Another Monday

Another Monday, after a Sunday that puts a smile on my face just thinking about it. Crepes with jelly and aeropress coffee and nobody rushing out the door before sunrise. I love the weekends, but not because we do anything special. I mostly just hang out with M and Laurel and catch up on the laundry. I love the weekends because that's what I wish the rest of my life was more like. Slow pace. Lots of hugs. Family.

This Monday started off warm and ended with a cool wet rain. My neighbor gave me a ride home from the neighborhood board meeting, two hours of a whole lotta talking. I go because I care about cleaning up litter and chasing away criminals, and it's good to know your neighbors. Also, my neighborhood contains particularly interesting and entertaining folk, and they are all really good cooks. We have enough urban excitement to keep the meetings grounded in meaningful action. I never have to worry about petty discussions on the color of your door or if you drag your garbage can out before 7pm. We have real problems to deal with in Park Place. Never mind that those real problems sometimes make me want to flee to the suburbs.

I made crockpot chili, so the house smelled warm and spicy the second we walked in this afternoon. Laurel ate a scary-big portion of chili and insisted on using a large soup spoon to do so. She says thank you in a way that puts a smile on my face every time. And she shares her food. If I give her a couple of crackers she always offers me one. I gave her a bath and we read some stories until M came home. He texted from the bus stop so we were waiting at the window and one of my favorite things of the whole day is watching them greet each other through the glass. Squeals of delight from the toddler and the biggest smile you've ever seen on the daddy.

Mondays used to seem kind of dreary. A reason to stay in. But we stay in all the time now, except for special occasions so Mondays are just another opportunity for me to smile about all the various little happy things that occur throughout the course of my day.