An Ordinary Thursday Night

I try to make life all one thing or another--it’s all worry and stress and storms, or it’s pure bliss. But more nights are like this one than not, full of the simple pleasures and normal worries of our life all mixed together, and I am so very grateful.

My house on a weeknight: 

My daughter recounts a book discussion with her friends at recess: “We would have been smarter than Voldemort.”

A little purple notebook inside a floppy summer messenger bag.

Cartoon characters racing around a screen.

A routine that has so much change in it...how can I be more flexible?

A slowly-darkening blue sky that comes late and whispers of summer.

Panko toasted in butter and oil, tossed with thyme, crunching like pop rocks.

The skinny limbs of a growing kid with a gorgeous smile and sharp mind.

A paperback book and an old, worn bookmark.

Soft, still-damp hair.

Testing tomorrow--did I plan everything well?

The whir of the vacuum and the slam of a dresser drawer.

A leftover “Happy Birthday” banner over the door.

Heavy eyes. Body sinking low into the couch. 

Fresh, clean laundry. 

Deep sleep.