Dear Friends,

Some weeks, I feel stretched, like a rubber band pulled in so many directions.

This was one of those weeks.

Orthodontist and physical therapy appointments, client meetings and project deadlines, migraines and cramps. Each tugged at me, begging for attention. It was almost too much, and I wondered a few times if I’d snap.

This evening, I finally had some time to rest, but Maira asked me at the last minute to take her to her classmates’ one-act plays. There were so many reasons I could have said no. I went anyway.

When we got to the auditorium, I was surprised that Maira wanted to sit with me, even though her friends crowded around. When the lights dimmed, Maira rested her head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and sat perfectly still. Remember this, I thought.

When we got home, I marched into the kitchen to make dinner. It was a lot later than I’d expected, so pasta would have to do. As I put the pot of water on the stove, Maira walked into the kitchen and looked at me. “I don’t know how you do it. You work, you drive us around, you cook dinner. You do it all,” she said. “I don’t know how you do it.”

I was stunned. In that moment, I felt truly seen by my 13-year-old daughter. And after the week I’d had, it was everything.

I could have told Maira that I do it for her. I do it for Henry, for Rama, even for myself. I do it because it’s right and because it feels good, except when it doesn’t. I do it because I love our family. I really love our family. I do it even when I feel like I might snap, because I know that eventually I’ll bounce back.

I could have told Maira all of that, but she’d already wandered out of the kitchen.

xo Christine

Good Things

• Old-fashioned ice cream trucks

• The Thai Mango salad from Mendocino Farms always hits the spot

• Henry’s “normal music” mix (as opposed to his classical playlist that I’ve grown to love)

• Maira’s courage

• Rama’s 5-pocket tee and how perfectly the pockets hold zines

• Inspiration around every corner at The Printed Matter Art Book Fair

• And I bound a book there

• The lightness after acupuncture

• Hacks is always good for a laugh

• The jacarandas are in bloom, and all the streets are lined in majestic purple trees

Good Quote

Good Deed of the Day

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