After my rant last week about having to cook, which I admit is a trifling complaint in the face of everything else happening in the world, I decided I needed a countervailing positive post. Because, really, I shouldn’t complain about my life. A few months ago, I posted a list of things that were going well. Those things are mostly still true. And there have been some good developments since then as well.
1. No one I know has died of COVID-19. I’ve known a few people who have had the virus, but they are recuperating. I have friends who have lost loved ones, and I mourn with them. But our family and friends are mostly healthy.
2. Our kids are still calling us regularly. And we enjoy hearing from them. They seem busy with work and fun, and mostly happy.
3. We have a comfortable home in which to shelter. We enjoy sitting on our screened porch We watch the seasons turn and the flora and fauna in our neighborhood (including the human species). Morning, noon, and night, there is something to see. And even when all is quiet, the peace replenishes our souls.
Flora 
Fauna 
Replenishing the soul
4. The warranty inspection of our house went well. We’ll have a bunch of contractors coming through in the next month to touch things up, but our builder has been good to work with, and all the repairs are minor.
5. More businesses are opening up, though we are taking it slowly. Very little in-person shopping yet (only groceries, pharmacy, and the hardware store), but we’re catching up on deferred medical appointments. And haircuts. I went to a daily Mass last week—the smaller crowd felt less risky than Sunday Masses, which I will continue to do online.
6. The grocery store shelves are mostly stocked these days, though not all items from all brands. (Where are all the 409 refill bottles, anyway? I had to buy Mr. Clean a few weeks ago, and my husband was skeptical whether it would work. So far, it seems to be doing the job—we put it in our new 409 bottle. The old 409 bottle is now in the basement kitchenette.)
7. My novel-in-progress is drafted and I am polishing it. I still have lots of work to do, but the book is moving forward. It will get done.
8. We bought peaches at a favorite roadside stand over Fourth of July weekend. A peach cobbler will result. Probably two.
9. Despite all the political turmoil, and despite continued worries about the virus, we live in a great nation. I believe we will get through this period of upheaval, and we will be stronger because of it. Not only stronger, but we will also recognize that even with all the societal concerns of this very strange year, we are more alike in our dreams and fears than we are different.
What about you? How are you doing?
Things are great. Of the ten companies I go to as a chaplain, there has not been one case of the virus.