What's Making Me Happy - February, 2024

Our family has gone through a few rough health-related patches over the last few weeks. Neko, who is an allergy sufferer and going on year 2 of immunotherapy, had a multi-day allergic outbreak that we had trouble getting under control. Poor Bowie has had mild gastrointestinal issues for several months and has been put on an elimination diet where he cannot eat eggs, gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and peanuts. I am reading food labels even more intensively than before and we’ve of course had to make alterations to our regular meal plan. Luckily food is an area I know, and Bowie is an incredibly easy eater. Still when you tell a kid he can’t eat many of the foods he loves, there will be moments of frustration and revolt.

In the middle of all this, my almost 78 year old mother-in-law broke her hip when she slipped on a patch of ice going down the steps of her house. We didn’t have a good sense of how severe the injury was, so Tim flew out to Denver to assess the situation, unfortunately adding more stress to an already stressful week of work.

We are so relieved that she is recovering well, but this is not our first scare with his parents, and it won’t be our last. We are just in that season of life – entering the sandwich years where our young kids still need a lot from us while we face increasing needs from our aging parents. I’m sure the years ahead will be full of trial and challenge but I’ve also seen so many dear friends lose parents way too early. My heart aches for the grandparents who didn’t get enough time to spoil their grandkids, grandchildren who didn’t get to hear their grandparents’ life stories. I will gladly take this alternative and be grateful for all of the healthy years we have had (and will continue to have) together, where we have all gotten to share the joy of our young kids together. Regardless of what lies ahead, that will always make me so happy.

Beyond that, here are a few other simple gifts that are making me happy in this winter season:

Running at the Baylands

I have been running once or twice a week along the trails of the Baylands, the muddy shore of the San Francisco Bay that’s less than 2 miles from my house. Since it’s winter, I’ve had the company of many migratory birds, and they’ve made my runs extra memorable and therapeutic. One morning about 2 miles into my run, an egret landed just a few feet away from me. The lightness in which it made contact with the ground was like witnessing the grace of a beautiful dancer, and I am still glowing from that memory. 

Rewatching Who’s the Boss

I have been watching Who’s the Boss? on Hulu over the past month, and I have been thoroughly entertained revisiting Tony Danza as housekeeper Tony Micelli. This show ran for 8 seasons starting in 1984 so of course some things don’t hold up to today’s cultural norms, but the show is also really progressive for its time too. Tony is completely unabashed in his domestic-ness – he dons an apron to cook and clean, runs for PTA president, and is an incredibly involved parent. Angela Bower played by Judith Light is a total 80’s girlboss and her outfits make me nostalgic for 80’s shoulder pads and big hair. She is the president of her advertising agency and Tony totally just cheers her on with sincere earnestness. It’s been the perfect light sitcom to watch while I stretch before bed in the evening. 

Knowing future girl trips are on the calendar

The older I get, the more I treasure time with my closest girlfriends, women who have known me for more than half of my 42 years of life. Unfortunately with the exception of one, they have all moved far away from me, so we have to make a real effort to all get together. We all have busy lives but also because we all have busy lives, we need this time together – to laugh, to commiserate, to order one of everything off the menu. To make sure I got time with both sets of my now faraway girlfriends, I sent them this spreadsheet in January to capture their availability and ideas of where we should meet up. We’ve decided on our dates, and I know those upcoming trips will be some of my favorite days of the year. There is still plenty of time for you to do the same too – you will need to go to “File” and then “Make a copy” so that you have your own copy to edit however you’d like. Just do it and have the best time with your besties!

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