When Frances was three, she had already loved Pete Seeger's music for a long time. She became a fan as a baby, calling out for her favorites from the backseat of the car over and over again. Track #24 on a certain CD collection...what was it again? I've Been Working on the Railroad. Yes. So many times. We heard it hundreds of times, easily. All before her first birthday.
So when she discovered at the age of three (how, I'm not sure) that Pete would be celebrating his 90th birthday, she determined to send him a card. It was delightful. And the most amazing thing? He wrote back! More amazing still, he wrote back months later, which makes a person suppose Pete Seeger slowly and faithfully goes through all his fan mail. And when a three year old sends him a birthday card, he responds.
I've been a bit weighed down lately by all the quotidian stuff of life that can get heavy sometimes: a cold that lingers endlessly, financial aid applications, gray hairs, ornery children, laundry that won't fold and put itself away. Rainy days. Nothing too awful, just a sense of heaviness.
But something about re-discovering that postcard lifted my spirits, and then the snowball just kept rolling, and so many things came into focus before my eyes today and suffused me with a sense of - for lack of a better word - happiness. Here's my little list of the moments that brought me back to myself.
Today, happiness was...
...hearing Frances earnestly pronounce that the book she is reading is the best book ever - three separate times, about three separate titles, within a couple of hours.
...watching Gabriel dive wholeheartedly into Mike's arms to say goodnight, seeing them in profile, nose-to-nose, lit by a bedside lamp, in a cocoon of security and love.
...doing what I love, at both my jobs, and in Spanish no less!
...smelling white bean and kale soup (maybe slightly less mousey than carrot soup?) simmering on the stove, which proved to be a simple yet satisfying meal. (So easy too: I had white beans I'd soaked and cooked the day before. I sauteed onions, garlic, and carrot in olive oil for a bit, then added vegetable broth and simmered, added 2 - 3 cups cooked white beans, simmered some more, and pureed. Then stirred in a bunch of kale sliced into thin ribbons at the end. Top with tons of parmesan and some black pepper. Perfect for a house full of sickies).
...reading an email from a friend with a 15 week old which consisted mainly in suggestions for a baby registry, all of them very astute, practical, and ultimately grounding. Yes, we will need a lot of baby wipes. Yes, three jars of Aquaphor would be better than one! Oh my. This baby will come, and she will stay.
...listening to Frances practice the piano. Then listening to Mike playing scales. Then watching Gabriel dance passionately to his own music before bedtime.
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