On Counting

What is there about counting?

63 ducks gliding into the waters,

three white egrets against a dark background,

a three-car garage,

a mere four-digit salary,

five grams of saturated fat…

It happens, even without thought.

I find myself counting

when there’s nothing better to do,

or when I am amazed at abundance,

or lack thereof.

110 paver blocks on a small pathway,

Shall I put one, three or five flowers in this arrangement?

A mother with three sons, one has two front teeth missing.

What is there about counting?

High praise came

when first I counted one, two, three, four,

without grabbing a finger for each number,

or when I earned an A in higher algebra.

Why, even God counted up to seven in the beginning!

We think and say it all the time: “I’m counting on you,” my friend,

my car,

my God,

my eyes.

Counting must be our least common denominator.

Renee Domeier, OSB

Photo from Pexels.