The Story of How and Why 138 Became My Number of Fate

I assume that almost everyone has a number or a few numbers they connect with on a spiritual level. A number that you consider to be your “lucky number”. Maybe it’s a number that has to do with your birthdate or a number that you have seen over and over throughout your life. If you have a number, I have no doubt that you are thinking of it now.

My number is 138. Why that number you ask? Well, there’s a story behind it. 138 is a number that came into my life during my teenage years and it has never left me. This number is ever-present and attached to my fated journey. I know it in my soul! Here is the story of me and 138.

We are 138!

“We are 138” is a song by a band called The Misfits. The Misfits is a horror-punk band that originated in the late 70s. I won’t go into the entire history of the band, but I do want you to know The Misfits are pretty kick-ass. They are one of the most well-known punk bands ever.

“We are 138” was written by Glenn Danzig, the lead vocalist of The Misfits. It was recorded by the band in 1978. The commonly known interpretation of the song is that it was inspired by the 1971 science fiction film THX 1138, directed by George Lucas. The fictional plot of the movie takes place sometime in the future in a state-controlled society, where conformity and homogeneity are the rule.

The song is actually not all that remarkable if I’m being honest. I never understood why so many people took to the song and the number. Nevertheless, the number was adopted by tens of thousands of Misfits fans; including myself.

Punk Rock Stopher

I got into the punk scene during my junior year of high school (circa 1995). I fell in love with the music, the shows, the culture, and the whole punk rock lifestyle. Finally, I had found my tribe. I remember this time of my life quite fondly. Life was fun and I felt like I was a part of something cool.

It turns out that the punk scene is the perfect social sect for an angsty teen like myself. I had a lot of anger about stuff that I had experienced when I was younger (stand by for blogs about that). I filtered that angsty, angry energy into the music and the mosh pits at the shows. It wasn’t uncommon for me to leave a show with some sort of minor injury. Let’s just say that I wasn’t one of those friendly/trendy punkers that you would find at Warp Tour or at a Blink182 concert. My brand of punk rock was a bit darker. I would describe myself as more of a ‘gutter punk’. Yeah. Kinda, dirty, crusty, and rude.

The punk scene in Evansville, Indiana in the mid-90s was modest, yet thriving. Believe it or not, we had our fair share of well-known bands travel through and play gigs in our little river town. It was a cozy group of usual suspects at all of the shows and eventually, I would become friends (or at least acquaintances) with all of the other punkers in town. Many of these people would become like family to me during this time of my life.

Enter Julie W.

I met Julie in the summer of 1996 on Yahoo Chat. We had several mutual friends, so it made sense that we should be friends too. Another thing that Julie and I had in common was our taste in music. We weren’t synched up 100% in that department, but overall, we liked a lot of the same bands. Julie W. definitely had a punk rock edge to her. She was super fun.

The first time I ever rode in Julie’s car, I couldn’t help but notice the DIY decor inside the car. Most folks place bumper stickers on the car’s exterior only. Not Julie! Her dash was wonderfully decorated with notes, pictures, stickers, and artwork. Much of it was adhered with Scotch Tape. It sounds horrible to me now, but at the time, I thought it was delightfully “punk rock”.

One of the items that caught my attention was a homemade sticker taped to the dash. It was just “138” drawn with marker and cut out to the shape of the numbers. I was not yet aware of the song by The Misfits that inspired the sticker, so naturally I was curious about the significance of this random number. I asked Julie W. what the importance of the number was and she was happy to educate me about the song and how her & her friends connected with the number. It was almost like they had adopted it as a tribal code. It was something that only they could understand. As someone who was endlessly searching for a unique identity and a tribe to fit into, I was sold. I wanted to be a part of the 138 crew.

Two Fun Summers

My senior year of high school and the year that followed were two of the best years of my life. I was still an angsty teen, but I felt like I had found my place in the world. I’d met so many different people within the Evansville punk scene and traveled outside the city to see a crap-ton of amazing punk bands live. There wasn’t a mosh pit that I felt compelled to stay out of. I just felt accepted and that’s all I wanted.

1996 and 1997 were two amazing years where I thought I had everything figured out. Right before everything got way more serious. I didn’t know it yet, but these would be the last two summers before finding out that I was going to be a father. The last two summers of no responsibility.

The connection to this time in my life and the number 138 is very specific for me. The number came to me when I was searching for my purpose. The people and the sense of belonging that came with it are special to me. I don’t see hardly any of those people these days, but I remember them fondly. It may seem a bit silly, but for me, 138 is symbolic. It represents a specific point in my journey when I felt 100% accepted for the first time.

My Continued Connection with 138

From the moment that I saw that DIY sticker in Julie W’s car to now, I’ve had a special connection to this number. I see it everywhere. 138 comes up over and over for me. So much that it creeps my husband all the way out. Even he recognizes that it is a sign and that it means something is about to happen.

When I see 138, I know that I am where I need to be. It reminds me that my life was fated to be exactly where I am in that moment. The number reminds me that I belong. That I have a place in this world. Every single time I see it, I stop and appreciate the message. I show my gratitude to the universe. 138 is more than just a number to me. It’s tatted on my soul. Since that fated ride in Julie W’s punk-mobile, 138 has taught me, accepted me, and loved me.