Superstitious or obsessive compulsive?

I am the most superstitious person I know. Not a little stitious, SUPERstitious. (If you know from whence that play on words was ripped off, we can be friends.)

My superstitious nature first manifested itself in the arena of sports. When I was in high school, I would try to eat the same thing before every game, but each sport had a different lucky meal. 

I played volleyball, basketball, and softball. I don’t remember what the meal was for volleyball, but a box of mac and cheese and two slices of toasted bread was my go-to for basketball. 

For softball, I had the meal of champions: a pack of golden Oreo cakesters (they don’t make them anymore) and a bag of gold fish. 

Do not ask me how I discovered these things were lucky, they just were, okay? It wasn’t solely about the team winning, my superstitions were also about how I played. Yes, winning was the ultimate goal. 

I’m also the most competitive person I know (though, I don’t know many people, so this statement isn’t as grand as I’d like it to be) but some games cannot be won—this realization became apparent after my high school career. Nothing so serene ever passed through my psyche while I was in the thick of competition.

I picked up on other lucky habits through playing sports as well. I discovered putting my left shoe on first is lucky. I started this habit when I was in middle school, and I still do it. Left shoe has to be the first one on and the first one off. 

Even with dress shoes. 

Even with slippers. 

If I somehow accidentally put the right one on first (in the case of slippers), I will take them both off, and do it correctly.

Some people would call this obsessive compulsive, and they are probably right. *eye twitch*

Don’t worry, it gets worse.

In this same vein, I have to put my left contact in first. I was putting in a trial pair of contacts at the eye doctor once, and the assistant gave me the right one first. I asked if she could please give me the left one, and she asked if I’m left handed. I am not. It’s all for the sake of luck. *nods head convincingly*

As is which leg I put through pants and shorts first, but I’m not as strict on this one because I can never remember what I typically do. 

I put deodorant on my left armpit first. Also, I have to put deodorant on at night before I go to sleep—unless I’m already under the covers and it’s about twenty degrees outside and my heat isn’t on, then I’ll stay under the covers and live with not putting deodorant on. 

Does deodorant make a difference in how I smell the next morning? I don’t think so, but I honestly feel naked if I don’t put it on.

I shave my left leg first. 

I clip my fingernails with the clippers in my left hand first (I figure I’m better at clipping with my dominant hand, so I save it for last). 

At restaurants, unless the fries are to die for, I pace it so my last bite is the main course (burger, steak, fried chicken—yes, this exhausts the contents of my diet). 

I am a creature of habit, and I probably take that statement to its most extreme. 

In college I had lucky underwear (four or five of my favorite pairs) that I wore on test days. I never wore the same pair more than once between washings.

I walked to class every day, and I did my best not to step on any cracks in the sidewalk. Some of the walkways had some significant cracks, but I avoided them like the plague. On test days, I would be especially careful around the cracks. 

I did well in college, so my good luck routines definitely worked. 

Now that I’m out of school and not competing in sports, my superstition muscle doesn’t get any exercise. The remnants from those yesteryears are now simply ingrained in my habits, and I don’t even give them conscious thought. Unless I’m trying to write about them, of course.

What’s interesting to me is how I like to do things on my left side first. *puts hand under chin and cocks one eyebrow* 

I know now, of course, that superstition is pointless and doesn’t mean diddly squat in real life. I’m comfortable with routine, and I like having well-established habits so I can be on autopilot during the more mundane tasks. 

When I was younger, I probably did believe that there was some significance to the order in which I did things, but I’ve outgrown those childish notions.

Were you ever superstitious? I’d love to hear y’all’s stories about habits or quirks you’ve developed.