45429+56+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. Eventually (read: almost immediately) the schedule became somewhat oppressive and impractical, but 7 still feels like an important unit by which to organize time.

A bank of windows. Cream sills. Beige Venetian blinds. White AC unit in the righthand window. Focus: blurry. Exposure: shutter at 2 seconds, aperture 22. All the light comes in at once.