Another birthday. Where did this year go? My energy is stretched in different directions today, hoping to “use” this day for something “productive.” Maybe I should reflect on the past year: What went well? What didn’t? Or maybe I should set goals for the next: How can I be better? What can I improve?

As I slump into my desk chair, weighed down by a mild mid-afternoon crash, all I want is to be. No looking back. No forecasting. Just be here. Present. Fully me in this moment, and feeling grateful for the sun streaming through the windows, warming my skin. (I’ve missed autumn in Ohio.) Grateful for Sarah’s visit this afternoon filled with cupcakes and gossip, laughter and poignancy. For the millions (literally millions) of processes in this universe that had to function perfectly in order for me to be alive. Right now, in this very breath. In this very moment.