Strange Numbers

Some people avoid the number thirteen. Sarah avoids the entire spectrum of odd numbers. From the volume number on the stereo to the number of her house Sarah avoids all odds.

A wife, mother and university student Sarah works hard to maintain a happy and healthy household, and top grades. With such a busy lifestyle it is not possible to avoid odd numbers completely so Sarah has developed skills to deal with each odd encounter as it arises.

Odd battery percentages on her computer and phone are beyond her control and therefore disqualified. There are other instances where odd numbers beyond her control can be justified. Falling in love with a property at number one in the street forced Sarah to rationalize the odd so she could complete the purchase. Being the ‘first’ odd made number one much more acceptable than any other odd.

Sarah finds seeing an odd on the volume control of a stereo particularly challenging. She feels compelled to switch it, even when it is not her stereo. Faced with a stereo in a friend’s car Sarah is forced to negotiate the grey area between the odd numbers she can control and those she cannot. She has found herself in situations where unable to make the switch she has been forced to tolerate an odd for the entire ride.

Her husband is easygoing about this quirk in Sarah’s nature. Occasionally to ‘spice things up’ he sets the stereo volume to an odd. She explains “he does it in fun and would never push me over the edge”.  They recently began an experiment to see how long Sarah could cope seeing an odd on the stereo. Sarah had to sit on her hands to stop herself from changing the volume to an even. She lasted thirty minutes.

Sarah’s affinity with even numbers began in childhood. She is perfectly content to continue to direct her life from one even number to the next. She makes no apology for her unusual habit. It is one of the things that make her unique.