The Hidden Meaning of 319

Treadmills, Gas Prices, and Celebrating My Mom

Hello friends! It’s finally here - it’s March 19!

Today the church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and this year we also celebrate the beginning of Spring! However, in the Gerring family, March 19 brings additional layers of festivity, seeing as it is the double birthday of both my mom and my brother Joseph. Happy birthday Mummy and Joe! 🎉

But in my family, 319 has come to mean so much more than just a date on the calendar. Ever since I was a young child, I recall my mom would somehow glance at the clock at 3:19pm each day and comment, “3:19, it’s my birthday!”

It’s no surprise that over the years, each of my siblings has inherited the habit of noticing when it’s 3:19pm. I’m not sure what it is, but something about 3:19 really pops and catches the eye, at least more so than 2:06 (my birthday), which I don’t think I’ve ever noticed.

However, noticing 319 doesn’t stop with glancing at the clock. I swear it’s the number I see most often throughout my day in any given context. The tea I’m about to buy at the grocery store? On sale for $3.19. How many minutes are left on the treadmill workout? 3 minutes and 19 seconds. The average gas price? $3.19/gallon. The number of software test cases I have to run at work? 319. The track length of my favorite songs? 3 minutes and 19 seconds. My order number at the coffee shop? #319. The list goes on and on. Even The Lord of the Rings features a reference to 319, seeing as Tolkien set the climactic events in the fictitious year “3019.”

Almost every time one of us sees the number 319 as we go about our day, we take a picture and send it to the family group chat. If I glance at the time at exactly 3:19pm, I send a quick “Happy Birthday” text to my mom, even though 364 days of the year it isn’t really her birthday.

Because 319 isn’t just a string of numbers. 319 says, “I love you,” “I miss you,” I’m thinking of you,” “I’m praying for you.” With just three digits, 319 stretches forth across the vast distance between Michigan and Virginia and says much more than words could ever say.

And so I love seeing 319 unexpectedly, in serial numbers, tickets, page numbers, file sizes. Every single time I see it, I can’t help but smile and think of my mom. Though to most eyes it’s just another number, when I see it, 319 has a secret meaning, one that contains the world.

Happy 319, Mummy!