Tiny Revelations
Days and Nights and Minutes and Seconds (Day 61)
On the day before 2024, Little Bean and I tuck ourselves behind a tall table at Barnes and Noble and feast.
On the menu this afternoon - grilled cheese, hot takis and Oreo cake, washed down with some lemonade for her and caramel macchiato for me.
There was a time, pre-pandemic, when our once a week, after school B&N trip consisted of pizza pretzels and rice crispy treats, snacks no longer available sadly.
“Daddy,” Little Bean offers, “somebody should open a restaurant where they serve only food no longer served at other places.”
That could be genius.
I mention this trip and lunch here on the first of the year as, perhaps, an illustration of the sort of small moments and, well, day to day life we hope to experience in the upcoming year.
Will it all be exciting? Revelatory? Life changing? Sure, if we want it to be. If you want it to be.
We finish our meal and browse the graphic novel and young adult section of the bookstore, picking out a variety of books to look for at the library. Little Bean loves Baby Sitters Club and a new series I’d never heard of called Hooky.
Like usual, Little Bean draws passersby to her, in this case mainly because she had painted her face in the car on the way here.
We eventually make our way home and as I write this, we await the ball drop in a warm house with full bellies. Will we make it to midnight? Doubtful. But no matter.
And so we beat on, the year will begin slowly but deliberatively, a casual crawl into the next day and the next, full of cake and love and maybe some hope. That’s all. That’ll be day one.
Ready for day two? Let’s go!
As promised from yesterday’s post, my full New Year’s essay has dropped over at Manchester Ink Link. I’d love for you all to have a look and give some attention and likes to that wonderful organization.
You can read the essay here: You Have Always Been My Sunshine
If you like what you see over at Ink Link, you can contrubute/donate to the cause here: The Inkubater
And of course, if you like what you’re reading here and wish to donate to Day By Day and keep my jittery and hyper, you can always go here to Buy Me A Coffee
Hope you all have been able to get 2024 off to a great start. On we go!
Your column today is beautiful, Dan. I understand all too well what you mean about not being ready (or able, in my case) to write about trauma. If the time to put it in words comes, you'll know. Otherwise, don't force yourself. I'm so grateful that everything worked out for you nine years ago, and I hope in time the anxiety becomes nothing but a faded memory.