Math? Not so much, thanks...

Okay, for some reason today I thought I would torture myself, try to be brain-y, and see if I could mathematically figure out where on the agency’s official ‘waiting for referral’ list we are sitting. Of course, there is no real way to know, and quite frankly it doesn’t really matter, because I know we are dangling down at the bottom. But, my self-diagnosed OCD has reared its ugly head, and I have an urge to nit-pick and overanalyze every tiny detail. Especially with the current gossip floating around that the program is slowing down, and wait times may be extended. Which, by the way, I have no issue with except for my impatience. If the program is slowing because there are less children available for adoption – fantastic! I don’t think anyone can deny that. If the program is slowing because there is just more interest, and more prospective parents waiting – this can be great news, too, yet also maybe not… But, I will spare you my ethics rant.

So, here are the facts:

- The agency will of course not publish where on the list you sit. They do, however, periodically send out updates with how many people are on the list. That magic number: 184. (One hundred eight four families waiting to be formed – that is exciting stuff!)

- There is an ‘unofficial’ list on the forum, where people volunteer their information so those who are obsessive can try and feel some sort of control over the situation. Thank goodness there are people like me out there who form things like this. Where you are on the list all depends on the date you were accepted to the program. Our date is 10/03. Otherwise known as six weeks and two days ago. Or forty-four days. Or one thousand eight hours ago, give or take. Anyways, we are number 74 out of 82 on that list.

Okay, so here is my laughable attempts at math. Only 82 of the real 184 are reporting their info on the ‘unofficial’ list. Which is approximately 45%. Damn! If it was only an even 50%, I could just double my number and take a good guess I am at about 148. Instead, I soldier on.
I think, so I am in the bottom 10% of the ‘unofficial’ list, so maybe I could just figure out what the bottom 10% of the ‘official’ list is? That would put us at about spot #166. 166 out of 184? That number really sucks, so I think maybe I figured it out wrong? Ahh… the power of denial.
Then I decide to divide 184 (# on real list) by 82 (# on obsessive people list) = about 2.24. So, for every one person on fake list, there are about 2.24 people on real list. I’m at spot 74 x 2.24 people = spot #166 again.

So, here is where I need to get a grip on the situation. We are probably only in the 160s on list that has 184 people on it. I would consider that the very bottom. So, why am I already trying to over-analyze? Geez.

6 weeks, 2 days down. Only… like 20 more weeks to go until referral? Yeah, I think I need to try to put a kibosh on the OCD for a while… or I am likely to drive my husband insane.