1. When I got into my car this morning it started on the first try. After years of driving all kinds of disasters I am still enjoying the daily miracle of hearing my car starting without emitting any scary noises that indicate something has gone terribly wrong under the hood and it's going to cost me an arms and a leg to fix it.
2. Driving on Highway 1 and seeing the sprinklers at work in the artichoke fields. Nothing makes my heart sing like the sight of sprinklers shooting water arrows into the air. Eliya asks me why I get all excited when I see sprinklers, and I say, They remind me of the landscape of my childhood, and then I realize that she knows what I mean because she had seen the landscape of my childhood during her last spring break. When I cross over to Highway 101 the hills are bright green and thousands of tiny yellow and pink flowers cover the slopes along the highway. The skies are heavy with fat gray clouds heading towards the mountains in the east, yet, the air is warm and clear.
3. Hearing my daughter saying "happy mother's day, Ima," as she gets into my car, smiling, knowing how happy her greeting makes me. And then she lets me kiss her on the cheek. I know she lets me do it because no one is around to see this very embarrassing show of affection.
4. Being able to buy my daughter her dream laptop. The salesman is surprised that I choose Mother's Day to do it. A friend texts me, concerned that I misunderstand what Mother's Day is all about. And I think to myself, sure I understand. Mother's Day is about empowering the mother in me, so I choose to use my power to make my own decision and lavish on my daughter. Be extravagant and indulge in my mothering today. I don't want breakfast in bed. Only when I'm sick I eat in bed. And I certainly don't feel sick today.
5. Having the audacity to bake. I don't bake. But there is a graveyard of bananas in my freezer and they are begging to be used for something, and by now I already know that no matter how many fruit shakes I might make, I will never be able to use them all. So I find a recipe for banana bread online, and I mix all the ingredients in a bowl and fill the baking pan and put it in the oven.
If my banana bread comes out well when I take it out of the oven, I will have something to be grateful for tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment