The alphabet of right now

Lindsey (whose blog I always find so thoughtful and inspiring) recently published a post about her alphabet of right now. I liked the concept so much I decided to try writing my own. As I’ve said before, I love these glimpses into daily life through the small, telling details.

A is for attention. I am always trying to pay attention to the details of my life – even when, as right now, a lot of those details involve slogging through a relentless winter.

B is for bare branches and blue skies. One of the things I truly love about winter (and a familiar sight these days).

C is for chai. Whether it’s Darwin’s or Starbucks, you can find me sipping chai on many of these frigid mornings. (Even better if I can snag a cafe table and half an hour to write while I drink it.)

D is for delays. This series of snowstorms has crippled Boston’s aging public transit system, and delays on the Red Line, on my daily commute, have become a way of life.

E is for Earl Grey. I’m on my annual winter Earl Grey kick and I am mainlining it. The strong black tea with the hit of bright citrus is perfect for these cold days. (I’m drinking David’s Cream of Earl Grey, Stash’s Double Bergamot Earl Grey, and sometimes MEM Earl Grey at the coffee shop.)

F is for fleece-lined tights. I have three pairs and I am living in them these days.

G is for Grantchester on PBS. It might be my new favorite show.

H is for Harvard, where I have worked for two years this month. It’s cool to be able to say I work there, but I am so grateful to love both my work and my colleagues.

I is for Instagram. Some days it’s my favorite social media outlet (though I love Twitter too).

J is for journaling. I’m making a conscious effort to do it every day and I really notice the difference when I don’t.

K is for knitting. I recently finished a cozy cabled wrap. It’s both fun and calming (I usually knit while I watch TV).

L is for Laura. She lives in Texas and her funny, encouraging, honest texts are saving my life these days.

M is for museums. Specifically the Harvard Art Museums, where I’m spending a little time on Thursdays.

N is for Nashville. We recently spent a wonderful long weekend there with my college roommate Bethany and her husband – though we ended up staying longer than we’d planned, due to weather issues.

O is for over it. Everyone I know is done with this winter – but we know it isn’t (nearly) over yet.

P is for puttering. I do this a lot, in the evenings or on the weekends – laundry, dishes, tidying, a little cleaning. It takes a lot of work to keep up with the dailiness of life.

Q is for quiet. After a long day at work or a commute on an overcrowded subway train, I love coming home to our quiet, twinkly apartment.

R is for reading. I’m (always) reading lots of books – mysteries and fiction; memoirs and young adult; books to review for Shelf Awareness and the ones I slip in just for fun. I always carry two or three in my work bag.

S is for snow. So much snow. We are breaking all kinds of records in Boston, and it’s difficult to remember life before these constant, punishing blizzards.

T is for tulips. I’m buying them by the dozen these days.

U is for us. I am grateful every day for my sweet husband and how we are surviving this winter (and other challenges) together.

V is for Vitamin D. I’m taking my Vitamin D pills and using my light box faithfully – and every blue-sky day is a good day, even if it’s freezing (and they all are).

W is for walking. I love to walk and I do a lot of it these days – on my commute and my lunch breaks. (Though I can’t wait for the snow to melt and the sidewalks to widen.)

X is for…I don’t know. This is always a hard one.

Y is for yoga. I recently returned to Monday night yoga, then haven’t been able to go back again because of all the snow. But I downloaded the Yoga Studio app and am using it several times a week.

Z is for…I don’t know. Zipper? Zed? Zigzag?

What does your alphabet of right now look like? Please feel free to share in the comments, or post your own.

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