Magic? It's all in the mind. Or the pants.

Now it transpires that thinking something calamitous is going to be caused by your physical action - or lack of physical action - is common. Probably universal. I read in John Peel's autobiography that he occasionally thought on his evening constitutional that if he did not reach the top of a nearby 'hill' in or under a certain amount of steps, something bad would happen.

This resulted in his harmless indulgence of a petty neuroses and, no doubt, happiness - acquired on these occasions by simply striding. If all of life's worries were that readily solvable. Middle East peace? Just touch your ears three times whenever you see a full moon. Sorted.

What is odd though is that nobody seems to consider that they may cause the happening of something fortuitous by their actions. Good fortune, as far as I am aware, is totemic, stored in a rabbit's foot (odd, considering that the rabbit can't have been that lucky in the first place), a horseshoe (horses must be the luckiest animals on earth, so how come Shergar was kidnapped?) or, more usually, pants.

When it comes to pants and socks, you can see luck vanish in the rear-view mirror and you're straight into 'magical properties'. Blokes firmly believe that the wearing of a particular pant, sock or whatever can spur their team to victory or send them home with a beautiful woman. Amazing that a few square inches of cotton can overcome, say, crap defensive play or halitosis. Magic they remain though, to those who believe. Sod Narnia, a bloke with lucky pants, socks and hat..now that's an enchanted wardrobe.