Nosebleed
On chaos. There it was, in the morning: blood smeared on the bathroom light switch from when I’d stumbled in after hurrying out of bed. Timmy’s nosebleed...
Plastic Skeleton
On levity. Things remain mind-bendingly awful. Unless you’ve just now woken up from a coma that began in, I don’t know, let’s say 2013???, I don’t need to...
Jury Duty
On showing up. In the completely silent room, my book slid off my lap and landed on the floor with a sudden thwack. The person beside me jumped in their seat...
FUCK ICE
I had something in the works for this, the first Enthusiasm of the year, and then the year happened and it didn’t feel like the right words anymore. A friend...
Enthusiasms 2025, A Playlist
A year in songs. This little end-of-year missive is coming in just under the wire—blame our family bout of norovirus over the holidays for delays in, well,...
Walking Across the Fens
This is the last official Enthusiasms of 2025! [weakly] we made it. Stay tuned for the 2025 Enthusiasms playlist next week, and see you for more musings on...
Headwinds
On the conditions. It wasn’t so bad, I said, though my fingertips had gone numb in my mittens. There was just one patch of ice, a puddle from the weekend’s...
$20 Turkey-shaped Mylar Balloon
On value. It kept gently whacking me in the face, clipped as it was to the front of the cart. We walked circles around the Shaw’s, looking for stuff they...
Finding a Lip Balm in the Pocket of a Coat You Haven’t Worn Since Last Winter (copy)
On seasons. Bon vendredi fou á tous. Enthusiasms is horizontal on the couch, napping while the baby (and my mom and sister) naps. Meanwhile, here’s one from...
Putting on Your Mittens
On warmth. My son will put his hand out flat, fingers all held together, and let me slip his gloves on, one and then the other. I put them on backward once,...
Eggplant Parm
On lunch. The sun wasn't doing much against the cold despite being bright enough, reflecting off the pavement and the nearby buildings, to leave me squinting...
Quaker Meeting
On worship. I’d told my therapist earlier this year that I’d had a seemingly random desire to attend a Quaker meeting. Maybe, I joked, as a parent, most of...
Pumpkin Carving
On banishing the dark. It’s messy work, scooping handful after handful of guts ‘till the whole thing’s hollowed out. Years ago, I’d carve pumpkins in my...
Antiques Roadshow UK
On digging up the past. I prefer the British version—both the US and UK are available to play, for free, 24/7 on our TV and it is my go-to when I want to...
Digging a Hole
On seeing the future. It’s hard work. Feels like the shovel is constantly hitting something—clink, scrape—rocks in the dirt that won’t give way. But here,...
October
On getting with the program. It really snuck up on me, I kept saying—maybe because, last Friday, I was out in shorts-no-jacket, sweating. All week, was...
Sixteen-ounce Can of Narragansett
Made on honor, sold on merit. It feels wrong, at a show, to drink anything fancier. I stood toward the back, beer in hand, and was 25 again—though when the...
Passing Your Ex on Comm. Ave
On ghosts. It’s funny, how after all this time (and so many false alarms—the back of someone’s all-too-familiar head sending my heart into a tailspin until...
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
what the heck is goin on My son—Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Georg—spent all week home sick from daycare, in mostly good spirits but also covered in a...
Adaptive Cruise Control
On letting go. There was hardly anybody on the road. I hate to drive, but if I have to, this is how I like it. Window rolled down to let the morning in,...
