Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

Today, I will sneak into my son's room and kiss him on the head, just like I did when he was little, but now, he is taller than me. I'll fold and roll his blanket up (yes, both my kids still snuggle their long-time baby blankets... but don't tell anyone!), into a "Blue Burrito" (yes, both my kids have blankets named Blue) and tuck it in with him. Hoping he wakes up in good spirits, knowing he is enough, and loved, and boy-oh-boy, does it stink to be a high school senior right now.

I will Venmo a friend money for coffee, as I know they are feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and stressed about racial justice work being so hard. A coffee is just a small way to say thank you, yet it's important to say: I see you.

I will call my mom and dad, far away in warm Arizona and listen to their stories of hiking and farmers market visits (with masks) and the joy they're feeling, being on their back porch in the sun with a lemonade, a book, each other.

I will work. Opening and closing Google Docs and Zooms and calendar invites. I will text and email and insert emojis and attachments and screenshots. I will praise/push and glow/grow and remind myself to give grace, give grace, give grace, because I am not grace-full, and I need to glow/grow in this way through practice.

So many meals and snacks and dishes washed and water bottles filled. A dog walk, maybe. A call with a friend or a text returned. Maybe something in the mail to brighten the day.

I will love. Our pup Auggie (after Wonder) getting a ridiculous amount of kisses and rubs. A ping pong break with my son. A morning laugh with my husband, maybe even a sneaky mid-day kiss, just because. A quick facetime with the college daughter, checking in on her worry list, careful not to add to it, reading her tone and proceeding based on her cues. And the day will end. So I will sneak into my son's room and kiss him on the head, roll his Blue into a burrito and tuck it next to his cheek.

This is my wild and precious life.

                                  Auggie, wrapped in Blue, on a road trip: not wild, definitely precious