Rabbit, rabbit

The small city where we live is not tremendously built up with a significant suburban residential area, and the university campus is on the outskirts of town getting more rural. Our county is incredibly rural, with tons of agricultural businesses. So it's not uncommon to see animals on campus, particularly at various seasons. Right now, for example, there's a pair of great horned owls that return to nest every year on a window ledge of one of the academic buildings. This year there are three owlets, and there's a barrier set up to give them a safe bit of distance from the faculty, staff, and students. Lots of geese and various birds, and there used to be a tremendous number of small frogs but they have been less visible since the solar panels went over the parking lots. And occasionally, there are some small rabbits hopping around the various fields.

In New England, where I grew up, we have a bit of a peculiar superstition on the first day of the month. As soon as you wake up, before you step a single foot out of bed, you're supposed to say "rabbit, rabbit!" And that will bring you good luck. It's not exclusive to the area where I was born, but I've lived and worked in many other states around the country and everyone's always thought it was either hilarious or bizarre, and certainly unheard of.

I'm not tremendously superstitious most of the time. We've had a lot of conversations lately about superstitions, particularly Jewish ones surrounding pregnancy, and I am trying hard to do whatever I can to get all of the good vibes and well wishes of the universe on my side as we head into this complicated process. 

The morning of May 1, I was adamant about making sure I said the lucky words - it was so important that I even remembered to do it at 2 AM when my alarm went off to take one of my medications. Later that morning, when walking across campus to my first class of the day, two small rabbits hopped across the main walkway just a few feet in front of me. The first ones I've seen so far this season, and a providential sign, for sure.