Some Esoteric Idiosyncracies

“You’ll have a bad time if a black cat crosses your path.”

There are so many such superstitions that people have which leads them to do strange things. Here is a list of some that have me in their grip. None of them have been adapted from popular folklore and all of them have almost become involuntary in my daily life.  Some are childish, others out of experience and still others which are downright silly. 

•   ‘The last step while climbing a flight of stairs should be with the right foot.’ 

I do not know how this developed but I inadvertently count the no. of steps, especially one that I am going to use frequently. Over time a set pattern develops, the first step, number of hops and jumps and finally reaching the top with my right foot and a feeling of accomplishment.


                                          

• ‘Wearing socks or shoes on my left foot first.’ 

This originated from a silly observation that the day passed in a particularly lousy manner when I wore them on my right leg first. It developed when I was about ten years old and the habit has stuck with me ever since.

•  ‘No books!’ 

 This stemmed in the first year of my college life, when my grades were especially bad and this was true for subjects I possessed a book of or borrowed from the library. I know that if you are in possession of a book, you should do better in that subject, but somehow the exact opposite happened to me, over and over again. On the other hand, I scored well in the subjects I didn’t have a book of. This led to my ‘No course book policy’ later modified to ‘Go to the library and study policy’, the latter of which, many have construed (wrongly), was for “other” reasons.

• ‘Need for company while sleeping’ 

No, it’s not what you are thinking. All it refers to is the fact that I cannot sleep well without a bolster (masnand or kol-balish, if you like). It gives me a sense of security, hugging my big bolster while I sleep.

• ‘Fetish for organization’  

Someone recently called me “organized guy” in a manner which, to me, seemed mocking or derogatory. But I can’t help it. Everything needs to be at its proper place. If something isn’t, I am fidgety till I put it right. I accept I go overboard sometimes.  My mail inbox has to be clean with all e-mails segregated into appropriate categories and archived. The only icon on my desktop is the Recycle Bin.  All my photos need to be in the proper folders. All my songs need to be rated as 5-star, 4-star etc. Sometimes, I feel I am more ‘Sheldonish’ than I give myself credit for.

• 'Blueprint for Everything’  

 Anything I do needs to be properly planned with step-by-step procedures. This lack of spontaneity is something I regret about myself. Its difficult for me to do something on the spur of the moment without giving a proper thought to it. I even plan out what I’m going to wear in the next seven days. So, you can imagine how bad the situation is.

TIlunilu calls these activities of mine OCDs or Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. In other words, he thinks I am mad, which I probably am. Nevertheless, they give me a feeling that I am doing the right things. So, I guess I’ll stick with them. That's just thte way I am.

P.S. I invite people to write some of their idiosyncracies in the comments section.