Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/4

Hi, all, and happy Thursday!

Today I did something I almost never do: I took a spontaneous day off. This was for two reasons:

First, my sister and her family are in town for a couple of days; they’re staying with us. This group includes a 7-year old niece and 1-year old nephew, both of whom I adore. When sharing the house with them there’s little opportunity (or incentive) to shut the office door and stare at a laptop.

Perhaps I’d have carved out the time were it not for reason number two: yesterday a longtime friend of my brother’s passed away unexpectedly and suddenly at 58, leaving behind a 9-year-old son and a huge, devastated circle of friends and family. The suddenness of his death was a sobering reminder of what we all know but frequently forget: that our time here is absurdly short, and we never know when the text we send a friend may be our last.

All of the above being the case, I decided to spend the day celebrating the fact that I and so many family members I adore are all here, in one place, at one time. With so much that is wrong in the world, that is something so right and so precious that it must be savored and enjoyed.

I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise. In the meantime, please call your House reps again and tell them to raise the debt ceiling! You know how! Oh, and read this great piece about why the Democrats cannot and will not negotiate with the Republicans on this issue.

Finally, make sure to tell a friend you love them today. The fact that they’re alive is a miracle worth celebrating.

Talk tomorrow.

Jess