Day 3: The Power of Three

Day 3. 
The third day of the 31-for-21 Challenge.  Trisomy 21.
Three copies of the 21st chromosome:  Down syndrome.

One of my favourite expressions I have come across in my readings on Down syndrome is the term 'tripling', as in, "a tripling of the 21st chromosome".  The word itself has a lyrical quality to it, and there is power in threes.  

In the world of geometry and shapes, when it comes to building a structure, any engineer will tell you the superiority and strength of the three-sided triangle over the ordinary four-cornered square.  The Egyptians knew it when they built the pyramids; the Parisian Eiffel knew it when he designed his tower.

Ask any athlete of gymnastics or figure skating:  what is a more intricate manoeuvre and greater feat to accomplish?  A double twist or a triple twist in a floor routine?  A double axel or a triple axel on the ice?  Those who are informed will argue that it depends on how well each move is executed.  A triple twist with bent and crossed legs is going to score lower than a clean double twist with a perfectly stuck landing; as is a tightly twisted double axel grander than an incomplete triple axel landing in a fall.

The more twists and turns you add in sport, the greater the difficulty, the higher the risk for error.
The same is true in nature.  Where our genetic blueprints are concerned, there is safety in what is typical, in what is known, in what we expect to happen.  When nature takes a risk, deviates from her normal plans, the end result is clouded in mystery:  will this being survive at all and how will it differ from its typically developing peers?

I do not believe Mother Nature makes mistakes.  I believe things happen for a reason, and I believe in trial and error, but not mistakes.  I also do not believe being born with a tripling of your 21st chromosome is an error.  Through time and history, individuals with Down syndrome continue to be born across different groups and ethnicities.  There is something very important to be said for a species' diversity as part of the key to its survival.  What if, to avoid going around killing each other, we have a need to see those who are in need?  What if there is a greater purpose to feeling compassion for another human being?  What happens to us as a species if we 'fix' all of nature's 'errors' and those opportunities to help others and feel compassion are lost?

From the tripling of nature to the trios of my life:

The three stages of life with my husband Dan:  When we first met, and our ensuing relationship.  Our marriage.  And, finally (and there does seem to be a finality to it, at least to our youth) - our children.  A beginning, middle and happy ending.  I would not change a thing.  With every end comes a new beginning, and for us that marked putting our own needs aside - second to those of our children.

To my trio with whom I am intricately linked, by vow and by blood, and for whom my love is deeper than anything on this Earth; I have but three words left to say, on this third day of our challenge, for you to have and to hold dear for now and for always, unconditionally:  I love you.