A new President, a getting-old pandemic

How Else To Keep Me Going          

Beyond vaccination, masks and social distance

 

Watch hawks float around the tops of trees 

Drink coffee without sugar

Savor M’s painting of a red dahlia

 

Watch a movie we both agree on

Rub her feet on our sofa

Spend time with Steven Colbert, Lady Gaga 

 

Curate my Spotify music library; include standup comics 

Pamper my curiosity on Wikipedia about Glaciers, Vermeer 

Let questions pop up others might think are silly

 

What would life be like if I do live until I’m 120?

How would my sons look when they were 77 and 71?

Will there still be the filibuster?

 

Play solitaire on my phone while I head toward sleep 

Don’t count wake up calls to the bathroom, until they are 3 or more

Sleep 8+ hours and look out the window every morning  

 

Re-read James Baldwin and Ram Dass

Highlight points I should memorize

Take another class on equanimity and the fear of dying

 

Remember, at least once a day, I am safe in this moment

Love people who I believe see the real me 

Say thank you when people let me talk, not just wait for me to finish

 

Repeat to myself, it’s okay to need optimism

Keep knowing I’ll live through being disappointed.

Be willing to cry when I’m happy, even if others see it.