So, a bunch of years ago, while working as the Controller of a small/medium light manufacturing concern outside of the city of Pittsburgh, I received a humorous e-mail from somewhere in the office – maybe someone handed me a print out of the e-mail, I can’t quite remember the exact detail(s) of the receipt – but the point here will remain intact. The content of the message, and it’s probably an e-mail lots and lots of people out there have received at one time or another, went a little something like this:
Hard work = 98 (h being the 8th letter of the alphabet, a being the 1st, r being the 18th and so on…)
inspiration = 144
dedication = 84
perspiration = 160
… there would have been a few more words added to this list, and then some kind of funny conclusion based upon the sums of the letters of these words.
Years later, for one reason or another, I added up the letters of my own name. The sum of the letters of my name, which happens to be Craig, is 38.
3+18+1+9+7 = 38
I sort of got into a little phase of adding up the letters of other words, just to see what they totaled. *Just a little note here, as a result of this little ‘hobby’ of mine, I’ve actually become pretty quick at being able to assign numbers to letters, and then adding them up kind of quickly in my head. I added up the totals for the words above using nothing but my brain. I’d be kind of surprised (4 for 4, upon review) if they’re all actually correct first time around, but I know that ‘d’ is the 4th letter of the alphabet, ‘p’ the 16th, and ‘t’ the 20th real quick! It’s not quite a second language or anything, but I’m pretty fluent in it nonetheless.
So, back to 38:
I found some interesting and/or personally relevant words which also add up to 38. I’ve actually (now) got a pretty impressive listing (separately), these are just some of the highlights:
gold = 38
ore =38
daddy = 38
fire = 38
death = 38
peel = 38
(the skin on my feet (and wrists, and legs) peels like that of a snake)
Jew = 38
Africa = 38
sand = 38
(Jews wandered the desert for 40 years)
bride = 38
(I used to be pretty keen on the idea of getting remarried)
The name Noah also totals 38
The word cigar, which is really just the name Craig rearranged = 38
tide,
edit,
diet = 38
The song ‘Caught Up In You,’ one of my personal favorites, is performed by the band .38 Special.
The words ‘lay’ and ‘eggs’ both total 38.
mall = 38
—–the 38th parallel, obviously—–
Mackenzie Bezos received a $38 billion divorce settlement this past summer making her, I have to believe, one of the richest women in the entire world.
Back in 2014, I somehow ended up moving out to the State of Indiana (now in Michigan), which just happens to be the 38th state (by size) as measured by square mileage out of the 50 in this country.
Adidas (footwear, activewear, etc.) comes to 38.
‘The Long Walk’ by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) is one of my favorites. ‘Just keep pickin’ em up, and puttin’ em down.’
Plus, my initials are CH, which, of course, correspond to the numbers 3 and 8.
38!
Extra fun:
a) The moon is about 238,900 miles from earth and it’s escape velocity is 2.38 km/s.
b) The heaviest naturally occurring element is uranium, with an atomic weight of 238.
c) Gravity on Mars is 38% that of earth.
*Oh, and ‘Roe,’ as in Roe v. Wade, also totals 38.
Ironically, while living in the dorms at Pitt back in ’93, there were two guys in the room immediately adjacent, one of whom’s last names was Wade.
Call it God, call it gravity, call it physics, call it accounting, call it karma, call it the golden rule, call it whatever you like – the Universe will simply not allow a nation such as ours to allow on-demand abortion as it does today. It can only lead to one place: the end of the world.
The natural, common sense, God fearing compromise line for both sides of this (abortion) conversation is the heartbeat. If there is no heartbeat yet, do your dirty little deed and let God decide, if there is a heartbeat, then forget about it, and just start preparing to put your forthcoming baby up for adoption. The heartbeat is the natural, and objectively measurable line in the sand for abortions, and I wholeheartedly believe that God Himself, all things considered, sees it this way, too. Women know when they’ve had sex, they know when they’ve missed their periods, pregnancy tests are cheap and widely available, there’s just no reasonable excuse if a woman is concerned about having been impregnated. Women are more than capable of taking responsibility for sorting out any issues very shortly after missing a monthly period. It’s a matter of life and death, and it just makes sense.