The Answers

I always put on my left shoe first. It feels wrong to go with my right shoe first.

I put my right contact lens in first. Otherwise I don’t see right.

My arm goes in the right sleeve of my coat first. And I knock on wood to make sure that good things keep happening and bad things don’t. And I don’t walk under ladders; why tempt fate?

So I’m a bit superstitious. These days I would bow down and worship bags of manure if I thought it would help. Through the years, people have resorted to strange things to improve their chances for good fortune.

I figure that it can’t hurt to carry a rabbit’s foot and maybe there are things at work that I don’t know about. Hopefully the feet are removed after the bunny is dead. Some people carry acorns and four-leaf clovers or fish scales and dream catchers. If they work, fine. If not, no loss.

It’s a universal phenomenon. People want to cover all the bases in hopes of gaining an advantage for a change or just averting disaster.

Here are a few good luck charms that may or may not make things go a little better. If one charm doesn’t work, move on to another. You’ll likely find the right one, if you look hard enough.

The rabbit’s foot is known around the world to bring good luck. It started with the Celtics who thought that rabbits lived deep underground and could communicate with the spirits from the underworld. The foot will only work if it is the back foot on the left-hand side of a rabbit that was killed under a new moon in a cemetery. Get that.

The horseshoe is probably the most common good luck symbol. Hang one over the door for protection and good luck. Some say the horseshoe should point up to collect good luck. Others post it down to let good luck pour over all who enter. Either way, it will help. Maybe.

Acorns are carried for good health and they speed up healing for people who are already sick. And they will eliminate pain. And they will end Republican domination of the Senate. Not really but it sounds good. Can somebody spare an acorn?

Hold on to some of the scales you removed from the carp you had for Christmas dinner. It is more effective if you keep the carp alive in the bathtub until it’s time for dinner. It’s not lucky for the poor carp. A few scales in the wallet is a small thing to do if it creates good luck.

This Italian cornicello horn is an ancient symbol to keep away the evil eye. It’s good for nursing mothers and pregnant woman and keeps a marriages happy. So much for mutual understanding, patience and marriage counseling.

Horses were considered holy in Sweden. That lead to Dala, or Dalecarlian, colorfully-painted horses that were crafted from scraps from wooden furniture to bring good luck.

To sleep better and avoid nightmares, try the Chippewa Native American dream catcher. If used properly, It will trap all nightmares to clear a path for good dreams to flow freely.

Elephants are common symbols for good luck throughout Asia, but most prominently in India and Thailand. They bring strength, power, stability, and wisdom. Make sure the trunk is up for good luck. If the trunk is facing down, watch out for bad luck.

Your chances are one in 10,000 of finding a four-leaf clover. But if you locate one, it will be worth the effort as you will find great fortune. How can it miss with the leaves representing faith, hope, luck and love? Eve started it when she took a four-leaf clover with her after being kicked out of paradise to remind her of the good times.

To keep away negative energy and attract happiness, Jews and Muslims wear the Hamsa Hand, or Khamsa. Depending on your religion, the fingers either represent the five books of the Torah or the Five Pillars of Islam. The eye on the hand keeps watch over everything for the beholder.

And who doesn’t love the laughing Buddha, which is most popular in Thailand and India. The Buddha is never unhappy and spreads happiness and abundance to all. Don’t forget, it only works if the Buddha’s fat stomach is rubbed daily. No tummy rub, no good luck.

To ward off people with bad intentions, wear the Nazar, or evil eye, amulet. The scarab beetle amulet has been around for about 4,000 years. The beetle represented new creation and eternal life, originating in ancient Egypt and the Egyptian God of the Rising Sun, Khepri. Egyptians watched the beetle roll dung across the ground and associated it with the sun’s journey across the sky. I would watch dung if it worked.

So there you go, a guidepost to happiness, fulfillment and a Democratic-controlled Congress.