The other day I lost a dearly beloved piece of jewelry in the very casual manner one tends to lose things, hours later noticing the absence where there was once material weight. As I’m writing this, it’s Friday the 13th, a date that some people associate with bad luck. It’s only now that I take notice of the fact that in English, the opposite of luck is indicated by merely adding the negatively connotated word “bad”, whereas in German the opposite of “Glück” is “Pech”; both clumsy monosyllables. Pech (english: pitch) is also the black resin, popular in the merry days of yore for the tarring and feathering and other torture practices. I’m surely bummed, but my loss didn’t feel quite so torturous. Some say it’s actually good luck to lose jewelry, especially bracelets, especially charmed ones. They are said to transfer the energy from one owner to their next, thus providing both recharge and release.
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