These are the days of…

Discovering that I’m a big fan of spicy kimchi.

And learning my second song on the banjo,

Giving thanks for the blooms that were spared from the cold,

And stopping on walks to take photos of tulips.

Crisp new white shoes that I’m certain I will dirty very soon,

And new hats from Portland, Oregon that feel too hip for me.

Flowering trees on my route to the library,

And sunrise and sunset walks.

Of crying about a basketball documentary,

And dancing in the kitchen to Mary Mary.

Seeing new gear for my roommate’s upcoming 500 mile bike tour,

And finding out I’m faster than I thought, even after a more restful winter.

These are the days of green bursting forth and trying to hold on to Resurrection hope. These are the days of vaccination card selfies and Taylor Swift re-records that remind me of how angsty I was in high school. These are the days of grilled asparagus and wondering if writing will ever get any easier. These are the days of asking what will come next, and not being so scared when the answer remains ambiguous.

These are the days of April 2021.

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This practice of naming what “These Are the Days of” comes from Emily P. Freeman:

“When I feel stuck in my journaling, or when the days are going by in a blur, one of my favorite ways to point and call is to use a simple listing practice that I call my These Are The Days Of list…All of these things would happen without my pointing them out, but naming them, using my hands to write them down, even my lips to say them out loud, is a way of being with what is, of bringing the simple things in my life to my awareness, of waking up gratitude.”