Three’s My Lucky Number

My grandmother always said that if something unusual happened to you three times in one day, it was time to buy the lottery. You know, because that indicated good luck.

It seems I’ve always been destined to be in a friendship of three. In elementary school, it was with Yasmin and Nicola. In high school at one time it was with Tonya and Gillian and then it was with sisters Karen and Jackie. Even after I started working, I ended up in a trio with Claudia and Donna.

My husband can’t figure this out. Three, as far as he is concerned, is an unstable number, incapable of providing support. However, in my case, a friendship of three has always been well-balanced. In fact, whenever one of us was missing, the remaining two just never seemed to be in sync until number three returned. Usually one of us was the voice of caution, one the spirit of adventure, and one the voice of reason.

In high school, Karen, Jackie, and I were always going places after school. We were inseparable until they migrated to the US at the end of our 11th grade year. We were always at one of the shopping malls after school or somewhere that we should not be. At one point Sister J.V. gave the three of us detention because we were caught in the “out of bounds” section of school behind the convent. Good times, good times…

Claudia, Donna, and I became friends in common in our twenties. We were there for each other through all the bad boyfriends, heartaches, appendectomy, and the measles. We started going out after work on Friday nights. There was always a happy hour or a movie with our names on it. And if we were going to drive out of town early on a Saturday morning for some event we’d all crash at my house the night before. Eventually they became maid of honor and bridesmaid (one of two) at my wedding and Claudia and I were maid of honor and bridesmaid (again one of two) at Donna’s wedding.

Good things have always come in threes:

• 3 Musketeers
• 3 Blind Mice
• 3 Little Pigs
• 3 Billy Goats Gruff
• 3 Stooges
• Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
• Charlie’s Angels
• Past, present, and future,
• Faith, hope, and charity
• Ketchup, relish, and mustard
• and let’s not forget Harry, Ron, and Hermione…

Some jokes start with: “A __, a __, and a __ all walk into a bar….” See? Always in threes.

Of course, “Three is a Magic Number” from Schoolhouse Rock! is the pilot episode that started it all. It was the first episode of the show’s first season. Certainly good luck for them, me, and my children, and other generations to come.

I haven’t won the lottery yet, but I embrace the power of three and I gave a little cheer when I saw my little girl with her two best friends (twins) in their little trio of trouble.