SOLSC '24 Day Three: It's a magic number

 "Three is a magic number
Yes it is, it's a magic number
Somewhere in that ancient mystic trinity
You get three as a magic number

The past and the present and the future
Faith and hope and charity
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three as a magic number

It takes three legs to make a tripod or to make a table stand
It takes three wheels to make a vehicle called a tricycle
And every triangle has three corners
Every triangle has three sides
No more, no less, you don't have to guess
When it's three, you can see
Its a magic number

A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes, they did
They had three in the family
And that's a magic number"

--from the "Schoolhouse Rock" series, lyrics by Bob Dorough

Last night, my husband and I watched three music shows on our local PBS station:  the induction of Trisha Yearwood to the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, a Bee Gees documentary, and Part 2 of the concert in honor of the late Freddie Mercury, held in 1992 in Wembley Stadium to raise funds for AIDS research.  We sang along to a lot of songs (I was surprised by what I knew of Yearwood's music, given that I'm not much of a country fan).  We lamented that several of the performers on the last two shows were deceased--all of the brothers Gibb except Barry; Freddie; George Michael; David Bowie; Mick Ronson.

The death of our cultural icons, as well as the passing  of loved ones and our own demise at some point, is part and parcel of this third stage of life that I am coming to terms with in the most mundane of ways; there's nothing magical about decluttering at your adult children's plea of not leaving behind a lot of stuff to go through.  

There is magic in the crone years, though.  The increased appreciation of time and what it can hold, if the universe allows.  The ability to see things more clearly through the lens of experience and cute reading glasses (sorry, I won't be decluttering those anytime soon).  The ability to offer faith and hope to those who are still in their maiden or mother years, that yes, you can find your niche; yes, you'll get to sleep through the night before the kids leave home; yes, you can get to a place where your self-worth and health matter more than others' expectations.

Three is my favorite number, and this stage of life may be my favorite, too, despite the loss involved.  As long as my heart is full, my brain remains curious, and my body holds out, this promises to be the best of times to come.