I forgot to say "Rabbit"

Long ago in a nebula far, far away in a land called Virginia, Virginia Beach to be precise, I was a young school girl. And at this particular school there was a grey-haired teacher named Mrs. Webster.

She was alright.

But she had a secret.

Her secret involved her teaching style. She would encourage us to get all of our work done, because if we did, we could listen to story time. If you didn't finish your work, you would have to stay at the back of the classroom where the lights were on and work on work. If you had completed your work, you were treated to having the lights dimmed and getting comfortable on the floor with mats and pillows to listen to her tell stories.

Still, her true secret was her story-telling ability. She told fantastical stories about a young girl in the pioneer times ala Laura Ingalls Wilder who was chased and eventually captured by non-PC and savage "Indians." It was actually one story told over many pieces, many days, many weeks that continued and wove such a great tapestry that all these years later, I can remember it. Well, parts of it, anyway. There was danger, suspense, and action galore! It really wrapped up our young minds into another world.

One thing Mrs. Webster told us I still remember and I still practice to this day. It was that if you say "rabbit" the very first thing on the first day of the month, you would get a present. You wouldn't know when it was going to be but sometime during that month, you would get a surprise.

It's quite a difficult thing to do, to utter "rabbit" first thing in the morning when you wake up, the first thought in your mind. As adults, at least for me, things start zinging through my mind, not the least of which is "10 more minutes" and "damn, I'm late."

Try it yourself. I have found it is always true. I always receive a present some time during the month that I remember to declare "rabbit" first thing. I must confess, however, that I only ever remember to proclaim, "Rabbit!" on the first day of my birth month and December. Months guaranteed to offer up presents. But still, every month I try to remember and some months I do. And I get a present without fail.