Beyond Friday the 13th

June 15, 2025

Beyond Friday the 13th

Mystery photo: guess what is happening on my way to work ?

Fridays are getting busy for me. Especially last week, with five new evaluations (which involves hearing 5 new people's traumatic narrative, trying to take that in and help them, guide them towards healing), two follow-up visits, grand rounds for continuous medical enlightenment (AKA education) and a phone call with an intern to plan for an elective she wants to do. I like working with her, so I thought this will be a nice way to end the day, even though I will be tight because I needed to stop by the grocery store (expecting special guests over the weekend), and then go to my younger son's swim practice.

Morning routine as usual: chia seeds and coconut milk with fruit and almonds, instant coffee in almond milk, assembling a leftover pizza with green beans for lunch, adding a spoon in lunch bag but forgetting the yogurt to go with it, replying to a friend who texted me that I would be calling him while on the road (every min counts while I am getting ready to drive to work when my first patient is at 8 am), unplugging my car, and remembering to put my insulated grocery bag in my car.

It turns out my friend is about to take a flight and we must postpone our phone call again. No problem, I put on uplifting music (Stevie Wonder). Suddenly, the flapping door on the hood of my car opens while on the freeway. I must have not put it down vigorously enough. It happened 4-5 times before, forcing me to take the nearest exit to close it. It is always quite annoying. This then brings to mind the repeated phone calls and emails from the car dealer saying that there is a recall etc and I need to contact them (I know it is just a strategy to have me bring my car in and ''find'' other issues to fix), which only makes my irritation reach another depth. I close the flap, commiserating at the harassment and bombardment from everyone and everything trying to get the last penny from me. It takes forever (it seems) to reenter the freeway due to morning traffic. I am thinking of the potential delays that could accumulate and make me late for my first appointment. I had just barely left home.

Anyway, as I take the exit near the clinic, I really feel like I will make it. This is when I noticed the red lights flashing right before the railroad track for the commuter train. I put on the brakes, then remarked to myself that I am a bit over the white line but it wouldn't be a good idea to back up due to the presence of cars close behind I am already sensing, and while this is taking longer to write about than to assess and evaluate, I also ''tell myself'' there should be enough space between my car and the railroad (and therefore, train). This is when I hear a soft BOUM on the roof of my car (see mystery photo, which is a view from my driver's seat while I was trying not to melt in complete embarrassment).

I was in shock, wondering too many things (irrational and not so irrational) at once: will the train hit my car ? Am I in trouble ? Is my car going to be damaged ? All these scenarios weren't that scary in comparison to the embarrassment, acute precursor of shame that I felt growing in what seemed like an eternity. I had time and the presence of perception to notice a woman who crossed the railroad on her pink bike just before the train arrived, and I somehow saw her fall off of it on the other side. It was all so strange and surreal. I would definitely be late for work, because I must go through a ''corkscrew'' kind of path in the parking garage (I hate parking garages with a passion) and go all the way to the top (being allowed to park only on the 4th level), only to walk in the clinic, take the (painfully slow) elevator from the 3rd flow to the first...

And it suddenly dawned on me, while still pinned down by the crossing gate, what cursed date it was. Friday the 13th ! (By the way, superstitions around that day have various roots, including in sexism: there are 13 lunar cycles each year, and phases of the moon mirror the menstrual cycle and could therefore symbolize the divine feminine).

I did make it to the clinic fine, after ensuring the woman had stood back up after her fall. I was able to be present to my patients despite their tragedies and some surreal stories.

And of course, I couldn't help wondering what was the spiritual significance of the crossing gate lowering on my car, trapping me ? Was that the reminder that I often feel that way, ready to move forward but somehow feeling knocked out, stricken by hostility, double-binds and other nonsense from our ego-driven, material reality ?

Until I figure out what messages the universe was trying to convey, I decided to take this with some humor. And maybe the bizarre is just the culmination of collective energy being so superstitious or negative, which make highly sensitive or perceptive beings like me more susceptible to end up in such farcical situations... time to confront the sexism once and for all and Friday-the-13th's disasters will be ''choses du passé'' !

Interestingly, this weekend marks the 2-year-long enchanting symbiosis with my home. This blog post is also #100 for Âme Sweet Âme. I don't know of a more perfect way to celebrate this special moment than with my delightful cousin and his as delightful girlfriend, who were visiting beyond Friday the 13th. Ultimately, the House of Enchantments is really about the people who share memories together in it.