Reasons

Hard days are hard. Even on the worst, if I really try, I can find some reason to feel grateful, some small miracle to help me make it through. Here is my growing list of the reasons. Feel free to add yours.

-white sailboats on a blue Lake Washington summer day, fat cheeks resting on the shoulders of a sleeping toddler, ballet shoes the size of a Vlasic stacker, Dan reading jokes from the Reader’s Digest, a harvest moon rising over the tree-tops on our hill, Magoo waving frantically every time a car starts its engine, Laylee asleep with her arms outstretched completely trusting completely secure, the patio drenched in blue moonlight like it was lit on a soundstage, Magoo running to the laundry room with his arms outstretched to catch the dust flying from the lint trap as I change loads, the man I fell in love with 5 years ago who has carried me through my hard times, crazy 8’s, salamanders alive or dead, broccoli that tastes like cheese with a hint of broccoli, prophets, 83 more sleeps, Papa Murphy, spider-cide spray in my crawlspace, Cabbage Patch Kids, hard hats in children’s sizes, string cheese, visits from family, Magoo lifting every pumpkin he sees over his head and smashing it to the ground and laughing, the sippy cup that didn’t leak, piles of leaves, cinnamon sticks, fluffy socks, spongy bones for children, exterminators, the giant rat vacuum, car insurance, toilet tabs, sleep, microwave popcorn, Dan’s freshly shaven face, ELECTRICITY, rolling half-chewed apples, playdates, future Oscar wins, pigs feet, video messages from Dan, chocolate cupcakes, sisters, fists full of dandelions, bleenkits, tulips, whispered “I love you”s, Band-Aids, sun in the Pacific Northwest, reconciliations, Costco, cilantro, blue sky, Dan greeting me in the morning with an invitation to go clothes shopping, red leaves, paper bags with handles, people who drive with their dog’s head sticking out the window so Magoo can lose his very mind, a Santa who arrives on a fire engine, mittened hands eating sugar cookies, husbands who make dinner and do all the dishes so their wives can crochet