June 23, 2024: Not unlike every other tree -

Today wasn’t ot or humid in Portland, and all the flowers were glowing, that perfect, overcast-June day.

I missed my late friend Mary, a Midwest transplant, who used to complain whenever we had cool and cloudy days during what she thought should be summer. She would have complained, and I would have rolled my eyes. 

Today was gorgeous.

On my unambitious neighborhood stroll, I saw a tree that “IS CLIMATE ACTION.”  I know that, because it said so. It’s the tree-owner’s version of those “IN THIS HOUSE WE…” yard signs!

Congratulations!Your t ree is doing what trees do, and in your house, you’re doing what decent folk do. These are not accomplishments that must be announced, or bragged about. (But then again, thanks for being decent in your house, and thank YOU for your contribution, little tree.)

Things are reminding me of things a lot just now, like the climate action tree and the IN THIS HOUSE WE yard signs. Loose-association brain always happens when I haven’t had enough sleep. I’ve been too congested to breathe through my nose, and sleeping with my mouth open is a no-go.

The congestion is because I have COVID, though a less burdensome version than I had in August, 2022. (I know a lot of people with, or just recovered from, COVID. It doesn't feel like news this time.)

For instance:  this time I haven’t lost taste or smell. (Or at least, not so far.) Four of my friends have lost taste and smell with COVID in the past month. I sympathized, remembering that weird sensory deprivation, and then a few days later, I too got sick. But this time around, I can smell soap! I can taste blueberries! Yesterday, I smelled frying onions, and was bowled over with gratitude to be afforded that pleasure.

I’m so happy! I get to smell frying onions!

It reminded me of something, that outsize gratitude. Took me a minute to dredge it up, but I got there. Thirty-six years ago, my friend asked me to be a bonus birth-coach, joining her and her husband for the birth of their first kid. It was grand, all went well, but it was a long, long night, and I was finally all done and on my way out of the hospital at about 8:30 am.  

I was far too excited to go home and go to bed, plus I had meagre PTO, so what the heck - I went to work.  And at work, I was … exactly how I am when I haven’t slept but don’t feel tired. I was goofy.  Colleagues would ask an innocent, “How are you?” and I’d declare,  “I’m wonderful! I’m NOT IN LABOR!”

Frying onions smell SO GOOD! This tree IS CLIMATE ACTION! 

I’m all for gratitude journals, but spontaneous gratitude is so sweet when it hits.  I’m thinking about who is likely to read this, and it’s a highly curated group. Unless I’ve missed an update, I think it’s safe to say: YOU'RE NOT IN LABOR!

Me, neither!! 

Have a nice day.