The Alphabet of Right Now
About a year and a half ago I wrote an “alphabet of right now.” I was thinking about it all day today and decided it was worth a revisit.
A -Allison. My dear cousin who has recently moved to Boston. She is without question Grace and Whit’s favorite person in the whole world, and having her nearby has brought me back in touch with the profound comfort and companionship, not to mention connection with the web of heritage, that extended family can provide.
B -Blogging. I could never have imagined the things that this blog has brought to me, the relationships I’ve formed here, the way this place has allowed me to dream of myself writing for real someday.
C -Cape Cod Sea Camps. Grace goes this summer, 25 years after I first went, and time folds back on itself.
D – Diet Coke. A terrible addiction.
E – Exeter. A place whose influence over me grows as I move further away from it, something I never anticipated.
F -Friends. How fortunate I am, and how increasingly aware I am of this good fortune, to be blessed with a handful of deeply loyal, brilliant, and funny native speakers.
G – Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. Funnily enough, I was not obsessed with grace when I named my daughter that. I am now.
H – Hilary. My beloved sister, my only sibling. Though I wish I saw more of her, HWM remains an intensely important and significant part of my life. And for this I am so, so, so thankful.
I -Insomnia. Bane of my life.
J – Just be here now. The Colin Hay lyric that runs through my head every single day.
K – Kripalu. I am so excited for Dani Shapiro‘s memoir workshop at Kripalu in May. I’m particularly thrilled that Grace is coming with me, to attend a childrens’ yoga workshop at the same time.
L –Legoland. A four day visit with Grace and Whit that none of us will ever forget. Already it is climbing the charts of Best Childhood Memory, and fast.
M –Mary Oliver.
N – Neatness. My natural state, which some might call a rigid obsession. I’m losing the battle against the tide of flotsam that these children bring in with them.
O – Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc. On the rocks.
P -Princeton. 15th reunion in June. All four of us are going, and staying in the dorms. I can’t believe my kids are old enough to do that. I remember so vividly, in my grandparents’ dusty attic, unearthing costumes that my father wore marching in Pops’ P-Rades as a kid. The idea that I’m now the parent, and my children are going to walk with me, stuns me almost speechless.
Q – Quiet. Never enough of it. As I get older I crave it more and more.
R – Running. Love, love, love. I write in my head the whole time. A little treacherous this winter though (and I can’t stand treadmills and haven’t run on one in years).
S -Shoveling on Snow Days. Endless. Matt has skillfully avoided every single blizzard this winter, so I’m a Single Shoveler.
T – Trust. My word of the year.
U –Universal Child by Annie Lennox. Over and over and over again.
V -Vedder, Eddie. Along with Universal Child, I am listening to Just Breathe, Rise, and Guaranteed on repeat.
W -Words With Friends. Oh, my, how I love this game. Especially against cmoorecanspell.
X – x-axis. The one on which you generally display time. The unavoidable progress of which is the echoing drumbeat at the heart of my life. (okay, a stretch. work with me.)
Y – Yoga. Not only am I returning to yoga, gradually but with a glad heart, I’m focusing on making it a real part of Grace’s life these days too.
Z – Zen. With special thanks to Karen Maezen Miller, something I think about often these days.
