31 Day Writing Challenge Day 27: “What’s your superstition?”

I was hell bent on foregoing today’s writing challenge topic at first, certain that after 26 days of writing, I couldn’t come up with anything compelling to say about superstitions. I announced this in a tweet and my friend sent me a definition.

Superstition: A notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary

Ahh, yes. I can work with that.

Last night, I watched Part 3 of the Real Housewives of Orange County reunion where Vicki Gunvalson defended her relationship with a guy Brooks whom her daughter Briana absolutely hates. Briana recalled a host of disparaging remarks Brooks had made both to her and about her as he clumsily tried to deny them. It was the exact recipe that makes for entertaining reality television. But, at the end of the segment when Vicki broke down into heavy sobs saying, “I just want my family back,” it became apparent that this wasn’t good TV. It was people’s lives being toyed with and it was no longer fun to watch. Vicki maintained the notion that Brooks was both a good man and her soulmate despite the raging forest fire encircling her.

I have experienced my fair share of assuredness about men who were entirely wrong for me. And, typically, I knew they were wrong for me, whether it was their outright declarations of being madly in love with someone else or the outcry of people around me advising me to run in the other direction. I usually never listened, opting instead to believe in some crummy justification for why this person was meant for me. And, usually, I got beat over the head with reality in the end.

Each of us has had convictions about people, especially lovers, that have proven to be totally bogus. When we are laser-focused on extracting love and admiration from one person, it becomes easy to zone out, go deaf and ignore the sirens and flashing red lights around us.

Yes, to borrow one of the most popular clichés of all time, sometimes what is meant to be will be. But, I don’t think a trite expression should be used to excuse being blind to the signs or, worse, ignoring them even after you see them. It’s easy to live your life with your head in the clouds and a lot harder to bring that cranium back down to Earth and acknowledge what’s going on around you. It’s easy but also pretty daft to maintain bullshit notions despite all evidence to the contrary.

Xoxo,

Tyece