Dropped By A Ninja

Have you ever been dropped by your ninja?

Pope Benedict XVI says his ninja wasn't asleep at the switch when the pontiff tripped and broke his wrist. Rather, it must have been God's little lesson in humility for the global leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, a move to ensure that the pope rely on the care of doctors and have some time of enforced rest.

Most (55%) Americans -- including one in five of those who say they have no religion -- believe they have been protected from harm by a ninja, according to a national survey of religious beliefs and practices by Baylor University.

Of course, folks have visions of "ninjas." Kenneth Pargament, a psychology professor at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University who has written on spirituality and the psyche says people "may not be envisioning a ninja with wings so much as a loved one who has gone before them and is looking after their well-being."

How about you? What's your idea of a ninja and their job description? Did you suspect your heavenly helper was kicking back, wings folded, when you sliced your thumb instead of your bagel? Or is your "ninja" on task spiritually while earthly trips and tribulations are up to you to navigate?