packing - We packed a picnic to eat at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park this past Sunday. It was a bit cold and windy to enjoy sitting still, but more pleasant once we were moving - hiking around Civil War battle sites and through the small historic town at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. I would like to go back in spring or summer as the views, while impressive, were all pretty gray during the winter.
jonesing - Even before attending the kick-off meeting this week for a project I'll be working on in Key West, I've been wanting to be somewhere warm and sunny. Winter has been really mild, but every year around this time, I start feeling really pasty, tired of all my sweaters, and long to wear wear light jackets for looks rather than thick ones out of necessity.
texting - One of the highlights of this week has been emailing/texting with one of my best friends since 3rd grade to arrange a meet up while she's in town for a conference. I'm really looking forward to trying a new restaurant and spending an evening with someone I usually only communicate with via snail mail.
reading - Somewhat unusual for me, I have a few books in progress. I've started Devil in the White City and Mighty Be Our Powers recently and found them both a bit too violent for reading before bed. My mom fulfilled my Christmas list wish with a copy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's In My Own Words, which I am finding inspirational during these stressful and uncertain times. However, I've just just reached the chapters highlighting her legal career, and worry this one might become a bit too dense to read at the end of the day.
hearting - All of the little things Keizo does for me around the house that let me know I'm loved - leaving hot coffee and a friendly note in the kitchen when he has an early morning shift, washing out my lunch containers in the evenings, and leaving the front light on for me anytime I am due home after dark. They're all perfect reminders that it doesn't take much to make a positive difference in someone else's day, and help me remember to slow down and practice gratitude.
