By Suzanne Reisler Litwin
I can’t lose those last 5 fricken pounds! Every time I lose that weight I feel amazing. My clothing fits me so much better. I feel liberated and free to eat all I want. And… then I do! This is where the problem starts. Suddenly, I eat all the chocolates I can find and all the super delicious fatty cheeses. I do this until I put back the 5 annoying pounds and then I get mad at myself, again. It is a vicious circle of the never ending quest to lose those 5 fricken pounds.
I know this isn’t anything important to complain about. I’m not complaining! I’m just stating an annoyance about those darn 5 blah blahs!
The deal I make with myself is, today I will start the fight again and be grateful that I can.
This gets me thinking about the number 5 and why it holds so much meaning in my life.
When we were children every birthday had a huge meaning. Celebrating 6 was just as important as 7. As we got older, somehow turning 26 or 27 didn’t have the same meaning. Suddenly, we started to celebrate our birthdays in increments of 5. For example, when I turned 40 it was a big deal. 41, 42, 43, 44, were just regular birthdays, but 45 got a little more important. 46, 47, 48, 49, all were celebrated in a simple way, but 50 was a hoot! I suppose the rest of my grateful birthdays will follow in this pattern. So explains the magic of the number “5”.
Here are some more examples of this magic number.
“Hi, I’m so sorry I have a reservation, but I will be 5 minutes late!” How often do we hear this? No one really calls to say they will be 4 or 7 minutes late. Or “Hey, I will meet you for drinks after 5. Or, I finish work at 5”.
I hear this all the time, “Ma, just let me sleep for 5 more minutes”. Again, there’s the magic #5. Do other numbers hold the same importance or structure in your world? I thought about number 2 in this way. Two is even and I like that. For some reason I find 5 is even, although it’s not. It just seems to function in an even kind of way like 2 does.
When we were children we had a favourite number. I think 2 was always my favourite number because two of anything wouldn’t be lonely. For me 5 represented a bunch of something. I still like #2 but I’m tending to like #5 more. Not in pounds though!
None of this makes any difference, it’s simply a perspective and everyone has a different perspective on everything.
5 bucks gets you a small meal. 5 bucks will get you some place, not too far. 5 bucks will get you a beer. 5 minutes will let you snooze. 5 minutes late gives you a grace period. 5 minutes early gives you a moment to relax. Dinner for 5 might get you a round table. I’ll call you back in 5 minutes is polite. A 5 minute hug is priceless!
All this sounds so hopeful and wonderful. But…those 5 extra pounds on my body are still so fricken annoying!!!
It’s only 5 more miles, or 5 more kilometers. Please wait, I will be there in 5 minutes. Buddy, can you spare 5 dollars? Hey, high 5 me! 5-Alive Juice. Hawaii 5-O, Jackson 5, etc. Maybe it’s just me and I’m over sensitive about this number.
I suppose if I could re-image those 5 extra pounds on my body into 5 English pounds, I wouldn’t feel so frustrated! That’s it! I’m going to re-market myself!!!! See the picture! In an English accent, “Have a lovely Monday!”
Suzanne Reisler Litwin is an author/writer/columnist/educator. She contributes every Monday morning to the West Island Blog.
She is an instructor at Concordia University in The Centre for Continuing Education. Suzanne is a freelance contributor to The Suburban newspaper. She is the author of the children’s book, The Black Velvet Jacket. She lives in Montreal, Canada with her 3 children, Allyn, Taylor, and Duke and her husband Laurie. Suzanne contributes regularly to West Island Blog under her column Keeping it Real. Please visit her website www.suzannereislerlitwin.com to read more of her published articles, books, and poetry.
