Things are blooming and ripening and coming out of their shells. For me, this Spring is about so much more than ditching closed-toed shoes and biding my time till it’s safe to plant annuals. It’s a coming out. Finding that “new normal,” my unique sweet spot nestled between caution and optimism.
As I allow my first vaccine to settle and await my second, I make plans–for the first time in way too long–to fly westbound to visit the Denver-Phoenix crew.
One of the activities I’ve most missed in the last year, the first I choose to reinstate, is hosting a small group of friends and/or family for a delicious-without-being-fussy meal. Sitting around The Table of Truth chatting. This past weekend, we hosted the two Indiana kids for dinner and the whole process lifted my spirits. The menu planning, grocery shopping, cutting daffodils to fill vases, hauling out ramekins and making custard, selecting a special bottle of wine: a splendid blossom of normalcy.
I grew up watching my mom consistently nail the art of entertaining. I don’t fix as many sides as she did, nor do I spend an entire morning baking coconut cream pies with perfectly browned meringue, but I learned from her to consider my guests. To do my best to make them feel loved. To entertain with apparent grace and ease. She was the master. I am her forever student.
As I go through this season of deciding how I want my new normal to unfold, I’m determined to be deliberate as I add activities back into my life. To reflect. To appreciate. To enjoy. I’ve always resonated with Spring and her promise, but this year, I feel her cadence, I mirror her gradual rhythm as my life, once again, buds.
As always, your words speak to me. I am fully vaccinated now, and in a few weeks, I will be flying to Seattle to see our Michael and his family. I will be hugging my grandchildren for the first time in 14 L-O-N-G months! I am beyond excited and grateful?