2023

​The Detroit airport has a religious reflection room. Zakaria and I prayed in there before boarding our connecting flight to Dulles. Funny enough, we flew out of National and I didn’t realize we were flying into Dulles until we were in the security line. 

The Detroit airport has a religious reflection room. Zakaria and I prayed in there before boarding our connecting flight to Dulles. Funny enough, we flew out of National and I didn’t realize we were flying into Dulles until we were in the security line. Hoping this means we will be home before midnight. 2023. Craziness. You know what else is crazy? Zakaria insisting we walk ten miles each day while we were in Mexico.  This is why I have blisters on my feet and am wearing water shoes because they are the least painful. They also make my feet stink…a lot. Hadi made us walk extra miles to see a beautiful waterfall at Yosemite and now Zakaria has decided this whole ten miles a day thing is going to be the standard on trips.  What a year.

We made it home before midnight. I had to explain to Zakaria who Shaggy was and then I conked out. We met up with a dear friend this morning for breakfast and Zakaria was able to have his usual blue pancake donut from Duck Donuts and then he negotiated getting a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Apparently strawberry cream cheese is hot pink. We are now waiting for another friend to check out the African American History and Culture Museum. I decided it was a good idea to walk here while eating chicken tenders from Roaming Rooster. I am full of class, I tell you. Dude, they are playing “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls” by TLC at the museum. One, amazing song. Two, T-Boz has sickle cell anemia. Of course that makes me think of Hadi and the beast that is aplastic anemia. As Zakaria grinds his head into my shoulder while waiting for our friend, I smile thinking of how many questions he would be asking Hadi before Hadi enforced his three questions only rule.

As more time passes since Hadi returned to our creator, the grief is morphing into…heck, as if I know. As if any of us know. I know 2023 also marks 4 years of becoming a single mother. Well, in August. That grief has also morphed. Again, not sure how. Watching families travel together was a combination of sadness as well as…wow, that’s a lot of bickering.

Zakaria asked what my resolutions were for this 

year. I don’t really do resolutions but I told him my goal was to be more present. So, that’s what I shall do as I go into the first gallery at the museum.

Here is to your heart being at peace in 2023. Thank you for being part of my journey and don’t worry, not gonna chase the waterfalls.