Support

This week events both positive and not-so-positive have reminded me how important it is to have a strong support network of people you love and who love you--friends, family, significant others, friendly co-workers, etc.  In the good times, it feels great to be able to experience joy and excitement with other people.  Sharing can intensify happy emotions and also, interestingly, help to diminish unhappy ones.  When events take an unexpected negative turn, talking with other people really helps me step back and put things in perspective.  I feel very lucky and grateful to have people in my life with whom I can share the good and the bad and keep on trucking together.  Thanks for propping me up, being sounding boards, offering advice, sharing your good news, and trusting me with your bad news.  Together we're better!

Reading Aloud

Being an adult without young children in my life, I sometimes forget the joys of reading aloud.  I was recently reminded how satisfying it is, and now I'm looking forward to doing more of it, both reading and listening.  I'll admit that I have more trouble following the twists and turns of a plot when I'm hearing it read aloud to me than when I'm looking at the pages myself, but there's a special comfort in relaxing and allowing myself to sink into the story that a well-loved voice is bringing to life.  My mom and dad read to me a lot when I was little, so the whole experience reminds me of happy times.  It's especially pleasant right before bed to read aloud and be read to.  Gets the brain ready for good dreams.

Windy Days

On Saturday, I went to the N.C. State University arboretum with my lady-duck-friend and my parents, which was the first time they had all met.  An exceptionally strong wind buffeted us as we tried to read the markers in front of noteworthy plants.  At one point I was surprised by a gust so strong that it almost moved me backward.  I found I really enjoyed the wind, though.  It was refreshing and cleansing, so long as my sunglasses kept specks and leaves (and the odd flying squirrel) out of my eyes.  The walk was entirely pleasant.  And the occasion, of a sort which can be stressful for all parties, felt quite calm and congenial, as I hoped it would.

Postcards

I didn't send any postcards today, but I thought of how great it feels to receive them, and to send them to friends and family when you're traveling.  I was reminded how important it is to stay in touch, and how hard it is to do that consistently with people I don't see all the time.  I also love the kitsch of postcards.  Because there's not much room on the back to write, the picture you choose for the front becomes an integral part of your message.  You can be sassy, sincere, goofy, informative, or pretty much any way you please.  It's totally great to get an email from someone you haven't talked to in a long time, but there's something extra special about getting a physical postcard in the mail.