Threes and Nines
Tuesday, February 28th, 2006Like most people, I’ve got some minor OCD tendencies. Your thorough checking of the stove being off, your making sure things are unplugged before leaving on vacation, your very standard check of keys and wallet when entering the car. There is one thing, though, that creeps up from time to time, one thing that, though I tell myself I’m sure other people do the same thing, I’m pretty sure is a bit unusual. Harmless for sure but definitely unusual.
In all honesty, it hasn’t been something I’ve needed to do in a long time. For sure, it’s been a year or more since I’ve felt compelled but Sammy’s recent birth and procedures have me revisiting my old friend.
You know how sometimes you hope upon hope and wish upon wish? Like there’s regular hoping and wishing and then there is hoping upon all hope and wishing upon all wishing?
I do that in a pattern of threes and nines.
It’s a pattern for me. I’ll have a little sentence like, in this case, “Please Sammy do well.” And then, I’ll say it in my head in a pattern that follows what you might think a group of nine traditionally looks like. So, I’ll say it in groups of three and in sets of nine groups of three (for a total of 27). And I’ll do this multiple times throughout the day.
Yeah, I know. Do I really need to tell you what happens if I get interrupted?
I don’t know how or why I started doing this but I’ve always done it when I’ve really, really wanted something. I can go for a year or more with completely forgetting about it and then something will happen that needs the boost.
I’m not much of a spiritual person though I’m sure some would argue that this quirk of mine is some strange way of me praying to some higher power. I guess you could argue that there’s some kind of Zen-like focus and serenity to what it does for me. I haven’t thought much about it. I think it just makes me feel I’ve got power over some things.
All I know is it has been a long time but I’ve been sending my hopes and wishes in groups of three and sets of nine to Sammy, Erika, and Jay.
Please Sammy do well. Please Sammy do well. Please Sammy do well….
