Us, at Home

This is my new favorite picture.

This is a photo of my husband, Billy, sitting on our staircase. I was sitting in my home office, trying to focus on something at my desk. Billy was, as he often is, buzzing with thoughts and ideas and just couldn't stop talking to me. He knew he wasn't supposed to come into my office, so he planted himself on the other end of our hallway, and happily chattered at me while I attempted -- and gave up on -- my task at hand.

He just couldn't stop talking to me, and I am so grateful for it. I can't believe I didn't find him until I was 33, because that enthused, earnest face would have made me swoon when I was a teenager in study hall, too.

I love being his person -- the single human who gets all of him, the play-by-play of his overactive but always interesting brain.

The holiday season is about to come to its official close, and I know that what I will miss most is being home during the day with Billy. We're like two kids in this house. One afternoon, we practiced pull-ups, attempted to weigh the cat, danced around changing all the lyrics to Chritsmas carols to be about our Beagle, and ate lunch in front of Netflix.

Everything is fun with him. I appreciate every moment.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It sure feels like the end of December, because:

• Everyone around me seems to be operating in a friendly, half-assed manner. People are staying home from work. No one's scheduling meetings. We've collectively decided to phone it in.
• With no one going to work, rush hour traffic is a breeze.
• Stuff's on sale.
• Basically, after a shitty year, folks seem to be taking it down a notch for one week. 

I think this, the week between the excitement of Christmas and New Years, might truly be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. This is the time when we get to bask in the glow of Christmas without stressing or rushing to the next relative's house. The decorations are up, deadlines were met one way or another, and all our presents still seem new and exciting. I truly feel like I have everything I need.

This holiday season, I spent time with my favorite people and animals, gave some presents I was really excited about, got some presents I was overjoyed about (like my long-lusted after honeybee flatware from Billy), collected donations for people in need, slept a lot, made my home extra cozy, and tried to enjoy each of my moments.

 

Part of me can't wait for next year. The other part of me knows that we can't know how this year will go and who will still be here next year. So until then, I'll be holding tight to all the cheer in my heart.