The Rule of Four

This post is a bit outdated, but I am going to write it anyway so that the one currently in my head will make more sense when I get around to writing it.

When I had the twins, I read or heard from more than one source that a lot of the chaos would settle down after four months. At the time I laughed. Not because I didn't think the chaos would settle down, but because four months seemed kind of arbitrary, not like one or two, or even three or six. Then one day I made it to work sort of on time, in clothes that didn't have spit up down the back, with my hair in something other than a knot. Someone asked me how old the twins were and as I stopped to calculate, I was surprised to find that they were almost exactly four months old. Sure enough, the chaos had settled down as predicted, right on schedule and with little fanfare.

Awhile back, I found myself changing what had become a daily habit of compulsively checking for signs of Him. At first I had to consciously allow myself to check only once a day, until one day I was surprised to find that I had skipped a day without noticing. The next time, I had to consciously go through the routine, as if it was more of a chore to be checked off. A quick calculation told me that it had been about four months since I had last heard from him. I am not a believer in signs, or fate, but even I could see the time had come to move on. Since then, I have have only looked in the old places if something has prompted me, with no specific feelings about the matter.

A couple of weeks later I was pondering this "rule of four" and did some more math. It had been about four months since L officially began working for himself again. I tried to think of any big milestone that had been reached. I got my answer a couple of days later when in the course of discussing the business L reported that he had paid a large bill from the working account, not from the original investment. It will be awhile before the business is actually making a profit, but four months in and we are not borrowing faster than we are earning. Looking ahead four more months, it will not only be what passes for spring in the south, it will also be much nicer for working outdoors for awhile. Maybe not a milestone, but the thought of settling into a predictable routine is good right now.

I doubt the rule of four applies to everything, or surely I would have heard of it before? Nevertheless, I am grateful when it does work, and hope the next bit of chaos is a long way away before I have to test the rule again.