The #15

     While my two granddaughters from afar were visiting the last ten days I told them about the magic of the number 15.  The two ways that I know about that number.

     All children love to talk about farts, it is an instant laugh, particularly among boys. The subject is not discussed in polite company for many reasons.  It is experienced by everyone and children know of it's secret existence and this lack of acknowledgement.

     It is not every grandmother that tells the secret but human beings fart on the average of 15 times a day and it is important to spread this common wisdom  and learn the polite ways of dealing with the noisy ones.  My granddaughters stared in amazement as I was explaining these bits of lore. Information of this type are not often shared by parents because they are dealing with the big subjects of survival and cleanliness.

      The other way that the number 15 is part of each life is in the return of random acts of kindness.  With the changes in society where our best friends are on the screen of the computer, the blackberry or the end of a phone number, it is easy to forget about empathy.  It is said to be a characteristic lacking in people under 30 today.  How can a child develop understanding or intimate feeling of other's emotions when they are not in the presence of their closest relationships.  Pity, compassion and empathy are outside of one's self interest and it have to be developed early on in life.   My story of 15 comes to play with this thought.

     Any act of kindness is returned 15 times and because of this law of human beings we must be looking for chances to act out  opportunities of empathy and helpfulness.  This belief of spreading benevolence is very  closely tied to the number 15 I have observed, I told my granddaughters.  I encouraged them to make notes of this affect in their own lives and practice keeping the number 15 in mind.  One of them immediately reminded me that she was born on the 15th.   Another reason this number is special!