In Search of the Very
Just searching for the good stuff .
Wednesday Stuff
What’s in a number?
As it happens, a lot.
One badass bird is just the beginning.
100 is the number of mass shootings in our country so far in 2023.
0 is the number of gun control measures brought to the House floor for a vote with any hope of passage.
391 is the number of anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in legislatures across the country this year.
2 is the number of sighs I exhaled when I learned this.
0 is the number of people reading this who have been personally harmed by LGBTQ people in their lives. (If I’m wrong, do tell ..)
2 is also the number of times I played my George Winston Winter into Spring cd this morning.
75 is the number of consecutive days I have shared a “doodle”.
4 is the number of times I try to fill up my 16oz Owl pint glass with water every day. And drink it.
12,500 is the average number of steps I walk each day based on monthly totals.
7 is the number of John Ebner prints I own.
202 is the number of birds on my life list.
Not sure I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame yet, but I remain open to all possibilities.
14 is the number of miles of my longest solo hike. So far .. a record in need of a challenge.
There are 65 days until my first solo birding trip. (4 nights and 5 days in a cabin in a town I’ve never been in before)
On May 15th (god willing) I will celebrate 33 years of sobriety.
On March 31st we will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (Although we have been partnered for over 22 years. Sometimes it takes the law a little extra time to catch up to love)
1 is the number of hands I have available for my myriad tasks today. That left one of mine is failing and I need to figure out a fix. Or seek a little relief. (Or at least try, for pete’s sake).
At 3 walks a day for almost 14 years, Yoda has had over 15,000 walks in his lifetime (give or take). He deserves every nap he takes.
If I keep with my current average I will walk over 4 million steps this year. (I deserve every nap I take too.)
3 is the number of dives I watched a bald eagle take into the lake this afternoon. The coot lived to see at least 1 more day.
I have 20 audio books on hold at the library and two I’m reading now. (An Immense World is wonderful but a bit cerebral for me right now. The follow-up to the Salt Path is not really grabbing me, but I’m trying to hang in there. I need a roadtrip to get caught up)
3 dozen letters from a really lovely friend.
So that’s it. My Wednesday observations. Feel free to share any of your own in the comments.
8 Comments on “Wednesday Stuff”
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Where I’ve Been
That’s a clever way to put life into perspective. I’ve got another friend who counts. It seems like I would do more counting because I love lists and spreadsheets, but I’ll leave it up to you. Loved your counted birds and dives, and your sobriety (high five!), that effing baddass bird in a baddass shot!, letters, 22 years with a single partner. I also love Nancy’s counted weeds (I can relate), and your offering to pull some. Now that is a test of friendship, ha ha!
Numbers for me: I’ve got 1 kid who belongs to the LGBTQ community, and that has changed at least 1 life (mine) for the better, and 2 bonus kids who belong to the same community. I have about 1 emotional explosion a week regarding something or someone who has gone out of their way to make my kids’ lives harder, for a total of about 52 explosions a year (1 on TikTok). FitBit says I have walked 3,358,825 steps in the past 12 months, and for 3 of those months my average sleep time was 8 hours a night. There are 7,119 mole mountains in my yard, created by approximately 4 moles. My hens are laying 2 eggs a day now, when one month ago they offered only 1 egg every 2 days. I have written 9,516 words in 2023 on my Post Office Book.
You left out the 2,849,361,570 ounces of pure grace you have accumulated in the service of the people you love ❤️ …*
Thank you for this … *
All that going on and you wrote a post today too! I kneel at your amazement. Let’s see. I’ve written 51 songs (not good songs mind you, just songs) in 2 1/2 years. I have 12 books checked out from the library which is too many so I just keep shuffling them around. I’ve written 184 blog posts in 5 1/2 years. I feel myself slowing down on that. I have 7 trips planned (all west coast) between May and September. Amazing. I will not mention my #steps or hikes in your presence. Pitiful. I have 1 healthy (enough) body. I have 5, 874,439 weeds in my yard that need pulling. You asked… 🙂 Thank you for your thoughtful list.
Thanks, Nancy. That’s an awesome list you have! And to think you didn’t even include the thousands and thousands of pages written for your book (NaNoWriMo)! I kind of love counting. It’s deceptive in a really lovely way. Like every number is a box that holds a thousand precious things. I hope we can squeeze in a visit or two. 439 of those weeds have my name on them. Just invite me over. I’d love to meet the jays 😁
Yes! We’ll look for a date!
Wowza, that’s a lotta numbers. And 2 is the number of parents to whom you are best daughter ever. I don’t know the number of people you are a great friend to, but I know it’s a lot.
💙🩵🙏🩵💙