The Numbers Game
Have you ever thought about how often numbers figure in your everyday life?
1. Start with your identity: After your first, middle and last names, you’re identified
by your address which includes street number 112, 9 digit zip code 75026-2321,
phone number 214-992-0241 and social security number 120-56-8910.
2. You awaken in the morning and check the time: 5:30 (still dark, back to sleep) until 7:00.
3. If you’re an insomniac, you’ve been following numbers all night, wondering which one will release you to sleep: a.m: 1:30, 2:15, 3:30, 5:00 ….zzzzz…..
4. After morning ablutions, you check the outside temperature to see what to wear: 75 (nice), 62 (a little cool), 50 (so-so), 30 ( long under wear time.)
5. If you do a.m. exercises, you count the number of reps 2 sets of 12 and/or the minutes spent - 20 minutes – that’s enough of that!
6. If you count calories, your breakfast might look something like this: Special K fruit and yogurt cereal 120 calories, cantaloupe 60 calories, coffee with skim milk 25 calories; total 205 calories. Not bad if you can stay away from the Danish 106 calories – that blows breakfast - later this morning for those 11 a.m. munchies.
7. Time to make phone calls. Punch the numbers 883-097-2368 to reach your target. If you’ve pre-programmed numbers into your phone then your automatic system does this for you, Hooray for technology!
8. You have a doctor’s appointment this morning at 11:00. Ready for more numbers?
9. First thing they do is weigh, measure and take your blood pressure. Chances are (as you age anyway) that 3 numbers have gone up and 1 has gone down: that’s right, weight, B/P and cholesterol have gone up and height has gone down. Why is that, anyway? Weight 140 pounds, height 60 inches, blood pressure 150/92 –uh oh, doesn’t look good! Weight and height thing must be due to wearing a heavy sweater and flat shoes (yeah, right!) B/P elevation must be due to the ‘white coat syndrome’ (just being in a doctor’s or dentist’s office elevates it.) Total cholesterol levels are creeping up towards 275. Uh oh, doesn’t look good!
10. Finally, the doctor (or nurse or p.a.) says, well, for a person your age (fill in blank) you’re really not in such bad shape…..gee, thanks for the compliment?
11. You finally leave the doctor’s office, having spent 2 ½ hours there. It’s now 1:30, time to meet your friend for lunch.
12. You’re not too late, enjoy lunch and conversation, pay the bill which you split 50/50.
13. After lunch you plan to stop at Nordstrom’s; they’re having a 25-50% off sale. Even at these discounts, their prices are still high.
14. On the way there, you’re tempted to stop at a shoe store as they, too, are having a special sale: Buy one pair and get 2nd pair 50% off. How can you resist those numbers?
15. 45 minutes later you leave the store, 2 pairs of shoes heavier and delighted with your bargain. For only $59.95 you now have 2 new pairs of shoes which you don’t need and probably won’t wear. But, how could you resist those numbers? 4:00. Time to head home.
17. Driving there, the radio gives the weather, cloudy at 62, time 4:10 p.m. and the stock market daily report, Dow down 35 points after which you hear the song, If I Could Put Time In A Bottle.
18. Lots of traffic, trip takes 35 minutes. When home, check the time to cook the chicken, 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Dinner will be ready in 60 minutes.
19. Time to relax with your feet up for 45 minutes with a drink (calories? – oh the hell with it.) Just enjoy the drink and forget the numbers!
20. After dinner, the dreaded task of bill paying. This is where the numbers don’t compute. More going out than coming in. How can you pay $4,200.00 in monthly bills on $3,959.00 income? Still trying to figure that one out.
21. Finally, 11 p.m. The numbers plus your body tell you it’s time for bed.
22. Lord, what would we do without numbers? Well, we might feel a lot less
regimented and more free. And just think, you got through an entire day with only 22 numbered items!
Final thoughts: If you’re an accountant, numerologist, stock broker or gambler who likes betting on the numbers or playing 21, that’s a whole other ball game…… and speaking of ball games, did you hear that the Red Sox won their latest game against the Orioles by a score of 22 to 11!?
As a follow-up to this post here’s an amazing short Youtube video on numbers;
No comments:
Post a Comment