On the Seventh Day of 2024: The Numbers

Consecutive days of meditation: 7.

Number of walks taken with dogs: 3.

Consecutive days of sitting meditation, on a cushion: 6.

Consecutive days of walking meditation, with dogs: 1.

Chances that walking meditation with dogs was more successful than sitting on a cushion without dogs: 0.

Consecutive days of bicycling: 5.

Cups of coffee consumed this morning: 3.

Number of blog essays composed: 7.

Number of days without alcohol: 7.

Number of times I’ve hankered for a drink: 1.

Number of good nights of sleep: 4.

Number of rainy days: 7.

Number of days one of our dogs has pissed and/or pooped in the entryway: 5.

Number of new records purchased: 2.

Number of years difference in age between the two artists whose new records I purchased: 35.

The year in which both of these records were released: 2023.

Number of used records purchased: 2.

Number of years between the release date of the first used record and the second used record: 41.

Number of pages read in Ross Gay’s The Book of (More) Delights: 82.

Number of trips to the grocery store: 1.

Number of trips to Trader Joe’s, which doesn’t really count as a grocery store, even though there are groceries inside of it: 1.

Number of items I put into the basket at Trader Joe’s: 1.

Probability that the item I put inside the basket at Trader Joe’s was a tub of dark chocolate peanut butter cups: 1/1, or 1.

Probability that René placed all the other items, totaling about $160, into the basket: 1/1, or 1.

Number of close friends who have abandoned music: 1.

Number of weeping episodes over a single day: 3.

Number of weeping episodes in the entire first week of 2024: 3.

Level of optimism about 2024, given that 10 is the number of the highest optimism, 1 represents the lowest, and 0 represents absolutely zero optimism: 7.

Probability of overcoming the current feeling of sadness: 1/1, or 1.

Probability that the sadness is for a friend and not just self-pity: 1/2.

Probability that some level of sadness is good for art: 1/2.

Estimated duration of current sadness: ?

Likelihood that tomorrow I will be less sad than I was yesterday: Strong.