May 17

Today I am grateful for, Today I am worried about, Today I request, Today I will offer

I needed a writing prompt here to get things rolling mentally, so here goes:

Today I am grateful for chlorophyll. We have had a lot of rain this spring. I am looking out the back window at a riotous motley cacophony of leaves – slender palm fronds, twining zucchini and cucumber vines, the tall glossy privet next door that drops pollen and berry-covered twigs over the fence into our yard. July will come soon, and with it the wilting dispiriting heat, humans and foliage both drooping and spent. But today both I and my backyard plants are still fresh and energetic from the renewal of spring, and my view of our wee little plot of shady green backyard is a gift.

Today I am worried about so many things it is hard to pick. It is a singularly worrying time. I will pick one of the more interesting (and also least worrying) worries so you all get to enjoy a local news story: 10 inmates in the New Orleans jail escaped by cutting a hole in the cell behind a toilet, then breaking the locks to their own cells while the person watching the cell block “stepped out to get food.” They wrote “To[o] easy, LOL” with a smiley face on the wall, and an arrow pointing down toward the hole. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who is responsible for the city’s jails, thinks that people “on the inside” facilitated this escape of MULTIPLE CONVICTED MURDERERS because powerful people want her to lose reelection in the upcoming race. * * * I mean. It’s giving Keystone Cops meets banana republic.

Today I request a restful and restorative weekend day. I want to read, and write, and play instruments. Perhaps take a long walk around Audubon park with the dogs. My family is allowed to hang out with me but they are not allowed to ask me for things. (This is extremely unlikely to happen, but this is my request).

Today I will offer kind words of support and compliments. I’m going to try to focus on doing this today. After a hectic week, it’s all I have capacity for until I get a bit of rest.