Today is my dad’s birthday.
Because his birthday is on June 13th, he has a habit of noticing the numbers 6 and 13. For example, we’ll be eating dinner, and he’ll lean over to me and say, “Look, Matt” and point at the clock, which will, of course, read 6:13.
Or, we’ll be walking away from the register at the local Wawa, and he will point at the receipt, the total being $6.13.
Or, we’ll be walking on the street and pass a house with the number 613, which he will make sure I don’t miss.
Because of his habit, I started to notice the numbers for my birthday, June 17th. The other day, while I was waiting for the metro to take me to Marseille Saint-Charles train station, I looked up and saw the numbers on a digital sign that read: Prochains métros dans 06 minutes, dans 17 minutes (next trains in 06 minutes, in 17 minutes). I smiled to myself and reached for my phone to take a picture.
I don’t know why we care about such coincidences, but I’ve always felt that we notice these things because we need to have a sense of our place in the world. The numbers 6 and 17 are my numbers, the same way that 6 and 13 are my father’s.
When we see them, we feel a sense of ownership over that moment, a subtle reminder of our unique identity in such a vast and infinite universe.
Maybe it means something, maybe it means nothing. But either way, when you encounter your own numbers, don't let the moment pass you by.
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Today is my dad’s birthday.
Because his birthday is on June 13th, he has a habit of noticing the numbers 6 and 13. For example, we’ll be eating dinner, and he’ll lean over to me and say, “Look, Matt” and point at the clock, which will, of course, read 6:13.
Or, we’ll be walking away from the register at the local Wawa, and he will point at the receipt, the total being $6.13.
Or, we’ll be walking on the street and pass a house with the number 613, which he will make sure I don’t miss.
Because of his habit, I started to notice the numbers for my birthday, June 17th. The other day, while I was waiting for the metro to take me to Marseille Saint-Charles train station, I looked up and saw the numbers on a digital sign that read: Prochains métros dans 06 minutes, dans 17 minutes (next trains in 06 minutes, in 17 minutes). I smiled to myself and reached for my phone to take a picture.
I don’t know why we care about such coincidences, but I’ve always felt that we notice these things because we need to have a sense of our place in the world. The numbers 6 and 17 are my numbers, the same way that 6 and 13 are my father’s.
When we see them, we feel a sense of ownership over that moment, a subtle reminder of our unique identity in such a vast and infinite universe.
Maybe it means something, maybe it means nothing. But either way, when you encounter your own numbers, don't let the moment pass you by.
