Ten.One Thousand, Five Hundred & Ninety-Five

1. Quiet.

2. The sound of the coffeemaker percolating, a faint quacking sound in the distance, the crackle of the fire.

3. I haven’t spoken to him in a while so he is my first call.

4. It just seems like we’re all in a rough spot right now. I remind myself that life is cyclical. There is always an up after a down.

5. The dough bangs against the side of the bowl as the hook whips it around. I resist the urge to stick a podcast in my ears. It’s good to be alone with your thoughts.

6. Three bowls in the drawer. They still have milk in them. “What were you going to do when they started to smell?,” I ask. He shrugs his shoulders.

7. It’s been too long since we’ve all been together for a holiday, and that makes me sad.

8. Small bowl of leftover beef stew.

9. Oysters and champagne.

10. Stuffed. Everything a delight. Gratitudes.