It’s normal for some people to have lucky numbers! Look at Taylor Swift and her famous 13. It pops up occasionally when she wins awards and has inspired the Swifties to draw the number on their hands for concerts. Unlike this cute tradition, the relationship with my lucky number is practically a stalker dynamic.
My name is Jordan, and I have always loved my name. After finding out I was named after the greatest basketball player of all time (yes, of all time), Michael Jordan, I started saying that my lucky number was 23. Now, years later, the number continues to live rent-free in my head.
My dad is from Chicago, and he is a HUGE fan of the Chicago Bulls. His idol growing up was, of course, Michael Jordan. His love for the player started when he was just six. He attended a Bulls game with his father. Who were they sitting next to? Deloris Jordan. Michael Jordan’s mom.
According to my dad, she bought him a lot of food. From drinks to nachos and pizza. There was one point in the basketball game where Mrs. Jordan was getting interviewed. My dad sat alongside her and watched as she talked about her son and his experiences as a player. At six years old, while wearing a 23 jersey and cheering on his favorite athlete, my dad knew, boy or girl, the name of his first child.
It turned out to be perfect because I was supposed to be born Sept. 23, 2007. My family was so excited. My Nana especially, because Sept. 23 was her birthday. My mom was excited because, although her birthday was in January, she and I were going to be born on the same day of the month. My dad was excited because, well, all his dreams were about to come true.
Almost. I was born about two weeks early. On Sept. 7, 2007. Bummer, right?! Not exactly. If you change the formatting of my birthday, it also looks like 9/7/07. Do you know what those numbers add up to? Surprise, surprise, 23. My Dad’s dream came true after all.
Of course I was named Jordan. My mom chose my middle name after her mom, Victoria. Jordan Victoria O’Connell. It is a complete coincidence that I happen to have 23 characters in my name.
Did I mention I was born at 4:23 p.m. that day?
You can call it all a coincidence if you like, just don’t expect me to stop obsessing over the number!