The Friday Five (4)

1. Laurie Frankel, an author I have admired since reading This Is How It Always Is, released a new book this week! Family Family is a story that examines both the families we're born to, and the ones we choose. The novel goes back and forth in time and explores issues of adoption, choice, privacy, and celebrity with nuance and grace. I loved it. I got to read an early copy through NetGalley and I'm thrilled that it's now available to everyone.

2. Here is a little PSA for the week. Do you know about 988? 988 is basically 911 for mental health. This is the relatively new, easy to remember, number that is replacing the former Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The old number will still work, but the hope is that people will remember 988 as easily as we all now remember 911. You can call or text that number for support if you are having your own mental health crisis or if you are worried about a loved one and need help helping them. You can even chat with someone to get support online. Learn more about this important lifeline here, and then pay it forward by telling someone else about 988.

3. It has rained and rained and rained this week. On Wednesday I got home from school to find that our power had gone out. The last large old tree in our neighbor's backyard let go of the saturated ground and fell, taking the power lines with it. Fortunately it didn't land on anyone's house but our street was without power for about 12 hours. Now 12 hours is not a horrific amount of time to be without power, but it is an inconvenience. We were fortunate that the temperatures are mild here this week so we were not worried about being too cold. It really helped me be thankful for so many things - we could go to the public library down the street and charge our phones, Chromebooks (Michael), and portable chargers; we could afford to stop and get dinner out instead of cooking at home; we could afford to replace the food in the refrigerator that went bad; we had places to be Wednesday evening so it was already bedtime when we got home anyway. We pulled out the battery-operated camping lanterns and got ready for bed. I don't realize, or think about, how much background noise there is in a house, even when there isn't music playing or a television on. I also never think about the bits of light that are all around: alarm clocks, the WIFI extender, the street lights, etc. My bedroom felt almost womblike that night, snuggled in bed, enveloped by silence and blackness. I slept incredibly soundly...until the power came back on at four a.m. and with it the bathroom light and fan and the furnace. 

4. There is a new professional volleyball league in the U.S. and games began this week. I've loved volleyball since I started playing in 5th grade so I'm very excited about the Pro Volleyball Federation. For now it seems you can stream the games for free online and I'm hoping we can get to Columbus to see The Fury in person sometime this spring. I'm hoping some of our favorite college players from the last few years will show up in the league. Yay! Sports!

5. About a week after heading back to school Harper caught a terrible cold and has been sick all week. She muscled her way through most of her obligations this week, but last night she called me and had a fever. Poor kid. She has been using paper towels to blow her nose because she ran out of tissues and is in kind of a sorry state. With the ease of communication via smartphones it typically doesn't feel like a huge deal for Harper to be six hours away at school, but it really stinks when she's feeling sick and I can't just drop off what she needs or, better yet, bring her home to take care of her for a few days. I know she'll be just fine, but that doesn't make it easier for either of us!