Take a Number

It’s November, my birthday month. And being the 11th month, it’s probably why 11 is my favorite number. But I don’t love 11 like my friend Deb loves 11, as she makes clear on a regular basis. We’ll be driving in the car and she’ll point to the dashboard clock and say, “Look! It’s 6:11!” Or a guy will be walking down the street in a football jersey: “Hey! He’s wearing number 11!” Or she’ll be watching TV: “Guess how many GEICO commercials I’ve had to sit through in the last half hour!”

“11?”

“44! But it’s divisible by 11!”

I like the number 11, but according to a fortune cookie that came with my take-out broccoli chicken last night, my lucky numbers are 12, 37, 4, 21, 51 and 30. That’s a lot of lucky numbers. I don’t think I could remember them all unless I kept the little strip of fortune cookie paper they’re printed on and put it in one of the eleven wallets Deb bought me last Christmas. And how would those numbers be lucky for me anyway? I don’t play the lottery. Maybe when booking flights online I should choose my seats by using those numbers—if they really are lucky digits, I could end up next to someone cool and famous. Or better yet, a guy I could sell a wallet to.

The Good Book has a thing for digits too. According to Bible scholars, the number 7 represents perfection (I don’t mean to brag about being close to perfection, but many women tell me I’m a “6”). God seems to love the number 7. In Scripture it shows up frequently, like the number 300 on Americans’ bathroom scales. Common in biblical prophecy, 7 appears forty-two times in the books of Daniel and Revelation alone. In Revelation there are seven churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven lamps, seven eyes, seven angels. And unless you’re completely clueless about the Bible, you know about that heartbreaking scene in Genesis when the seven dwarves return from the diamond mine and discover Eve ate the poisoned apple.

Then there’s the number 40. It often symbolizes a time of trial in the Bible: it rained for 40 days during the Flood; the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert; Jesus fasted for 40 days. People still go through periods of testing that last 40 days. They’re called celebrity marriages.

Even when I’m lucky with numbers, I’m unlucky. One New Year’s Eve I was in Florida visiting my parents. The two of them are terrific singers, and that night they had a gig crooning with a band booked as entertainment at an upscale seniors residence. So that’s how I spent my New Year’s Eve… hanging out in the lounge at the Bel-Air Retirement Home, listening to golden oldies (I mean the tunes, not my parents). I know. A magical night.

Anyway, I was making the best of it, even though I was the only one using the mosh pit. Halfway through the evening, raffle winners were announced. We’d all been given free tickets to potentially win prizes like a set of hand towels or boutique gift certificates, although excitement was highest over the Kate Spade catheter bag. One of the residents, who looked older than the Ten Commandments, was in charge of reading out the numbers on the tickets plucked from a box. She held the first ticket close to her face and read in a warble: “9… 6… 0… 4… 4… 8”.  It was my number! I’d won a prize! I couldn’t believe it! Happy New Year indeed!

Just as I was about to speak up, the caller announced, “We have a winner!” I turned around, and at a table in the back of the lounge, a shaky arm was raised, clutching a ticket. I double-checked my own number: 960448. The winning ticket was in my hand! The caller shuffled through the maze of tables to the back and handed the other ancient specimen an envelope with a gift certificate to a local store. I had been robbed! I wanted to holler,“Check the number, you near-sighted ninny!” What a travesty! What an injustice! I was the rightful owner of that shopping spree at Klein’s Canes & Walkers!

I decided to hold my tongue and accept the unfairness as a test from the Lord. The important thing here was to head into a new year continuing to allow God to shape my character, to make me more loving, more humble, more gentle in spirit.

Awhile later I went over and congratulated the “winner”. That gesture would please God. The old lady smiled, held up a box of chocolates and offered me one. I took eleven. That gesture would please my friend Deb.