Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Forty-Seven

1. The world will not end if I miss a day.

2. Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Cherries and grapes. Pretzels and goldfish. Beef sticks.

3. As we head out of town, five hot air balloons dot the horizon. I smile to myself. The car is quiet.

4. I tell them that they’ll never see the girls again in their life. They just need to learn.

5. Too much coffee.

6. I take notes in between my mandated reporter training.

7. But they really did mean “elite.”

8. STANDARDS.

9. Sometimes, I’m happy when this happens.

10. 93 days.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two hundred & Forty-Five

1. I should get up.

2. Is there enough bacon? Enough waffles? Bagels for them, morning pages for me.

3. So cold I need a sweater. Fall is almost here.

4. She laughs about my rigidness about time.

5. I’m glad I stayed on the phone with her. Just like the old days.

6. It is a lot, but not impossible to do.

7. They say it’s so slow. It almost sounds like every time we come, they say it’s slower than before. The businesses in town are suffering, they say. The vendors demand that they purchase quantities that don’t make any sense for their small business. Suffering.

8. Just say the thing.

9. Enchanting.

10. If you’re not inside, you’re still late. Still late.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Forty-Four

1. Tired.

2. Wolf and Alligator.

3. It’s only Tuesday. But also, it’s already the end of July.

4. I want to pick up the bird wing but I know I probably shouldn’t.

5. I decide to take a right. There is a grandmother and grandfather playing with a small child in the front yard. Wiffle ball and bat. The yard is lined with roses. They are the only thing I hear.

6. I think I’ve figured it out. Nothing is wrong, but nothing is right. I am the problem. But at least I know that I am.

7. Invisible walls.

8. I didn’t even get to break in the hammock first.

9. Oh, this is so weird. Another new life stage.

10. A full table.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Forty-Three

1. Cool, gray Monday morning.

2. Real talk. At least, it’s an attempt at real talk.

3. I start to think about crawling back into my bed with my coffee and my computer, but I know I must go.

4. They are having fun, but it’s loud.

5. I find my way all the way down to the end of the road. Ah, that’s where that is. I wonder who owns that. Another road; I’ll walk that one next time.

6. My to-do list is almost done.

7. I did not expect that today. But it doesn’t matter. This is all practice, anyway. Everything is a practice.

8. Everything is a practice.

9. It’s all starting to feel normal again.

10. It will be here before we know it.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Forty-Two

1. Just a little cold.

2. So, so tight and sore. Everywhere.

3. Exactly what I thought.

4. Mimosas and haircuts.

5. You want to be proud, but also not too proud, because they’re not perfect. But there’s no such thing as perfect.

6. “I mean, I could just go back, but they’re just going to walk me right back to you with the same boarding pass. But I’ll go back. If you want me to.” He sticks his badge in a reader and overrides the error.

7. He’s back!

8. I’m so tired.

9. Intuition.

10. And maybe you haven’t grown as much as you think.