It's Just A Number...Or Is It

Turning 10 was a huge deal to me. For some reason I was clearly aware that from that moment on, I will forever have double digits for my age. The single digit would be behind me, and sadly, since I highly doubt I'll reach 100, I'll never experience three digits. I am a double digit. The number could have been 10 or 99. The number itself was not the problem. The number of digits was the problem. Growing up, as every girl learns, I was clearly aware that asking a woman her age was a crime. Possibly worse then going through her purse...or not, but a very close second. When I hear a woman being asked her age, time comes to a screeching halt. Everything goes into slow motion as I await with anticipation for her reaction. Some completely freak, snap back, frigidly stating something along the lines that death will come upon the one inquiring their age. Others smile, ever so slightly, and simply say, its not an appropriate question. There are the groupers, who broadly layout their decade span: oh, I'm in my 30's. You've got the ones who miraculously deduct 30 years off their life, forever saying they are 20. Seeing a plastic surgeon, might, slight might, make you look younger, but it does not actually rewind the clock. In another category, there are the enthusiasts. They jump with glee and could not care less about telling you their age. They find pride in it. To them, each year brings a new story. If they have grey hairs or tiny wrinkles, each one holds a piece of history, a memory. Where do you stand, if asked your age?

I am 27. So far, I have never had a problem answering that question. Although, in fairness, I have not been asked the question too many times. Who knows if I will still feel comfortable answering when I am, god willing, 47.

Has life always been a numbers game?

Has there always been a completion behind each number. Some numbers are better lower: age, weight & dress size {now, more then in the past}, technical fouls, sales tax. Some are better higher: salary, height, cars S 550 vs S 320, free throw percentage, awards. Yet, sometimes, just sometimes, a number is truly just a number.