Illinoyances love them some Lincoln. Here in the Land of Lincoln, Ol' Honest Abe has achieved Buddha status. However, according to local lore, it's not his belly you rub.
It started in Springfield, Lincoln's final resting place. Caretakers keep the nose on the bronze head in front of the tomb meticulously polished. Tourists, passersby, and weary pilgrims rub the shiny nose for good luck.
Which is funny. Lincoln said:
"I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."
His wife was nuts, he lost a child while in office, then he got shot in the head. The Greeks didn't mind making Buddhas of their miserable heroes (look at Oedipus), so why should it bother us?
Springfield's a long drive from Champaign, but luckily, there are lesser shrines of equal Nasal Auspiciousness. A bust of Lincoln in Lincoln Hall on the Illinois Campus also has a nose shiny from collegiate luck siphoning.
Lincoln Hall is closed this time of year. Not to worry. Down the street from my apartment, somewhere in West Side Park, stands a bust of Young Lincoln. An aspiring Illinoyance myself, I figured I should get some Schnoz Luck my first week. So last night, under the light of a Waning Buck Moon, I rubbed Young Lincoln's nose.
Everything's going well so far.
(Note: This monster park also boasts a wide variety of Trees of Illinois and looks a promising site for some future Arborista Adventures.)
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