A Shout Out to My Love

August 8th is the day I married my best friend of ten years. He is a fantastic man. He is devoted to his family, a super dad, a self-made business man, a talented artist who can create custom engine parts out of shapeless pieces of metal, has an amazing eye for photography, cooks and does his own laundry, is super-handy around the house and has shoulders of steel.

I know this because, thanks to my disease, he's been holding me up for seven of our 12 blissful years of marriage. Don't dismiss this fact as an unmeritorious obligation of marriage. I know many a marriage that has not withstood the test of breast cancer.

Of course I have friends and family who are always willing to do what I need them to do, or be where I need them to be. But My Love just is. All the time. Every day. Every night. Because of him, I have what I desire most: a loving family of our own creation that is my deepest joy.

So, in keeping with this summer's theme of utter chaos, it is completely without shame that I admit to you all that I forgot our anniversary. Entirely. But, before you crucify me, know that My Love also forgot. Oh, yeah. And, had it not been for a phone call from his mother offering good wishes on this important day, God knows when either one of us would have remembered.

Happy 12th Anniversary, My Love. I'm looking forward to so many more. If I can remember them.

I Hope to Stumble Often

I found this interview with Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist whose book Stumbling Onto Happiness was recently released in paperback, in the May issue of Smithsonian. No, this publication is not on my must-have subscription list. I was sitting at the transfusion center WAITING FOR PLATELETS and picked it up for lack of something better to read.

Anyway. The gist of it is (and here I paraphrase from some legitimate reviews) that when people try to imagine what the future will hold, they make some basic and consistent mistakes. Just as memory plays tricks on us when we try to look backward in time, so does imagination play tricks when we try to look forward. The fact is, happiness is not really what or where we think it is. The book describes what science has to tell us about the uniquely human endeavor to envision the future, and how likely we are to enjoy it when we get there.

So, get out there and start stumbling.

Top This

Pizza (I swear by all that is Italian and delicious, I made it myself!).
A bottle of Cabernet.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
My patio.
Sunset.
Summer breeze.
...sigh

This Weekend's Accomplishments

Running down the weekend to-do list I made for myself, I see that I have done a rather fine job of achieving my intended goals:

• Relished in a morning horseback ride through the Hunterdon County countryside with The Kid, who was on his first trail ride, and Dear Friend, who is always up for an adventure in simple pleasures.
• Found a shoe repair store, right in town of all places, and dropped off my favorite, though seemly cursed sandals to be repaired. Again.
  
• Took The Kid to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. OK, fine. I wanted to see the movie and needed a co-conspirator. Thankfully, he's a willing participant in his mother's scheming.
  
• Picked up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, started devouring it curled up on my couch while sipping on Cabernet and enjoyed the summer breezes breezing through my windows.
• Cheered as My Darling Husband and The Kid -- Team Hill -- ran a 5K and was rewarded with another great opportunity to be proud of my boys. Oh, The Kid took third place in his age group. YIPPEE!
  

I hope your weekend was similarly productive and satisfying.