The Power of the Rule of Three

A GMC ad for its line of SUVs mentions the rule of three, referring to the generally accepted opinion that three of something is inherently pleasing or has special power. Anyone who has used a stager to help prepare a house for sale will be familiar with this. Stagers always want to group setouts in threes. It’s a cardinal rule of real estate, right behind “location, location, location,” which, you’ll note, is always stated three times.

The power of three may have its origins in religion, or maybe the world’s religions picked up on an already-existing rule. Christians have the holy trinity—the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Hindus have Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (the creator, the preserver and the destroyer). Even some Wiccans hold a tenet known as the Three-fold Law, meaning that the energy a person puts out into the world will be returned to him three times. That holds for negative energy as well as positive, so keep that in mind.

Whatever its source, there are many examples of the rule of three throughout history. Take the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria for example.  The Santa Maria carried most of the crew. The Nina had the food provisions. The Pinta carried all the wine and was said to be the fastest of Columbus’s three ships. It was christened under the motto: vino por celeritas, which I think translates to “Quick! Pour the wine!” OK. I made all this up, but you have to admit it makes sense.

Staying on the subject of Italians, let’s not forget the custom with Sambuca Romana, the anise-flavored liqueur. It’s traditionally served with three coffee beans. Not two; not four; but rather three. That’s the recipe for health, happiness and prosperity. If someone serves it to you any other way, consider it an insult. Or else they’re stunad.

I attended a wedding years ago which was the third one for the groom. I was at a table with several other friends of his. After imbibing a fair amount of wine, one of them joked about the number of the groom’s marriages. Another pointed out the expression: “Never two without three,” meaning the third wedding was to be expected. To which yet another friend said: “That could go for divorces, too.” We all laughed, but some years later there was indeed a third divorce.

My own life bears witness to the rule of three. I’ve published three volumes of my Retirement Sparks blogs (RS, RS Again, RS Redux). Though I’ve occasionally considered putting out a fourth, it never felt like I had enough good material to justify that. Some folks might say I didn’t have enough to publish the first three either, but I prefer to ignore them. Besides, like the Pinta, that ship has sailed.

Another example of the rule of three in my life is my cats. I started with two. Along the way, a third cat—my first boy—adopted our family. Luke was the only one left when we moved to Connecticut. Though I didn’t plan to start another feline family after Luke died, I eventually adopted two senior girls whose original mothers couldn’t keep them when they moved to nursing homes. Eventually, a boy joined the family. I can’t explain how. It just happened. I chalk it up to the power of the rule of three.

Decades ago I drew a cartoon that relates to this. The captions read:

Why does everyone insist that two cats are enough for one family? If my parents had only had two children, I wouldn’t be here today! (I think I just answered my own question…)

My brother and I were born just 350 days apart. I was in my thirties before I got my mother to admit I wasn’t a planned baby. She quickly added: “But once we knew you were coming, we really wanted you.” I’m not so sure about that, though I do believe they eventually got used to having me around. But they didn’t have a choice. This matter was out of their control. The reason I’m here today is the power of the rule of three. Let that sink in for a minute. No matter what your parents told you, if you’re the third of three in your family, it wasn’t a choice. The power of three is stronger than all of us. Embrace it.

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