I'm still not sure what I'm doing with the new format Squarespace has dumped on me, but I have for the moment a blank sheet - no - screen - in front of me, ready for me to fill with deathless thoughts for the day, I woke this morning thinking gratefully "The day is mine!" So I can charge into my work and see how much I can get done.
The day is mine. I remember when I was expecting my first child, my minister's wife, the first real live writer I ever knew, gave me a blessing I've never forgotten. "Let me not lose its moments." Of course this wish applies to everything, not only pregnancy. Every day is precious , even the ones that don't feel like it, and we must not lose its moments. That's one of the reasons I enjoy the subway so much. Fascinating people show up every day and I learn so much from watching them, especially the young women. I like the way they twist their scarves, I love their eyebrows, I am in awe of their boots, and when I had my long hair, I watched carefully how they tied up, clipped or braided theirs, and tried to learn. It's important to learn something every day.
My father, like his father before him, was a very demanding man. At the dinner table every night, he wanted to know what we had learned, and just the good news, please. He was a doctor and he heard so many complaints during the day, listening to his patients, that he wanted something cheerful. So we (my brother and I) performed, though not as much as my father and his brother. They had a little routine and egged each other on, so my uncle said. They could turn disaster into a laugh riot. My husband could, too. I guess that's why he fitted right in. No complaints, just the good news, preferably funny.
That's why I was sent home from school at recess twice, once with chicken pox, once with mumps, because my father judged me well enough in the morning. To this day, when a doctor asks me how I'm feeling, I say "Fine!" before I tell him what's wrong with me and why I made the appointment to see him.
Well, have a good day. Just the good news, please.