One, Two, Three...

Have you ever noticed that the world is ruled by the number 3? The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. A cord of 3 strands in not easily brokes. 3 strikes and your out! Rock, Paper, Scissors., 3 Blind Mice, 3 Little Pigs, "I'm going to count to 3..", 3 meals a day.

The number 3 is everywhere. We are unconsciously consumed by it. I realized this strange obsessions the other day when talking with my sister. She was telling me how difficult it is preparing to graduate college. "Everyone want to know what I'm doing in my life, " she lamented. "They all keep asking me the same 3 questions." While half-heartedly listening to her complaing about being probed for answers to her post-college excistence I realized that she had discovered a monumental truth - people always questions in grouping of three. And they all seem to always ask the same three questions. Think about it...


You're 5 years old. Mom's college roommate comes to visit for the first time. Bending over low she gets right in your face and asks:

1)What's your name?
2) How old are you?
3) Aren't you adorable?! (rhetorical, yes, but still a question)


Now your 17. College applications are due in three weeks and all anyone asks is:

2) Where are you applying to college?
3) What do you want to study?
3) What do you think you're going to do with that? ("that" being the answer to question 2)

Finally, college begins and you soon realize the next four years are going to be spent telling people:

1) What's your name?
2) Where are you from?
3) What's your major?

Fourth year of college is the worst. You're nervous, clueless, freaking out about how you're going to live without Mom & Dad's monthly check, and every passing person wants to know:

1) When are you going to get out? (i.e. did you make it in the highly-coveted 4 years or are you one of the ones still haging on)
2) Do you have a job lined up? (sometimes phrased as: What are you going to DO?}
3) Did you get benefits? (If your anwer to question number two is "I don't know" the 3rd question usually changes to "Where are you going to live?")


Finally you find yourself in a job and a new set of questioning begins:

1) Do you like it?
2) How much money are you making? (Usually not a direct question, but hinted at strongly enough that it makes the list.)
3) Are you are seeing anyone?

You anwer "Yes" and you're getting married! (The marriage questions vary too much to have a standard set of three; men get much different questions than women.)

You've got a job, you're married, things are going well. The questioning calms down a bit, but when you visit Mom and Dad and the next door neighbor stops by be prepared for:

1) What are you doing (in life)?
2) How's married life?
3) When are you having children?


Personally, I haven't gotten past that last set of questions, but through the experiences of friends I can image the next set (When are you due? Is it a boy or a girl? Do you have a named pick out?). Until I get to those I'll leave you with my 3 current answers:

1) I run the entire production process of a 144 page wine magazine four times a year, for starters.
2) Married life my biggest blessing...and it can be extremely difficult...but I think we get better at it each year
3) Kids...somewhere between now and 30, but I"m not sure where.