Monday, Monday

I am crisp and new, like white sheets fresh from the dryer.

The week away from the blogosphere was more necessary than I thought. I took the time to look around me, really look, and I was surprised at what I saw.

I saw a girl, no longer a baby, with coltish legs and a weird sense of humor. A girl who says “actually” and tells jokes that only she understands. I saw a girl who loves her parents to distraction, and a girl who is independent and ready for any adventure life hands her.

I saw a man whose face has a smile on it most of the time these days, a man whose coursework is almost done and who can see his dissertation on the horizon. A man who is beginning to see the summit, a man whose eyes have cleared of the clouds that gathered there these past 18 months. I saw a man who loves his wife and daughter.

I saw a woman in the mirror, a woman I have not looked at in many, many months. She looks tired and a little bit like she needs to take better care of herself. The woman finally got some rest, and this morning she combed her hair and smiled at the reflection of her belly.

I saw a mother of two and a wife of one. I saw a woman whose words will not desert her, no matter how often she puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. I saw a woman who tells herself stories before she goes to sleep at night, just as the girl did all those years ago.

I saw the girl inside her, and that girl wants her to be brave.

And it was good.