My 5 Stocking Life

Tuesday night. 9:08pm. On my way to bed (yes, uber-early) and paused for a sec to look into my darkened living room. The tree was still lit with its white lights and I stared at the 5 stockings hanging from the mantel and I had this moment where I was like, "this is it. My life." And I heard my mother-in-law loading the dishwasher and the Daily Show coming from the library where my husband was watching and all the small, edifying everyday sounds and it all struck me somehow. And then I thought of my friend who just lost her sister and my friend who just lost her dog and my other friend whose dad just had a successful surgery yesterday and my friend who just had a big fight with her husband. And I thought of dad and how much I miss him and wish he were here to see me in my life, this 5 stocking life, and I smiled a tired smile, one he would have understood. Life can be so tricky and beautiful and hard and happy and my goodness we must stop and force ourselves to see the good, to hear the small sounds, to feel our soft pajamas against our skin and to say thank you.

That's all.