1. By 10 a.m. I have done my morning exercise, made breakfast, boiled potatoes, have a bouillon cooking on the stove and feel super good about myself.
2. Three girls in the front row at church so live, full of smiles, poking each other and chitchatting.
3. Jay wants to know when her name day is and when she realizes we have missed it by 4 months, she decides we will celebrate today and sets the table with sweets and nuts. We don’t have any presents ready but she is happy with the violet pot that I had bought for her to take to school (but she would like to take a cactus instead), and with the new boots my Mom had brought her. It’s a sweet celebration on a cold and gloomy rainy day that she so lovingly prepared for us, winded up with a treasure hunt that only I participate in.

1. I open the bathroom window and there’s the pink horizon. It's a good morning.
2. I spot Jay as they run down the track. I keeps turning her head because she loves the wind in her hair so much.
3. My girls tickle each other on the couch and their laughter is a balsam for my soul.

1. I walk out of our offices into the sun.
2. Em comes looking for me right after she walks in. Then she shows me the choreography and asks what I think about if she had cocoa this late.
3. I find some stationery that I have forgotten about, and there are envelopes, too. One is red.

1. I marvel at Jay’s piano playing as it’s only been three weeks since she started her lessons.
2. It takes us more than an hour to get back uphill and Jay says her legs hurt but we enjoy our fine early Autumn time together more than a lot.
3. I see that the envelope on the counter is open. It’s a relief. Watching it sealed for the second day in a row really threatened to trigger me.

1. It's a girl! And her name is Naja.
2. The meeting goes well and for once I feel the preparation was worth the effort.
3. She is one of my friend from the old times. We talk about the recent trip to the mountains that each of us made, about the physical and emotional cleansing and the deep sense of peace.

1. It is only at the library, while waiting for Jay, that I remember to make the call. But the man on the other side of the line answers with a cheerful voice that he is already in the middle of pruning our cherry tree.
2. I found this post. I printed it out and stuck it to the wall of my cubicle. Neruda’s You start dying slowly had to go. Changing focus. I have got #1 covered. Moving on to #2. Practicing.
3. Em is tired from her dance session. And her back hurts. She says it’s been fragile ever since she has been paying more attention to her posture over the last few weeks. I am glad my remarks have been considered.

1. I sing “… always look on the bright side of life…” as I sidewalk to the office.
2. “How was it?” “Great. She has taught me sooo much.” Jay’s great expectations have been met and she likes her music teacher. I am happy… sooo much.
3. I can’t go on like this for much longer. At this point any change is good.

Every year there are at least three milestones in my life related to my children: birthdays, beginning of another school year and Christmas time. Each one of them is bitter-sweet, bringing tears to my eyes when nobody’s looking, and filling my heart with so deep feelings and huge desires that leave little space for my lungs. This is one of those days. It doesn’t get any easier: I don’t get any tougher, any more skilled to not feel like I am falling apart a little, or a lot, trying to hide it behind a timid smile and a wave goodbye.

1. I enjoy the show with the raptors enormously. I am especially taken by the Golden Eagle… I still wish I had lined up for a photo shoot with the Kestrel sitting on my hand like Em and Jay did.
2. The little monkey snatches the apple from the keeper’s pocket and dashes away.
3. The moment I pour the batter onto the frying pan for the first pancake I hear my mom’s car in our driveway.

1. I have all the time in the world to marvel at this morning view.
2. To feed the parrot with peanuts is scary yet so tempting neither of the girls want to skip it.
3. A place with so much tranquility to offer, and I can only take in just a little.

1. I smile a whole lot speaking to strangers passing by our booth, knowing it’s more of a delight to see a happy face than a dull one, although I feel I am far too mature to be a hostess.
2. I smile a whole lot at my old acquaintance because I am really glad to see him although I may be misleading him to think how overall happy I am.
3. I smile a whole lot talking to my colleague from work, this energetic 10 years younger woman with a life style so different from mine, that I would hardly ever communicate on a private basis.

And the day turns out different from what I dreaded and eventually everything is fine and worth smiling at.

1. I cook while they sew clothes for the dolls.
2. A rainy day is perfect for Ana Karenina that we have been putting off watching for so many weeks.
3. I talk and she listens and I still don’t know what to do but I feel better letting it out.

1. The smell of cantaloupe as I open the container for my lunch at the office.
2. Hydrangeas are among my favorites. Unfortunately this summer the blooms in my garden have been badly burnt by the sun. As I am pruning I listen to Jay and her little friend and their interaction is a wonderful example of complementing and having fun together.
3. Mostly it was about needing to leave the house. But eventually it felt like the right thing to go there, to reunite and to light a candle at his grave.

1. I felt much better afterwards. I actually stopped biting my nails and got to work which I am paid to do.
2. Jay wanted to have a serious talk with me about when she can meet with friends when her big sister is going to a birthday party this week and is even planning a sleep-over…! I don’t know how I pulled it through with my suggestion to cycle down to the library together, but I did. And it was good. Humid and hot, especially when we had to walk back up the hill, dragging our bikes, but it was good. For all three of us.
3. While we talked we held each other tight on her big bed and I felt small but safe, safe in the arms of my 13-year old daughter.

1. Seeing them enjoy our weekend away from home, swimming, splashing, diving in the pools made it more than worth the stress I felt doing things differently.
2. As soon as we come home Jay takes her diary to write a few lines and to glue in the postcard.
3. I feel a relief seeing that the lettuce seedlings are still alive, although nobody watered them over the last two days.

1. The crisp air and sunshine and swings at 1122 m alt.
2. As soon as I get past the resentment I feel lighter and able to think of all the wonderful possibilities for our girls' weekend.
3. Although I feel sorry Em and I had to again postpone watching Anna Karenina together, I enjoy seeing my auntie after so many weeks and talking small talk while indulging in our home-made pizza and cake.

1. Morning rain, finally. 
2. The man delivering apples pulled in the moment I got out of the car. 
3. I know it hasn't been exactly the best summer for her. When she shared her anticipation of her next week get-togethers with a smile on her face I was happy.

1. Jay created a lovely booklet about letters. Letter A is the most important one, and letter V likes to sleep in late but should go to bed earlier, at 9 p.m. that is (like Jay). Love it!
2. I ask my colleague at work if she has any sample to spare and she hands me a lovely red box with a bear, perfect size for the cookies we have made for my cousin.
3. Little Jakob bounces around and smiles all the time, and looks at me in astonishment when I start singing to him – and then, after a while, covers his ears.

1. I look into the cradle, at the green blanket, and picture the newborn there. What joy!
2. We make ourselves comfortable on the couch watching the adventures of the tiny, but mighty Chihuahua.
3. I felt so much rage I feared I was going to lose control and do something crazy, embarrassing and socially inacceptable, which isn’t hard to do in a neighborhood like ours and in a situation like that one. This is not a good thing. Until you deal with it, on your own, locked up in the bathroom, in the quiet and out of sight, and come out human again, humble and grateful for yet another episode, one of many yet to come.

1. It was nice having them come visit. And we had a good excuse to serve lots of ice-cream.
2. We spent some time at the opening of the hops-picking season, but then we left the band and the crowd behind and walked down to the lake. It was quiet and beautiful and it brought nice memories.
3. It was almost 8 p.m. when I put on my walking shoes and went for a hike into the woods. I appreciated the peacefulness, the fallen trees and the dead leaves and the dying light. It’s all about the life cycle, although we sometimes can’t make sense of its pace.