47

47
I was 47 once...and what a year it was. So many bad things happened that year I turned 47. It made me think about the auspiciousness of that number - a prime number - and gave rise to my theory that that's a number that people need to pay very close attention to. I believe - and this is my theory, is not proven and probably never will be - that life-changing things happen to people when they turn 47. For me, it was the passing of my father after a bad fall - from healthy to gone in only one week. It was also the passing of a good friend, Lucy - also here one day, gone the next from a brain aneurysm. It was also the year that Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding washed out the lives of many dear friends in New Orleans - another devastating loss in my life and those of many others. My marriage was at its rockiest, and I "unmade" a few friendships during this time, too. It was as if there was a big, creaking door opening in my life, and I spent the next 3 years wondering what to do about it.

My theory is not just based on this one bad year. I've also noticed how many people do amazing things when they turn 47 - write a book, re-direct their careers, win a lottery, find true love, contribute SOMETHING to the world. So 47 doesn't have to represent doom and gloom, but change. I just checked Wikipedia, and looks like this is Obama's 47th year. Well, Hillary, you had your chance.