45429+14+1

My mom died on May 17, 2024. 45429 is the result of entering 5/14/2024 into Excel, then converting the date to a general number. My original intention going forward was to post every Friday—every seventh day—a photo taken that day for as long as I wanted (or needed) to. Incidentally, 7 is also the number by which I count back from 100 to stave off panic.

As it turns out, life gets in the way, and yesterday afternoon, I went on a happy hour tour with a friend and got a bit too tipsy on very good cider to take or post any photos. Nor could I ‘find’ my photo. This morning, though, on the way back up to my third-floor apartment after my run, I did.

Vertical picture of a shadowy back stairwell. Staircase is wooden, painted a deep, darkish gray. The building itself is constructed of reddish-brown brick. The brick wall in the background is a tiny bit blurry. In the upper righthand corner of the photo, a landing is visible, shining with stark, white, but still natural light.