So much of what we love here comes in small portions.
For example, almost every single episode of Bluey — a maximum of 8 minutes that pack a wallop of humor, empathy, and good parenting tips. (The only longer one is the recently released “The Sign.” All four of us watched it before bed the other evening. Dan, Lucy, and I all teared up, especially at the end. Deej seemed confused why we were crying. Later, maybe, they’ll understand.)
A game of solitaire on my phone, in the evening, after the kids have gone to bed, to unwind. I like that little interruptor of easy dopamine hits when I shift that red J to a black queen and reveal an ace. 5 to 10 minutes on that and everything else has shifted away.
Snippets of songs in my head, which play behind the layers of a zillion ideas in my brain. I can hold a good conversation with someone, while thinking about another conversation from the day before, plan out the day’s tasks that would help me practically, in small portions, and still hear the washing machine running in the garage while I’m standing in the kitchen. Behind all that busyness, a sudden burst of “The Rainbow Connection” will come marching to the front and I feel relief. (And when I was playing this video, while I copied the link to share with you, my husband came around the corner of the room and started singing it with me. We’re happy to be dorks together.)
Today, my favorite small gift was these tiny quinoa and goat cheese fritters, which Dan put down in front of me for lunch, sizzling a bit and crisp and cheesy.
And his company, as we sat for a few moments to laugh about the day and talk about this recipe.
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