Posted Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, at 7:00 AM ET
On 10/11/12, Let’s Celebrate the Subtle Joys of Festivals of Numerical Coincidence
Do you remember where you were on Nov. 11, 2011—11/11/11?
Me neither.
But I’m pretty sure I must’ve been in a slightly better mood than I usually am. Days like today, 10/11/12—that, written out, remind us of familiar patterns—are always moderately nice. There are countdowns (11/10/09), repetitions (7/7/7 was a popular day to get married), inside jokes (Mole Day, 10/23)—they add a little sparkle to the calendar. It’s like the birthday of a friend of a friend, or when a sports team you only sort of like wins a playoff game. When something you had no control over makes you just an infinitesimal amount more content (it’s a bit less significant than a traffic light turning green just in time, or a pretty stranger casually making eye contact), it usually happens to us as individuals. But on days like today, we all get to experience this same subtle uplift at once.
So I must confess to a preference for Numerical Coincidences of Constancy: Dec. 12 is a day to look forward to. On 12/12/12, we can all celebrate together. I’ll bring three dozen donuts to the office—1,728 seems like it’d be a bit too ambitious. After enjoying several of these days, thanks to the turn of the century—the last couple years of 11/11/11 and 10/10/10, and, if you push it, nine more before—most of us won’t live to see another. There won’t be a 13/13/13.
That’s the pleasure of these auspiciously numbered days. Revel in them now, because tomorrow, the calendar will lose its magic again.
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