Age is just a number. So they say.

It’s a number that increases every year (coincidentally, along with my weight and waistline).  Clearly, it violates the conventional wisdom of “What goes up must come down.”

I turn 47 today – another step closer to 50.  I don’t know why, but I simply can’t help being fascinated by number 47.  I thought, “Why not start the day by swimming 47 laps?”

I put on my swim trunks and headed straight to the pool, and uncovered some remarkable insights.

As I counted each lap, starting from 1, and then 2, 3, 4 … something miraculous occurred at the 24^th lap – the midpoint between 1 and 47.  I felt as if I was on top of an imaginary hill, thinking, “From here on, it’s all downhill.”  The first half is done. The second can’t be that hard.

With that in mind, every stroke felt unusually light and easy.  I glided through the water with effortless ease, and experienced what psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, called ‘flow’ – a state in which one is fully immersed or absorbed in an activity.    That feeling lasted for quite a while, till something else happened when I completed the 37^th lap.

With 10 more laps to go towards the final goal of 47, I started counting down instead.  10, 9, 8 … and lo and behold, the effect was surprisingly awesome.  A sudden surge of energy and strength filled my arms and legs.  I crawled even more strongly, as if a second wind had carried me till the end of the 2.4km swim.  Strangely, I didn’t even feel exhausted at all!

I know it’s psychological – a mental game I’d played with myself.  But what I had experienced physically was very real.  Today, I learnt two vital lessons – the significance of midpoints, and the power of counting down.

Could 47 be the midpoint of my life? And would I be cruising to the end with strength, confidence, and ease, if I were to start counting down?

Seems like another few questions to fuel my inquisitive mind …

Meanwhile, out of curiosity, I looked up the Internet and discovered that in numerology, number 47 is about relationships.  Teamwork, pulling together, intuition, companionship, romance, cooperation — all are in the realm of number 47.

I wonder if this was God or the Universe nudging me to pay attention to the most vital aspect of my life – relationships.

After all, in the end, all that mattered, would not be the possessions we acquire, accumulate, or hoard but the relationships we have with those that matter.

I continue to count my blessings each day, and be grateful of the many relationships I’m enjoying.  And I hope you will find time to count your blessings and appreciate your loved ones too.