Pi Day Changed My Life

That is no exaggeration

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In 1981, Pi Day wasn’t a thing, at least to my recollection. So when my partner woke me up and asked me, “Do you want to become a daddy today? Then get dressed and drive me to the hospital.” It was March 14th. Pi Day.

pi (π), in mathematics, is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It was first used by British mathematician William Jones in 1706 to represent the ratio. Because pi is irrational (not equal to the ratio of any two whole numbers), its digits do not repeat; they go on and on. Modern computer algorithms have computed pi to trillions of digits.

To just 35 decimal places, pi is 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288.

Mathematics and decimal places were far from my mind as I stood in the delivery room watching my daughter being born. Her entrance into the world meant that every priority in my life immediately changed. The ratio of love and its circumference grew in diameter to form a bigger circle.

I have been fortunate that I have never had to exercise my parental authority in a dominant way. I guided my daughter with gentleness, humor, kindness, and respect. We developed a loving relationship that has evolved into a fun adult friendship.

That she was born on Pi Day is no coincidence; the kid is a mathematical wizard. Considered by some as one of the top ten medical engineers on the continent. Allow me to stand back and let my chest burst with pride.

Yet what I admire most is her humanity. She is an amazing mother to her twin children, forever challenging and expanding their thinking. It is a pleasure to witness. Those kids have amazing role models. Their dad ain’t no dummy either. It is no wonder their daughter is in an advanced science program in high school and will graduate a year earlier than her peers. Yet another brainiac in the family. I feel inadequate.

So I do the math. I try to trace where does all that brain power comes from? I wish I could claim some credit, but I’m just an immigrant with a Hyundai.

I am just happy those kids are not behind a counter somewhere asking, “You want a drink with your pie?”

So, thank you, Meta Marvelia for such an appropriate question for me, how about giving us a story that features a circle or a round object? Or, if you’re feeling brave, about the Pi itself?

Wanna play along? Here are the March prompts from the Challenged:

[embed]March Madness 31 Writing Prompts for all Challengersmedium.com