We stand on the precipice of some painful history.

It was just last week that AAA reported the first stations in the five-county area crashing the $4 mark when it comes to gas prices. That was before the Memorial Day Weekend. Today, three days after the holiday, the car experts tell us there are 139 stations where gas will cost you $4 or more.

Today we come close to another historic mark. AAA reports the average price for gasoline – not the most expensive, but the average price – went up again overnight. Just as it has most every day the past two weeks. The penny increase brought the average cost of gas to $3.99 a gallon.

My guess is tomorrow we will be transported past the $4 mark. That means the average price of gas – with lots of stations charging more and a few charging less – will hit $4 a gallon.

Don’t think people are hurting out there? Consider this. Things are booming at Costco. Its profits in the third quarter climbed 32 percent.

Costco is not exactly Macy’s. It’s not even Kmart or Wal-Mart. Costco is a warehouse club where people go to find bargains, often buying things in bulk in order to save money. Their sales are up 13 percent from a year ago, from $14.34 billion to $16.26 billion.

And the fallout continues, with just about everything you can imagine costing more. Do you have kids in diapers? Do you have occasion to use detergent? Brace yourself. Some of those essentials are about to get more expensive.

Dow Chemical Co., which makes some of key ingredients in a whole host of items, including disposable diapers and a lot of other housewares and processed foods, said it was increasing prices 20 percent to offset the cost of energy.

They aren’t the first. They won’t be the last.

So far no one has indicated breathing is about to get more expensive. It’s probably just a matter of time.