Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’s opening credits are running in the background—or maybe it’s this writing that will get buried behind the excitement of Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York over Cuomo. I press pause on the news with a comedic twinge so I can sneak into the pantry for two Double Stuf Oreos and a shot of milk.
I’ll need to brush my teeth again.
After the episode ended, I remembered something I wanted to tell you as I walked past the packed entryway. It’s going to be so freaking cold tonight. The twenty-five-degree plummet from days prior and days to follow is shocking. The fact that Dave’s parents in Atlanta had a dusting of snow this morning is a page straight out of crazy town.
Flowering mums, shasta daisies, and begonias make it impossible to leave through the front door. Or get in, for that matter. That’ll be a fun surprise for tonight’s burglar.
If you recall from last night’s post, I was in a stuck spot. Everything felt heavy, and I couldn’t catch a break. Shortly after, I had a good cry and vented, and heard myself tell Dave something about not being or doing enough. That led me to a podcast episode about the very subject, and the line about forever chasing a future self where you’ll finally be enough—that day will never come… it helped.
I also knew I wanted to apologize to Evelyn for how I responded when she cut her hair. Her frozen face, shrinking under my questions, did not sit right with me. So this morning I told her I was wrong. That I was scared she could have cut herself, but that I loved the bangs. I told her I loved them so much that if she ever wants to cut them again, I’d love to watch.
Hopefully, I transmuted that shame.
Seated on the window bench in my bedroom, I turned on the space heater and had it pointing directly at me. For such a little guy, it’s pretty effective. Ineffective is the window to my right—it’s radiating the thirty-three-degree chill from outside. Heat on my left, ice on my right. The imbalance reminds me of bonfires: warm in front, cold in back—time to rotate like a rotisserie chicken.
Finally! First thing tomorrow morning, we’re up and out the door, heading into Atlanta to see the aquarium. Thank goodness it’s all indoors. I worried. The coldest day of the year and being forced to bundle up for an outdoor penguin exhibit would certainly decrease the fun-o-meter.
T-minus three days until Evelyn’s 6th birthday. For her special day, she wants hamburgers, corn on the cob, and a confetti cake. I’m glad I mentioned it. I need to bake hamburger buns.
See you tomorrow here with lots of cool pictures to show you. Love, Jaclynn
Going On 40 