Life giving

These things are life giving right now:

Daily walks-- I listen to podcasts that I got behind on because I wasn't driving to and from work.  I share really enthusiastic greetings with any neighbors I happen to see.  I look at the blossoming trees and blue blue sky.

Routine-- I feel like I finally have one after a few weeks of floundering to establish one.  I am a person who thrives with routines.

Acceptance-- This one also took a little while.  I have adjusted my mindset that I am an online teacher now and I need to learn how to do that instead of petulantly waiting until I can be a "real" teacher again.

My family-- I love texts and phone calls and tech support (at lunchtime, from Adam) and Emma popping in my office to tell me her progress on her finals/papers and me popping into Mark's Lego lair to ask him if he is done with whatever he is supposed to be doing.  (Also Emma finished her last essay last night.  Yay Emma!)

Silent reading time--  Every day, after lunch.  It's Mark and me and unlike when he was little, I don't have to keep him reading.  (I do interrupt him sometimes though to tell him what is happening in my book or to ask him exactly when World War II ended because I can't take much more of the carnage in my book.)

Warm springtime-- I am looking forward to summer and sitting on the deck.  We have pretty much had hard things happen every summer since we've moved here and I feel a little apprehensive about summer too, but isn't it about time we have a good one?  I think we're due.

Stephanie-- She's posted a few stretching videos on Facebook and I love them.  She understands how our bodies work and how to fix us and I also love her calm warm voice and I miss taking daily walks with her!

Movie gift bags-- We took bags of candy and microwave popcorn to 5 of our neighbors.  We included some movie recommendations because we take movie night very seriously.  (If there's something that we can give an exaggerated importance to, we are here for it.  Adam's movie reviews cracked me up.  He used the word yum.  Twice.)  Some of our neighbors weren't home but we stood on the porch and chatted with some of them and it felt good to see them and connect a little.