Digging deep for this one, dear readers. We all count on robins as a harbinger of warmer, brighter days ahead. It seems the flock in my neighborhood is not enjoying the ice any more than the rest of us, so they’ve been hanging in the sunshine on our front porch. And doing their business like the steps are their own personal port-a-potty. Don’t love that, but the other morning one sat on the banister and sang its heart out, as if just to me, and that made me happy.
The recent Sunday when it rained on top of the snow and led to our icy prison? We had plenty of food and lit a fire, popped some popcorn and watched our own private matinee of the new Bridget Jones movie. Why don’t we watch movies in the afternoon more often? It felt so luxurious, like we were getting away with something. That made me happy.
Due to the ice, there was one morning where I actually couldn’t get off my front walk into the street, it was that treacherous. I texted good-hearted Marbleheader Dave Hartley and he was there right away to spread salt to free me (and the pup). That made me happy.
I recently hosted a gathering of women for what I call “Everything will be okay conversations.” I’ve hosted three or four now, and my hope with them is to provide a place to talk about issues beyond the day to day, what Maria Shriver calls “living above the noise.” Not easy these days which makes it even more important. The guest of honor this latest evening was North Shore award-winning artist Cheryl Dyment. She brought four original paintings which were displayed around the room, while we showed others in a slideshow on the smart TV.
We talked about Dyment’s journey from the corporate world, through serious health challenges, to building the creative life she wanted. How she moved from plein air painting to abstract. How a near drowning incident in her teens inspired a later-in-life series of paintings called “Floating” in which, instead of reflecting trauma, reflected the beauty she saw around her as she was carried, on her back, by the riptide. She was so inspiring, sharing the phrase which motivated her – “What are you waiting for?” I think she helped us to take account of the paths we were on, the lives we have built or are building. My home was filled with love and beauty and reflection. That made me happy.
I tried for weeks to get a reservation for Valentine’s Day, to no avail. We were both in Boston and were going to try to just walk in somewhere, I sensed an evening of frustration ahead. Instead, David was able to get us a table in the North End, at a restaurant on Fleet Street his family once frequented because the owners were dental patients of his father’s. We hadn’t known Barbara Summa Sullivan, the owner, patient and family friend, had passed away a couple of years ago. But our sadness was lifted when we discovered our server, Destiny, was her niece. Destiny was one of those people whose energy radiated straight from her soul and we felt embraced by her welcome and warmth. That made me happy.
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, my “conversation” gathering was held on so-called Galentine’s Day, Feb. 13. Each guest left with a gift bag containing candy, of course, but also a handful of paper-shaped hearts enclosing seeds of wildflowers. Sealing the bags was a tag I labeled “3 wishes.” On the back, each guest could write their three wishes for nurturing the life they wanted, and when they planted those wildflower hearts, they could also choose to plant the tag carrying their wishes alongside. Perhaps these would bloom – flowers and granted wishes – together in the spring. Oh, yes, dear readers, that thought made me very happy indeed.
President of the Marblehead Current’s board of directors, Virginia Buckingham is the former chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority, chief of staff to two Massachusetts governors, deputy editorial page editor for the Boston Herald and author of “On My Watch: A Memoir.”
