As Yuling, Amelia, and I fully relax into the heat of the summer, certain familiar smells are catching me off guard.

The sunscreen I bought smells to me the way I remember sunscreen smelling from my youth. There is also the particular scent of water from the garden hose mixing with plastic pool toys and dried grass.

Maybe Amelia is the right age to start reliving these moments. Or maybe the current pandemic has made our world smaller and has given me time to see more of the details. Last year, even though Amelia was small, when the weather was nice we were always looking for places to go or things to do. This year is all about finding fun close to home.


Reflecting back on this year, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to stay home, closer to Amelia. I would have missed so much of her growing up if I had to drive to an office every day. Although I am less productive, I cherish each time she runs into my office to show me something.

For better or for worse, it looks like we'll be working from home until well into 2021. I am hoping for an arrangement which will allow me to work from home until Amelia goes to preschool.