1. I woke up in Greenbelt, MD this morning for the first time since November 5th. After coffee and some writing, I resumed my daily routine of going to Greenbelt Lake and walking the 1.3 miles circumference, seeing the lake like I'd never seen it before: thin ice covering spots, trees without leaves, mud in a few spots on the trail. Happiness swelled inside me.
2. For the first time since early November I went to the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket and Pharmacy. I was reminded of what a regular store it is. A little dingy, a ton of Shurfine products, many elderly shoppers from nearby living complexes -- I thought, this store is not that different from Yoke's or Stein's in Kellogg. Oh, it's smaller, but it has none of the alternative living co-op vibe other co-ops I've been to have. Happiness swelled inside me.
3. Around 5:30, Hiram, Molly, Olivia, and David arrived for dinner. Hugs all around. I think Olivia and David remembered me, but they did not call me Skin Chin, a nickname that might now be obsolete. Out of my head, I fixed a pasta sauce with canned whole and diced tomatoes, yellow peppers, onions, garlic, and mushrooms with fresh basil, some oregano, pepper, and a dash of sugar. I augmented a bag of Italian salad with radishes, celery, and carrots. Tonight's pasta was one of my very favorites, rotini. After spending so much time with my sisters and mother in Idaho and Washington state, it was fun to experience how much I enjoy my family here in Alexandria and Greenbelt -- and I thought about how much I look forward to visiting Adrienne and Jack in Nyack and I daydream about Patrick coming out to see us, as well as going to Oregon to see him. I never dreamed I'd have family on both sides of the U.S.A., but, I do, and I can't help but miss who I'm not with even as I fully enjoy who I am with at any given time.
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