1. Robert’s beyond delicious Cast Iron Pizza with Fennel and Sausage …
2. Coming across one of my very favorite plants on the planet, a member of the elephant ear family. We found them creekside on a day trip over to nearby Bluffton, South Carolina. When I find them, I always have to touch them. I believe there is a magical and healthy joy there.
3. Waking up each morning to another day of discovery.
4. Brand new grand baby Novah Ti’amo.
5. Being okay with the realization that I have so much time on my hands I can ARRANGE breakfast fruit.
1. Realizing that some broken things CAN be fixed.
My special wooden “N” (for Neal) that I somehow dropped and splintered.
But now it’s back on the top of my Desires Board, next to Mr. Happy and down just a bit from my Yes Stick. (Okay, I can see your furrowed brow. During the pandemic, HR and I traveled to a bunch of Georgia State parks, where we went on many a hike. I would often see a Y-shaped stick or tree branch on the trail and tell Robert it was a Yes Stick, to pause and think of something to say “Yes!” to. On one marvel-ous hike at Tugaloo State Park, HR saw this Y Stick, brought it home and shellacked it for us. Yes! TMI?)
2. The incredible ability to walk (which I usually just take for granted). To be able to put one foot in front of the other … and go forward! Try it!
3. Finally finishing with Robert this week the eye-, mind- and heart-opening A New Origin Story: The 1619 Project.
A difficult but so important read about the role that slavery and racism played in our nation’s founding—and continues to play in the U.S. today.
I wish its meticulously documented truths could be taught in every high school.
This time a turkey, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and onion pita.
2. Truth …
3. Discovering Senior Citizens Inc. here in Savannah and attending a fascinating lecture, “The Rosenwald Schools: Challenge and Triumph.”
I bought the book!
4. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.
5. My chair in our study! It has a personality of its own. It’s alive. It (he? she? they?) is a place of refuge for me. It’s where I read. And mediate. It’s where I sit in peace.
And where I often sit in not-so-peace when my anxiety, Truffles, comes a’knockin. (My anxiety protocol sheet is at the ready nearby in the magazine rack.)
And the checkered pillow?
I bought it for my father when he was in assisted living and early dementia.
1. Fresh South Georgia okra (my favorite summer vegetable—read more about that truth here) and corn. From Davis Produce not too far from us.
2. Grandtwins Madison and Matthew and their 10th birthday.
They are pure joy.
They each had their own cake.
3. Understanding that each new day, when we wake up, is a gift. A gift to be cherished.
4. Robert and a black cat.
This is “Little Kitty,” my daughter Amy and son-in-law Scott’s cat. We took care of him when Amy and fam (big fam) were down at Universal Studios.
5. My little closet. It’s just mine.
And it reveals how I am a clothing minimalist (Do you really need more than about 30 items of clothing?) Actually I am an everything minimalist. But more about that later.
I hope your upcoming weekend is met with joy, good health, and wonder.
1. Celebrating with daughter Amy adding another physician to her medical company here in Savannah, Coastal Care Partners. This time a young new pediatrician.
Amy is the redhead to the right. New physician Dr. Alexander is in the middle.
So of course, Robert and I had to get in on the action (and free food). Here we are with Amy and her hubby, co-partner Scott at the ribbon-cutting.
2. The wind beneath my wings.
Sweet chili pepper wings at Bar Food Sports in Savannah near us. Yum!!!
4. HR and I taking grandtwins Matthew and Madison, little Isabelle and ex-wife Donna to the Jepson Center for the Arts here in Savannah for a morning of exploration and joy.
4. The incredible ability to be thankful. And to recognize, celebrate all that we have — our lives, our breath, our hopes and dreams. Our feet and shoes to house them. Our fingers and their ability to touch.
5. HR letting me strategically place various items on his head for photographic practice …
… while he looks at a duck cookie sporting his name.
I hope you’re looking at a happy, healthy weekend ahead.
2. Air conditioning. Air conditioning. Air conditioning. Our real feel here in Savannah is 100+ nearly every day lately.
3. Grandson Daniel in Savannah Theatre’s summer production of “Grease.” Great music and fun.
Not a great pic—we were up in the balcony. But you get the idea.
4. The inexplicable joy of having a husband who loves my ex-wife Donna and works hard on projects for her. Here he’s putting together a picture frame hanging thingy for a puzzle. I quickly lost interest and started a lengthy internal debate about how much pink Himalayan sea salt I should shake on my butter pecan ice cream.
4. The sleek new white chairs in my therapist Rubi’s office
I am a firm believer that therapists ALWAYS strategically place items in their waiting areas with hidden (HA!), underlying (probably-childhood related) purposes. Here’s my theory about the photo above.
On second thought, I’ll just let the redecorated room itself—and the therapists whose clients wait in the room—speak for itself and themselves:
“Hi there. And welcome back! Look at how fresh and clean everything looks in our, we mean YOUR, waiting area. A tabla rosa-ness to it, don’t you think? This session you’re about to have can be a new beginning to your mental health. But remember we have to do it in 50 minutes. Sit down and make yourself comfortable.”
“The slanting brown legs on the chair? We’re glad you noticed, but come on, you get that, we’re sure. No? Being grounded of course. Connecting to Mother Earth. Therapy doesn’t go straight down and to the point all at once, for goodness sake. It has to slant, meander, hiccup around for a spell. Sometimes quite a spell. Over MULTIPLE 50-minute sessions. And the FOUR legs? Why earth, wind, fire and water, of course.”
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I’m sorry but I need to interrupt the room and the therapists for a second here. I took the above photo three weeks ago when the room was just being redone. Look closely at the seat part of the chair. See sort of a crack or opening? I did. And since Rubi had not called me back yet, I looked around to make sure there were no hidden cameras and did what comes naturally to me. I snooped. And, lo and behold, when I placed my hand on the seat part, it was loose. I hoisted it up. It had not been screwed down yet! Okay, again sorry, back to the room and therapists’ spill.
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“You might notice the chair is a bit wobbly. That your butt moves up and down and side to side while you’re sitting. No worries. You won’t fall out of it. Just steady yourself. After all, you’ve just got a few loose screws. WE MEAN THE CHAIR HAS GOT A FEW LOOSE SCREWS!!!”
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“Hi Neal,” Rubi greets me at my session three weeks ago. “Come on up.” I follow my therapist to his suite but quickly look back at the chair. And it seems to wiggle and wave a bit. I can’t tell if it is taunting or encouraging me.
NealEnJoy 