It’s Day 16 of the Papa’s Walk Challenge!   

As I was walking today, I tripped over a piece of sidewalk pavement.  It had risen higher at the seam on one side, than the other.  Tree roots had grown under the pavement and uprooted the concrete. The higher side of the concrete block was spray-painted yellow at the seam, probably to alert people to the danger and to designate it for repair.  However, I didn’t see it and clumsily tripped right over it. Once I recovered my sense of balance and dignity, I recalled a children’s taunt, “Have a nice trip?  See ya next fall!”

From that point on, I focused on the sidewalk which brought to mind the children’s rhyme:

Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.
Step on a line, break your father’s spine.

That’s awful, isn’t it?  And as much as I know it’s nonsense, I tried (as I did in my youth) to step squarely on sidewalk spaces and avoid the seams and cracks.  That’s not as easy as it sounds, while trying to maintain any kind of walking pace.  I wondered about the origin of the superstition, and was surprised to find an explanation from the Busch Gardens amusement park. Just goes to show, you learn something new every day.