And so it begins! A new year, a fresh start, a blank calendar to note down dates and events and maybe, if we’re lucky, the ability to gather in groups with family and friends again, to hug them freely, maybe even to take a trip.

2021 is a 5 year which is supposed to mean twelve months of adventure, opportunities and change. Five is a potent number and the number of balance. Everything in nature is made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. Five is also considered the number of human beings with our four limbs and body, and our five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell).

In the natural world, a regular starfish has five arms, an earthworm has five hearts, and the apple tree bears blossoms of five petals. Even the apple itself, when sliced horizontally, has five seeds and a star-shaped design inside.

There were five rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology. There are five vowels in the English language and five lines in a limerick.  In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, five wizards are sent to Middle Earth to aid against the threat of the dark lord Sauron. Number five is a character in the Lorien Legacies, a series of young adult science fiction books by Pittacus Lore. The Famous Five was a series of children’s books by Enid Blyton, while The Power of Five was a series of children’s books by Anthony Horowitz.

The power of five. As I write this, the Coronavirus vaccine is starting to roll out. It looks like the general population in my part of the world will have access to it this spring or summer. About five months from now.

I’ll high five to that.

Happy 2021!