The exercise:
Since I turned 33 today, let's go with: three.
Had a lovely day full of good food and many well wishes from friends and family. And I do believe I found my Halloween costume.
Nothing too original, but it did make me giggle when I first saw myself in the bathroom mirror, so I suspect I might share a picture with you guys at some point.
Mine:
When I was backpacking around Europe, I took a three week detour to Ireland after spending Christmas with family in Bristol. It wasn't part of the original plan but I'm extremely glad I made it over there and I would love to go back some day.
Anyway. I was staying at a small hostel on the west coast for a few days. It was, like almost every other place I stayed, extremely friendly and welcoming and it didn't take long to get to know the other guests.
One rainy evening (which, believe it or not, was actually a rarity during my time there - yes, even in January!) I was playing cards with a couple of fellow travelers. One of them happened to be an Irishman from another area of that beautiful country and he'd had me in stitches all evening. But I remember one particular incident with great clarity, even though almost eleven years have slipped past now.
I forget what game we were playing, but at some point we all had to show our cards. During one of these occasions the Irishman had three different suits of threes in his hand. With a giant grin, and a particularly heavy accent, he tossed them on the table and declared, "I'm a forest! Tree trees!"
4 comments:
Three
A trike, my favorite thing on wheels when I was little - a (two wheel) bike never made sense.
Three - the minimum for balance. A three-legged stool makes a great picnic chair. Sit by the river, throw in a line, but if you catch a three-eyed fish, chuck it back in!
Three's a crowd unless you’re actually looking for a buffer zone to avoid the tension in your relationship.
The three fates, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, circling round like Macbeth’s witches, weaving your fate into a question mark as you deal your cards, looking for an answer. Up pops the third in the Tarot - the Empress - she sits full, pregnant with possibility.
A hint of a rainbow, three primary colours, red, blue and green if you’re a light technician, or red, ’gold’ and green if you’re Boy George’s portrait painter - I’m using artistic license here.
A trinity appears, father, son and holy ghost; the son rose on the third day. But it depends on your perspective - your trinity might be maid, mother, crone - the psychological ages of woman; mine is my “trinity of truth”: love, light and life, all interwoven. The fates would be pleased.
Had I written this on Tuesday it would be the third day of the week, ruled by Mars, god of war oh, and agriculture, I’m told. Had I written this in June it’d be Gemini, third zodiac sign. This Fibonacci prime number stands tall as a triangle (a fiery symbol), stable as a stool, and the product of one plus one, when the stork brings the baby!
Three times three completes a cycle as nine, the last in the decade before ten begins anew.
Thirty-three, the age, is the year of sacrifice, philosophically-speaking, another chance at maturation. The astrologers know what I mean. Happy birthday, Marc!
Three.
Just three seconds.
Three seconds to decide his fate.
Would he live...
...or would he die?
As the walls came crumbling around him, all he could think about was seeing her face again. He didn't think about his most certain demise, or what would befall him even if he made it.
Two seconds.
Then he remembered. He remembered what would happen to her if he got out. He remembered what would happen to the world. There was no way out.
One second.
There was only one way.
One way to save the world.
One way to save her.
He had to let go.
Zero.
Happy birthday Marc! I hope it's been a good one for you, and that you didn't have to work too hard out in the garden on it :)
I love the Irish pronunciation of three as well; and as I seem to spending a fair bit of the next month flying to and from Dublin I expect I'll be hearing a lot of it.
I'm sorry there's no extra writing from me today; it's been insanely busy and I'm only just sitting down at last, with about half-an-hour before I need to be in bed and tea and other evening chores still waiting (impatiently) to be done.
--g
World of Exp. - really enjoyed the multiple takes :)
Drake - very nicely done!
Greg - thank you, and I hope things calm down for you soon.
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