Lucky Charmers

I love words. I hit Dictionary.com at least five times a day. I try out new words and always get them wrong. I get old words wrong too. Sometimes words loose their meaning, they become cliché, so it’s nice to look up a commonly used word to see what it really means.

Digging in the dictionary as much as I do, I rarely remember when or where I pick up a word.

But, I remember talisman.

tal•is•man [tal-is-muhn, -iz-]
–noun, plural -mans.
1. a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm.
2. any amulet or charm.
3. anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions.

I was 21 and someone whose presence had a remarkable influence over me recommended I read “The Winter of Our Discontent,” by John Steinbeck.

This was a long time ago. I can’t even recall what the book was about. All I can remember is learning the word and that Steinbeck described pink hair curlers as pink suckling sausages.

Revisiting the book, I found these passages.

“So many words are mine because Aunt Deborah first aroused my curiosity and then forced me to satisfy it by my own effort.”

“It’s your talisman, not mine, it means what you want it to mean. Put it back in the cabinet. It will wait for you.”

I secretly believe in talismans and lucky charms. Like a superstitious baseball player, I rely on a few things to quickly send me to a familiar and calm place that is far away. I still have a blanky!


In fact, here is a photo! See that baby? I stole it from that baby. It's the yellow blanket in the foreground. (duh! black and white photo!)

Other lucky charmers I rely upon: left is little brother Tyler (AKA TyPie), I’m in the middle, and Travis (AKA Travy) is on the right. If TyPie is a baby, i must be six.


I used to carry it EVERYWHERE. Then, I slowly weened myself. I remember the commitment I made to leave it in my room rather than take it to dinner, or to watch TV. It was painful, harder than saying no to cheese. But it was my choice, my secret commitment, my decision to grow up.

However, I’m only willing to “grow up” to a certain point. I don’t care if I have issues. I don’t care if people think it’s weird. Everyone should have SOMETHING to mentally place them somewhere else. If I want to use a blanky, I will. The only thing that troubles me right now is whether it will last as long as I do.

A talisman can loose its ala kazam factor. It’s hard to know when this is true. A good sign? When something that once calmed you, now feels blasé, or stirs anxiety. It takes a while to figure this out. You have to test the talisman in different situations to know. If it’s always with you, try leaving it in your room. If you never use it, try taking it everywhere for a week. Carry it when you’re stressed at work. Carry it when your having a lovely day off.

Live with it, live without it and pay attention to how you feel. If it’s an object, put it back in the cabinet. It will wait for you. If it breathes, ask for patience. Remember, it’s YOUR talisman, it means what you want it to mean.