grateful for

my crazy kid. clean air to breathe, clean water to drink. a roof over our heads. heat, especially when i wake up and it's five degrees. imagination. powerful women. rhododendrons encrusted with buds. eyeballs. sweet, soft, goofy, smart, loyal doodle. long shadows. turkey. brothers. soft-boiled eggs. any sleep i can get. our local grocery store staff. pie—all kinds. dylan. zappa. wonder. stovetop espresso with warm milk. toothpicks. boots. cooking with gas. the accident of birth in a first-world nation. sisters. california. the right to vote. the usps. red wine. my little family. wind. starlit skies. forests. thoughtful men. the sun. homemade gravy. jeans and sneakers. to be alive. good thinkers. friends, new and old and ones i've never met. mother earth. humor. besties. soft boiled eggs with sea salt and butter. embraces. maine. dinner parties. gifford's vanilla ice cream. free speech and the ability to move. warmhearted bartenders and local shop owners. cake for breakfast. community. npr. mary. kate bush's divine voice. alberta spruce. milk. technology and the capacity to disregard it. dishwashers. hot showers. the ability to give. silence. the look of snowfall. college students. sunset in a mackerel sky. healthy bodies. immigrants. handsome, funny, loving husbands. healthcare. curiosity. good books. intelligent discourse. bawdy jokes. embracing strangers. in-laws. cannabis as medicine. decent leaders, of which we now have more. music. art. film. dance. democracy. putting words down. clouds. time. bodies of water. rain. trees.

Photo by Michelle Lisi D'alauro