AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER

The Question to Ask Yourself

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE NUMBER 3?

As I was running back and forth putting out one fire after another this torturous week I had to stop, take a breath and just think on it. Damn it! I realized the pattern was emerging; trouble comes in 3’s. 😱

Let’s see; first there was all that rotting wood that had to be replaced on the house. The kind of project that grows from four boards to eight to sixteen and beyond while the cash register goes ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching!

Then my handyman knocked quietly on the door and signaled me to come out for him to show me something. Dread knotted my stomach but I tried to play it cool and stepped out for the bad news.

He pointed up to the eaves and said “you got a roof problem”. The screaming violins from the shower scene of Psycho run through my head. 😲 (Noooo) I said “it isn’t time for a new roof yet.” He asked me who put the gutters on.

I told him Home Depot and he said they put them in wrong and the leaking water was rotting the eaves. Told me I was gonna have to get a roofer to look at it. I asked in a high squeaky voice “Can’t you fix it?” I musta looked panicky; cause he said no with a sad smile. Sigh…

I got the roofer to the house and they started poking around and I ended up with pictures, an estimate of over 3 (yes I said 3) grand and a letter about an installation gone wrong! Gaaaakkk!

IS THE THIRD SHOE DROPPING?

I fixed myself a big ole pity party cocktail and sat down to watch a little TV. I gotta good nose. I got a whiff of something. 🤨 What is that? Is that me? I pulled my shirt out and sniffed. Nope.

I got another whiff-stronger. I picked up the dog and sniffed all around him cause it smelled sort of fishy like anal glands (if you got a dog….nasty stuff)! Nope. Not him either but he was very interested in the fireplace.

He’s tracking. He knows there is something in there. He went over and shoved his nose in. I went over and took a sniff too and boy howdy! Yep; that’s it. Can’t imagine what it is but I had a sudden vision of IT in a sewer drain. I stuck two containers of Gonzo in there and lit four scented candles.

I ran into the Chimney Sweeper at the garbage dump next day and chatted him up. He suggested a dead animal and I said no-wrong smell. Perhaps a nest of some kind he said but he would need to come out for an inspection and another sweep to know for sure. Of course he does!

I heard a sound. That third shoe dropped. More cash flyin’ outta my hands and I start to wonder if I have committed some foul in the world of feng shui. 🤔

TRIAPHILIA-CERTAIN EVENTS OCCUR IN 3’S

This isn’t the first or last time this will happen to me. It probably happens to you too right? It has a name; triaphilia. The belief that certain events happen in 3’s.

Have you noticed celebrity deaths? Like in May we lost Peggy Lipton, Tim Conway and Doris Day within days of each other. Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett and Ed McMahon all gone the same week just to name a few.

Natural disasters happen in 3’s. Look that up with your Google machine. Ever light three cigarettes on one match? The unlucky number 13…..it’s gotta 3. Judas was the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper. Leaves of 3 leave them be.

NUMBER 3-SUPERSTITION OR MYSTICISM

People could say it is just humans looking for patterns and symmetry; explanations for things they have no control over. That it’s just the way our brains are wired. It is a lot easier to believe in a superstition than face a truth (like my house is just getting older and needs maintenance). 😬

Or maybe it is just a numbers thing. In our ten base system the fraction 1/3 is .333333 and 3 is the first odd prime number. Could be a religious thing; there is the triangle, the Holy Trinity and Christ died at 3 PM. There are 3 branches of government and 3 levels of stupid in the IQ test. There is the philosophical triad of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. ( Did someone say Dan Brown?)

What about entertainment references like jokes (the minister, the rabbi and the priest go into a bar…), Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, Let’s Make a Deal’s 3 doors, or even the lyrics to the Dawn song, Knock 3 Times? There is a rule of thirds in art, photography and design. Seeing the pattern? 🤔

Psychology suggests we may believe in the 3 situation because it comes out of our intuitive view of the world and not an analytical one. My being an ENFP personality type leans on intuition over analytical so that might ‘splain it for me anyway. What about you?

See Michael Eck’s website The Book of Threes for a lot of threesy bits; mainly for your entertainment over the superstitious stuff.

HOW DID WE GET HERE

That trouble comes in 3’s is disturbing on so many levels. It personally makes me feel vulnerable, nervous and outta control. Don’t ever tempt the money gods by saying you got plans out loud. The universe might see that as a cry for attention! Hey, just cause your paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to getcha!

Suffice it to say because of my recent troubles in 3’s, the big trip for fall has been rescheduled to spring. The 3rd such rescheduling. (I know….right?) 🙄 But then the third times a charm….ahem.

Have you had bad things in 3’s? Do you have a fear of the number 13? (Called triskaidekaphobia-say that 3 times fast!) My husband was born on the 13th and considers it to be his lucky number. A BFF of mine was once married to a starving artist who was always known for throwing parties on all Friday the 13th’s. Just how he rolled-fearless…or it coulda been the booze…🤷‍♀️

CONCLUSION

My last 3 thoughts…

I hope your week went better than mine.

If not, let me know what your struggles have been and if yes, send me a little pep talk. I could use some kind words. 😊 Enjoy the Ted Talk below on the number 3.

If you liked what you read here, you might enjoy other blogs under Just Because. Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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