“It is only the things we
don’t understand that
have any meaning.” 
Carl Jung

The number 43. I’ve written about it before. I’ve shared my experience with repeatedly seeing it in various places throughout my day. This has been going on for several years, and it continues to this day.

It began a few years after my father died. His favorite number was 43. He graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in San Francisco in 1943. When SI had an annual raffle, at which they sold only 200 tickets at $100 each, Dad always bought ticket number 43. (He never won.) When he was sworn-in as Battalion Chief in the San Francisco Fire Department, Dad’s badge number was 43. The number was quite meaningful for him.

In the years following his death, I started to notice the number 43 showing up in random places at various times. For many years, and as recently as last night, when I wake up in the middle of the night, it’s uncanny how often my alarm clock reads 2:43, 3:43, or 4:43. When I get into my car, a 2005 Honda Accord which used to belong to my Dad, the digital clock often indicates that it’s 43 minutes past the hour. At a restaurant in Pacific Grove, Kathy and I received the bill at the end of our meal. The amount due was $43.43. At the gas station one afternoon, a neon sign in the window of the small convenience store announced that the current LOTTO jackpot was $43 million dollars. (Yes, I purchased a ticket, and no, I did not win.) And on numerous occasions, including when I had lunch in The City with my sister, Cathy, a few weeks ago, the table placard given to us when we ordered, which would help the server to locate us when our food was ready, was #43.

I was explaining this to my friend, Dan, as we walked along Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos a few years ago. I suddenly had a feeling… I pulled out my cell phone to look at the time. Dan was as surprised as I was — it was 12:43. How can the frequency of this be explained?

I found this AI response when I Googled “Why do I keep seeing the number 43?”:

“If someone frequently sees the number 43, especially in relation to time (e.g., 10:43, 11:43), it might be interpreted as a personal message or sign, potentially related to one’s life purpose or spiritual journey.”

And there’s this:

“In numerology, the number 43 can symbolize inner wisdom, a search for perfection, and a focus on building a solid foundation for the future.”

And finally, there’s this, written by author Miriam Rachel:

“The number that I have seen lately is 43. Yes, I see 43 everywhere, and I see it mainly on the clock. I tend to look at the clock when it’s 9:43, or 3:43, and so on. I have to say, this did worry me, because 43 is not considered lucky. I know that in Japan, the number does not show up in maternity wards because it can mean bad things regarding birth.”

I’ve resigned myself to not worrying about or trying to understand this phenomenon. It just is, and I’m okay with it. In fact, I savor the moment each time it happens. While I’m aware that each incident may be purely coincidental, I want to believe, and I do believe, that each sighting of the number 43 is Dad’s way of letting me know that he’s still with me, and that he approves of what I’m doing at the moment and with my life in general. While this may sound quirky to some, and I understand this, I am totally at peace with experiencing this anomaly in this way.

Just for the record, as I write this last line of today’s blog post, the time showing on the clock on my computer is… 7:12. Oh, well,…