When My Phone Dies
On disappearing. I hate how unmoored it makes me feel. The screen flickers off and I’m left with a useless brick in my hand. What did I do without it? Got...
Losing My Voice
On a sore throat. I keep apologizing. I’m getting over something. I tried to sing a lullaby, but only a whisper came out.
Cutting Up a Slice of Mango for My Kid at Breakfast
On love. I can’t protect him from all this, I know. So, what then? Mango, Ellsworth Kelly With the big chef’s knife, I peeled us both a mango, going slowly...
Falling Through the Ice
On not going under. The river keeps freezing over and thawing out and freezing again. A couple of times this winter, passing on my bike or looking out the...
Saying “Good Morning” to Someone at 4:30 P.M.
On protest. Friends, how are we? I’ve been hearing Pete Campbell yelling, NOT GREAT, BOB!, in my head for the last ten (oh god, it’s only been ten) days. I...
Eye Exam
On seeing. One line of my optometrist’s eye chart spelled out F-A-R-T. Do you think he did that on purpose? George Maryele test chart, National Library of...
Sprinting to Catch the Bus
On resolutions. Ran to get the bus, I texted my sister. lol. I tell her about it every time; we both agree that running to catch the bus is a uniquely...
Enthusiasms 2024, Wrapped
A playlist. As promised, every song that appeared in Enthusiasms this year. One, 上を向いて歩こう(Sukiyaki) by Kyu Sakamoto made it on twice (oops)—so, song of the...
Finding a Lip Balm in the Pocket of a Coat You Haven’t Worn Since Last Winter
On seasons. The lip balm was cherry-flavored, the slightly annoying kind you have to apply with your fingers, but still—tucked away for so many months, it...
When the Windows of the Bus Get All Foggy on the Inside
On rain, finally. With my coat sleeve, I wiped away the condensation so I could look out and see the weather.
Everything
On going forward. On Election Day, I took my son on a picnic. It was 70-something degrees out—not typical November weather here at all, but I thought we...
Cape Cod National Seashore
On the ocean. Sometimes, when I am trying to get the baby to sleep, I will play him “The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore.” I thought about this last...
Aurora Borealis
On fleeting things I have this very specific memory, from when I was in high school, of this fucking ridiculous Jeep on big lifted Monster Truck wheels in...
Seeded Grapes
On answers. It’s the way they’re supposed to be, but I hadn’t considered it until I ate one of the grapes, a stray rolling around at the bottom of my...
Oysters
On polite fictions. Someone asked what I’d been most excited to eat post-pregnancy, and I realized I hadn’t gotten oysters yet. So, we went out early to get...
Tomato Season
On abundance. When I was in my teens and early twenties, I worked at a flower shop in the evening after school and daily into the summer. Throughout the...
3:00 a.m.
On sleep (and not) If you’re around to see 3:00 a.m., you’ve gotten up for some reason or been awake all night. Both are unpleasant in their own right. It is...
Having a baby
On best-laid plans. Programming note: Hi, everybody! I’m back and semi-unretired for the rest of my actual work leave. Expect a new Enthusiasms in your inbox...
Being Pregnant
On the past nine months. Programming note: Enthusiasms is going on leave! I am taking off the rest of June and July and aiming to be back in August (maybe...
Photos from my Birthday(s)
On occasions. There have been worse birthdays. C. got Covid this week, which meant a lot of plans were canceled—but we still managed to get a cake and...
