Published: May 06, 2008 09:36 pm            

LUCINSKI: The rule of zeros and fives

An upcoming wedding anniversary started the thought process in motion. When one writes two newspaper columns per week, the thought process in almost always in operation.

When we observe anniversaries of almost any kind, those that get the most attention seem to be those whose numbers end in zero or five. Why? Beats me.

It appears to be human nature to need a way to hook onto things, to make things even more special than they otherwise might be.

There are exceptions, of course. The one that comes to mind immediately: Birthdays, two specific birthdays, actually. At 18, an individual reaches the Age of Majority. By law, he or she is an adult, able to sign contracts, act on their own for almost any function in our society. Whether that individual actually lives up to his or her responsibilities of adulthood at that point is another matter. But at least the law allows it.

The other significant non-zero-or-five birthday comes just three years later: 21. That’s when an individual is allowed the final rite of adulthood: The legal consumption of alcohol. Again, not that the calendar stops a whole lot of folks from doing it much earlier but, at 21, you’re not breaking the law.

Other than that, birthdays generally adhere to the rule of zeros and fives, especially zeroes. You’ve hear it before and perhaps have even been the brunt of the ribbing: The big 3-0, the big 4-0, the big 5-0; you get the picture. Get to the double zero: Then you’ve accomplished something.

The rule of zeros and fives is in full force when it comes to class reunions, be they high school or college. The most recent for this writer was last year. It ended in a zero (with a pretty big digit before that zero). They usually start at 10. Five years after graduation, memories are too fresh. Then, the zeroes and fives start accumulating. Those who show up for the 5-zero reunion will usually have plenty to talk about.

We see the rule of zeros and fives in effect in the news business as well. Locally, the 50th anniversary of the collapse of the Schoellkopf power plant a couple of years ago was a chance to put into perspective what that disaster meant to the area. We’re right at the half-century mark when it comes to the construction of the Niagara Power Project. We’ll be marking the anniversary of its completion as well.

And this is a zero year for one of the most disturbing and tragic events to hit the Niagara area. It was 1978 when the state Health Department declared the emergency surrounding the Love Canal chemical landfill. It brought all sorts of attention, nearly all of it unwanted, to our part of the world. You can be sure the Gazette will be marking that 30th anniversary with a look back at what the toxic waste crisis has meant to Niagara Falls.

But nothing has a greater adherent to the rule than wedding anniversaries, especially the more advanced anniversaries. As the accompanying table shows, there are even gift categories associated with each.

The earlier years show specialized gifts for each year but, after 15, the rule of zeros and fives kicks in. Perhaps it’s because by then we’re just too tired to make a big deal of it each 365 days.

But given the astronomical divorce rate in the U.S., shouldn’t it be just the opposite? I mean, is it really that big of a deal for a marriage to last, say, seven years? Something made of wool would be nice, especially if one was married in the winter.

But is a seventh anniversary more significant than a 17th or a 27th? At that point, a couple is starting to buck the odds. In this day and age, that’s something worth noting.

So we’ll be living our lives by the rule of zeros and fives for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, it’s time to go out and find something nice that’s made of coral.

Dick Lucinski is the managing editor of the Niagara Gazette. His columns appear on Wednesday and Sunday.



Wedding Anniversaries

Traditional gifts:

• 1ST: Paper

• 2ND: Cotton

• 3RD: Leather

• 4TH: Linen

• 5TH: Wood

• 6TH: Iron

• 7TH: Wool

• 8TH: Bronze

• 9TH: Pottery

• 10TH: Tin

• 11TH: Steel

• 12TH: Silk

• 13TH: Lace

• 14TH: Ivory

• 15TH: Crystal

• 20TH: China

• 25TH: Silver

• 30TH: Pearl

• 35TH: Coral

• 40TH: Ruby

• 45TH: Sapphire

• 50TH: Gold

• 55TH: Emerald

• 60TH: Diamond

Source: poetrygift.com

        

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