#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Indoor, Summer Geraniums

everything
I have ever learned
in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side
is salvation

~ Excerpt from Mary Oliver, “In Blackwater Woods”

Up around 5:30 to swim early before helping Wave get out the door. But all the lanes are full at 6:15! How can that be? A swim team is rehearsing, taking a lot of lanes, and obviously some swimmers are there in the two lanes left who don’t have reservations. I’m irritated, but I let it go and try to swim laps in the small pool. Then a lane opens and I do the rest of my mile and wish I hadn’t gotten myself so irritated. And then I have a lovely time at home, Wave is awake and he wants to play. So we play dinosaurs with his big dinosaurs with the teeth and mouths that open; they fight. And end up in the hospital where I pretend to be the surgeon saving their dinosaur lives, suggesting that they should consider not fighting. But, as Wave points out, they are dinosaurs. They’re supposed to fight. Okay, so I give them their shots and medicine and fix them up and they live to fight another day; and it’s time for breakfast. Dipping eggs, and the dinosaurs are in the hospital while he is pretending to be the surgeon now, and also eating his breakfast. Now he’s seeing what it’s like to be the surgeon putting these fighters back together again! The rest of my day is less playful, but still satisfying at times. I get a little writing done and also a nap. Tonight, a fun dinner with my siblings and spouses. Lots of laughter and good cheer for the new year. I am grateful on these messy and cold winter days that I have geraniums in bloom at the window where they lean into the light and remind me summer days outdoors.