The Importance of Numbers in Our Lives

As humans we are obsessed with counting things. We keep track of the numbers in our lives.

We are always keeping score, measuring, recording and counting.

For some of us the first thing we do in the morning is check how our body mass relates to the law of gravity (hop on the scale).

We measure how fast the wind blows, what time the sun rises and sets, and how warm or cold it is outside.

We even have names for special totals. Twelve is also known as a dozen, but a baker’s dozen is 13. If a player scores three goals in a hockey game, we call that a hat trick. We count the kilometres between towns.

We count and report on how many swans have returned to M’Clintock Bay.

Along the way, we recognize birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones.

We also keep track of the days, years, and things like magazine issues.

In the upper right corner of the magazine you are holding, you will find “#500.” This issue of What’s Up Yukon is the 500th issue.

500th! That means that there were 499 issues previous to this one. 500 issues chock-a block full of events, arts and entertainment, recipes, reviews and interesting stories about the people who live here, or have come to amaze or entertain us.

500 is a big deal… to put 500 into perspective, if it were Saturdays, that would be about 10 years worth. $500 bucks is a good pile of cash. There is the Indy 500, and the Fortune 500.

If this was a television series, What’s Up Yukon would be in the 41st season (take that Criminal Minds, NCIS and Murder She Wrote).

Peter Paul and Mary wrote a song about being 500 miles away from home. A more recent song, (yes, the ‘80s were recent) to a marching beat talks about walking 500 miles, and then walking 500 more.

The Yukon motto is “Larger than Life,” just like the people who live here. Through the stories in What’s Up Yukon we have met the colourful mosaic of our friends and neighbours. We have learned about health issues, are kept aware of artists, entertainers, film makers and others who have come to visit. We have come to know about foragers and gatherers, as well as hunters and those who fish.

What’s Up Yukon is brought to you by an army of people. This army includes: advertisers, salespeople, our publisher, writers, editors, those who run the copy desk, word processors, printers, production people and those who deliver and distribute the magazine to each location for you to pick up. Sorry to anyone I left out.

What’s Up Yukon provides a tremendous opportunity for those of us who like to rub words together. It is also an outlet for the creative community, to practice their craft, and exercise their creative muscles.

Congratulations to What’s Up Yukon for the achievement of 500 issues. Thanks for the thousands of stories that help us to understand the Northern experience. Here’s hoping for another 500 issues, and then, 500 more!

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