeezed orange juice, a quick invigorating shower, an hour’s run round the park, a delightful lunch of avocado and beetroot salad, three hours at my computer perfecting my new bestselling novel, and ….

And here’s the reality check. I shall wake up tomorrow at 1.00 pm, wrecked and exhausted from the New Year’s Eve celebrations. I will forget all my plans for a healthy morning and will spend the rest of the day in my pyjamas and on Facebook.

And, do you know, I wouldn’t have it any other way? Happy New Year everyone!