For All This
I know it’s not Thursday, but I’m thankful.
For faery books that make me smile and dive right in. For Fragile Eternity. Seth and lovely Dark Court imagery and themes about creation and choice. For Knife. The amazing, natural worldbuilding of the Oakenwyld and the sweet romance. For friends I can hand these books right off to, so we can talk about them ASAP.
For thinking about the tropes–or "bulletproof kink"–that almost always work for me: artsy boys (or boys who are super-passionate about something besides the girl), mother/daughter issues, love triangles where the "right" answer isn’t totally obvious. Boarding schools. Girls who save themselves. Feeling stultified in a small/conservative town or family. Vulnerable-at-heart bad boys (see: Chuck Bass, Tim Riggins).I’m sure there are more…
For naps. Air-conditioning. For pastels–but only in bedding–serene blues and pale greens and buttery yellows. Polishing a wooden endtable until it gleams again. For broccoli with cheese sauce and loaded baked potatoes. For the books that I left unpacked to read this week: Peace Love and Baby Ducks. Dull Boy.
For our super-agent Courtney. For choosing to trust that things will work out. For old-fashioned, lattice-backed, curved-handled rocking chairs. For hanging baskets dripping with bright flowers. How I can just picture sitting in those chairs, smelling those flowers, with Rosaline or Liz on my new front porch, drinking iced tea, chatting a late-summer evening away.
For reorganizing the supply room at work, sorting our financial paperwork, cleaning the bathroom, and packing with extra zest when I feel overwhelmed. For knowing that this soothes me.
For a husband to whom I can say, "I know that we’re both stressed, but this is what I need from you right now." Who makes me scrambled eggs. Who does the grocery shopping. Who gets excited like a kid about playing poker with his grad school friends. Who is my partner in all the crazy, and my best friend.
For my cuddly cat. How he snores as he’s falling asleep. Even the way he gets possessed by demons about an hour before his dinnertime every night, batting at doors, chewing up papers, generally being a brat. For his steadfast kitty love.
For friends who propose last-minute game nights. For crisp pinot grigio. For zombie card games with Creepers and Keepers. Carcassone, my new favorite. For rich fudgey brownies. For offers of boxes and blow-up mattresses.
For my dads, both of them. Their sacrifices of time and love and yeah okay sometimes money. For the examples they set: generosity, jokes, hard work.
For looking on the bright side.