Did you say it’s pie day?
Oh, you meant Pi!
Hello friends,
Math and I have a long-standing turbulent relationship. Simple computations posed no serious problems, and I even enjoyed the steadiness of algebra—those tight equations formed a constant I could depend on. Statistics became a serious challenge, but by the time I got to that bear, there were apps for that.
But geometry?
He’s the horse of a different color.
—Cabbie in The Wizard of Oz
My brain closed its door to the logic of geometry. I easily mastered finding the perimeters, diameters, and angles of a triangle. Even computing volumes of a cube posed no serious threats. But the theorems—well, that was a horse of a different color.
All of those lines of proof made my brain hurt, and I shut down. Except for circles. I loved everything about circles, including tangents, and the famous Pi. Now that was a concept worth exploring.
This week we celebrate Pi Day. At least, some of us will—bless their sweet nerdy souls. But I’d rather focus on the other element of Pi, and why it matters, the circle.
There’s the circle of life.
A circle of fifths in music.
The circular walk, a labyrinth.
A circle of friends.
Circle the wagons.
To come full circle.
Circles occur naturally in nature: raindrops, patterns on the wings of butterflies, holes in shells, or the moon shell, flowers, and rings in trees.
I’m drawn to circles. I delight in their completeness, never-ending, infinite, protective, and safe. Of course, you could also consider the limiting nature of circles and how they close things in, leaving out others. Perspective is everything.
Humans are drawn to circles. Manuel Lima notes that “a preference for circular shapes is deeply ingrained in all of us from birth.” Infants prefer contoured lines over straight ones. While we don’t clearly understand this propensity, there is something comforting about the circle that “evokes calmness, peacefulness, and relaxation.
For today, let’s focus on the positive aspects and notice the circles that bind us together through kindness and compassion. We may find more than we expected.
Not up for math today? Try noticing your surroundings, maybe a few circles.
If you’ve put aside all those math lessons, here’s a Pi refresher from serious to fun: The Infinite Life of Pi, and a two-minute version. Or, if like me, you’d rather eat your favorite Pie.
And what is Pi Day without a song? “Pi Pi Pi,” a parody.
The eye is the first circle; the horizon which it forms is the second; and throughout nature this primary figure is repeated without end…
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
With gratitude,
Kathryn
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