Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Twenty-Four

1. 4:31 a.m. departure. The air smells like late-night arrivals at my grandmother’s house in Charleston. Smoky, salty, swampy, still.

2. They tell us that only one can go through. We make it through TSA and to Starbird. He reminds me that we need to get to the actual gate. I laugh.

3. Not. again.

4. At least I get to take my time.

5. Not attached to any of it at all. I think of how she said to me, “I like feedback so I can get better.”

6. 8!

7. Four words that change your day on a day you really need them.

8. We sit next to one another and eat without saying a word.

9. So sore.

10. “Confidence comes from competence.”

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Twenty-Three

1. Morning light

2. Back to avocado. I probably need some protein.

3. Another cobweb.

4. Almost four years with her. Almost four years here in this house. It seems like we’ve been here so much longer.

5. I sit in the chair facing the sun. It’s still cool enough to drink coffee while I write. I love being home.

6. I recognize these feelings.

7. I help her figure out how to lock the cabinet again. She clearly has never done this before.

8. “I am the source of time.”

9. He says he’s not nervous or worried. I am only a little worried. He will be fine. He’s always fine.

10. It’s going to be a weird week.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Twenty-Two

1. Grateful for an extra day and plenty of time to ease into it.

2. I try to remind myself that this is normal. I don’t have to like it, but it is normal.

3. Pages and pages.

4. I think we’re both tracking our hike on our watches.

5. Turns out I’ve been trying to cross at the wrong junction this entire time.

6. He shows me a patch of blackberry to keep my eye on. I pop one into my mouth, but it is still too tart.

7. What was I thinking - going out to lunch on a Saturday afternoon during peak season?

8. Receptive, maybe?

9. “…to stretch out my hands and feel no walls…”

10. If this idea works, then I think it will really change my life.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Twenty-One

1. What day is it?

2. Electrolytes and oatmeal and a few small cups of coffee.

3. It’s supposed to be cool, but in this sun, it feels like it’s already 100.

4. Already craving another day at the beach.

5. Yikes.

6. Two small fires nearby. You can hear the planes and helicopters. I really need to stock up on water and check the generator again.

7. PB & Js and chips.

8. He leaves in just a few short days. His last summer before high school. I tell him I’m sure his grandparents are so excited for him to come soon. This is the beginning of an end.

9. Is anything sinking in?

10. Too many ideas.

Ten.Two Thousand, Two Hundred & Twenty

1. Beach day.

2. Summer ‘24 playlist.

3. That feeling when you break through the trees and the ocean comes into view.

4. No cell service is precisely what you need.

5. I learn a little more about myself every time, and that’s a good thing.

6. I stuck two books and a journal in my purse with the best of intentions, but I just lay on my back and close my eyes, legs in the sun, face in the shade.

7. He says I’m not stressed when I’m at the beach. How could you be?

8. When can we do it again?

9. Last-minute eats and drinks with friends while the kids are out playing around. No fireworks, but they seem to have made their own fun.

10. Yes, more of this, please.