Rituals

One of the most comforting parts about getting better after being really sick, besides the ginger ale and chicken noodle soup, is the return to normalcy and the daily rituals that may otherwise escape my focus and attention. Whether it's the morning cup of coffee, a favorite breakfast or an afternoon walk and game of fetch with Sunny, it's just so good to be back to (almost) normal, doing normal things. I had to push myself a bit to get out there, but the spring in her step and sheer happiness on her face made it so worthwhile. She's so patient and had been so neglected the past few rainy days.

Also comforting are the return of the usual sounds of the house. John's sneaking into the kitchen cabinets to retrieve a snack too close to dinnertime, Lauren and Allie's little made-up games and Allie's bossiness about it all, Kevin's footsteps down the stairs and the crackle of wood in the woodstove. Albeit a relatively brief sickness, Kevin described the "day after" like this, "It feels like I got dropped out of an airplane without a parachute". Yep, that's about right.

Anyway, here's my last and parting thought, I always think it's weird to see the moon so high up in the sky at 4 in the afternoon, don't you? But I'll take it.