"When we decided to sell our home, many friends suggested that if we 'planted' a statue of St. Joseph in our yard, it would facilitate a quick sale. But when asked for specifics about the superstition, we got conflicting directions. Some said it should be buried upside down, facing away from the house in the front yard. Others said the opposite."

"Not wanting to spoil our chances, I frequently moved the statue around the yard. Months passed, but our house never sold. Feeling disappointed and foolish, I tossed the statue into a bag that was picked up at curbside and trucked to the town landfill."

"A few weeks later I was reading the local paper and noticed the headline:

TOWN SELLS LANDFILL TO PRIVATE CONTRACTOR

--- Steve Spollio in Reader's Digest