It's Easy As 1,2..1,2,3,4.

I have a secret.

A deep, dark secret.

I have only told 1 person before in my life and now all of you will know as well.

I think it will explain a lot.

I never learned addition!

Yes, you read correctly. I have never learned how to add two numbers together. What's that? Yes, I am in college and still do not know how to add! There. I said it and now you know.

Let's begin at a land far, far away called Utah Public School Systems. I lived in Utah for about 8 years of my life. I endured K-2 grade school until I moved to Arizona and started 3rd grade there. While I became learned (but maybe not so wise) at Sprucewood Elementary of the "point" number system, I never knew that throughout my entire life, I would carry this embarrassing burden and now, I am going to teach you.



On each of the numbers, there are specific "points" that you touch when you count. For 6 and up, the dots right next to each other are supposed to be overlapped but if I did that, then you would think that I really had a counting problem. To you it might look like foreign random-ness of messy dots and numbers, but to me, it was how I learned.

So while the rest of you were busy doing timed addition tests in your head by memorization, I was busy pointing away on my paper.

In fact, to this day, when I add, I point in the air. It has been quite embarrassing throughout school when someone asks you to add 13+6. I would say in my head "13, point, point, point, point, point, point" while everyone else was busy yelling out 19.

Just yesterday I was studying chemistry with my pal, Brenna. As we were calculating the charges of a redox reaction, we came to a point where we had to add 16 + 4. I said it was 18, she corrected me by saying it was 20. Oh cursed points! How could you have failed me?!?! So I indulged her on my little secret and as expected, she laughed at me. Hard. I just had to laugh along with her. It really was ridiculous how I had learned to count. I still mis-added 16 + 4 three times that night.

However, I have gotten quite fast at my counting points now and I am almost up to speed with all the fancy people who memorized their numbers. It only took me 17-something years but hey, at least my secret is out. So please, please, please don't judge me when I add 5+7 on a calculator, some days I really just don't want to point.