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,...
Cape Cod National Seashore (copy)
On the ocean. Enthusiasms is at the beach this week, so please enjoy this one from the archives. See you after Labor Day! <3 J — Sometimes, when I am trying...
Lanternflies
On putting up a fight. Enthusiasms is on vacation in August, just like we’re in Europe. Here’s one from the archives in the meantime. <3 J — I tried to...
Hammock
On summers. Enthusiasms is on vacation for August, just like we’re in Europe. Here’s one from the archives in the meantime. <3 J — As a kid, my family’s...
Feeding My Son
On hunger and humanity. The other night, I took O. to dinner, sitting in the park and letting him take tiny bites of my burger and fries. It was a perfect...
A Bruise
On keeping the score. Oh, that looks bad. I have to agree. Right on my thigh, just above my knee, maybe three inches across. Deep blue in the center and...
Wind
On anticipation. It had been more than a year since I’d been sailing. Last spring and summer, I was increasingly pregnant, and then there was the whole...
Balloons
On a birthday. O. turned one. You were right about it being hard to get balloons in the car, C texted and I could see him wrangling the bunch—trying to shove...
Jumpin' Jacks
On traditions. I only had an hour or so, just enough time for us to go to Jumpin’ Jacks. The line was longer than expected. Kids out of school, my sister...
Cash Only
On coming up short. The other night, when the tab came, it was $64, and I had three twenties in my pocket. This is stupid, I said, but I forgot my wallet....
