A walk through downtown Manhattan with Al
And a chocolate orange will cure what ails you
As will Chinese food
And watching Hook for the first time in years

The relief of excellent customer service
The loveliness of catching up with an old friend
The delight of Paul Gordon’s music

Today was a heartbreaking day
My former love and puppy driving across the country
To a whole new life
Without me
I couldn’t look at my screen
Or concentrate on work
So I pulled an Abuela and I retreated to the kitchen to make
A batch of lentejas
A big bowl of hummus
And a carrot/beet slaw
I shared the lentejas with a friend who got covid
And on the way home from work
Hanna and I braved the cold and got Hungry Jack’s
And the greasy burger and fatty fries and soft serve with chocolate fudge
Were the balm my soul needed

So very grateful
For friends
Who even when they’re exhausted
And dealing with the world
Still have the energy
To come over at the end of a very long day
With hugs and love
And stories of working in theatre
To lift your spirits

The flea market with Al
Digging through records
Talking art and theatre and life
Coming home after work and cooking up a batch of creamy chicken pasta
Watching They Cloned Tyrone with Ralph
The bizarre synchronicity of David Alan Grier showing up
(Of all the actors in all the world!!!)
The loveliness of the unexpected

The luxury of time to go grocery shopping
The luxury of an early shift
The luxury of coming home and falling into bed

How wonderful to be able to call NYC home
It still makes my heart catch in my throat that I get to live here
How lovely to come home after work
And sit down with a bowl of noodles and dumplings peas

thankful for chosen family
thankful for delicious food
thankful for puppy snuggles
thankful to be here.

The joy of finding a fascinating book
In a thrift store
(The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham
Heartbreaking, moving, beautifully crafted)
The satisfaction of scoring, and, later, peeling roasted chestnuts
Trying escargot for the first time
Devouring fresh lobstah so flavorful it doesn’t even need butter
Two helpings of cake for dessert and
Snuggles with an elderly gent of a puppy

Arriving in Salem
After a long drive
To warm hugs
And a delicious roast beef dinner