2020 LUSCIOUS GRATITUDES
Hey, mamas.
Anna here. As we get ready to turn the corner on the Winter Solstice and begin our Northern Hemisphere pivot back toward longer days and shorter nights, I’ve been feeling grateful for all the humans, experiences, foods, stimulants, holidays, apparel, animals, and environments that have helped me make it through this peculiar, unpredictable, confronting, and curious year that has been 2020.
So I wanted to share with all of you my 2020 Gratitude List (in no particular order)—she’s a long one, sisters, but she’s lithe!
My handsome, hilarious husband, Mike, who cooks, grocery shops, and edits our newsletter (when he’s not working!); and hugging, cuddling, and reading in bed with our son Sam who is 13 now, and won’t tolerate this affection much longer.
Our ever-hopeful chocolate lab, Grace.
The Luscious Mothers. Always having a sister to call during the collapse of society as we know it is SUPER helpful. Having 7 is 7x better because at least one of us is bound to be stable at any given moment.
Sam’s teachers who have crushed it for him and his classmates this semester.
Medical personnel, especially our Cousin Sarah, an ER physicians’ assistant and her husband Ben, an RN. They have Covid-consulted and kept me out of the crazy pandemic fear spiral. Mostly. They also stitched up Mike’s arm at their house when he stabbed himself with an oyster knife in April.
My neighborhood mamas and the sweet doorstep drops of prezzies and love. Especially my neighbor Peg’s Luscious laying ladies who have contributed muchos huevos to my rancheros. Which reminds me of...
Mexican food. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try Siete tortillas. They are delicious, and the story of the family who creates these divine gluten free products will warm your heart.
Maker’s Mark. Double. On the rocks.
My in-laws. Supportive, generous, and crazy-good grandparents.
The Maine coastline. Barefoot beach walks have kept me grounded and sane.
Meditation. Sarah Blondin, Deepak Chopra, Tara Brach—they have all helped maintain a sanctuary in the room behind my third eye. Find them all on the Insight Timer app.
My clients. One-on-one, in small groups, on our community calls, and Holi-Damn!, they are the reason to get dressed (at least from the waist up), get it together, and get present. They inspire me, teach me, high-five me in the camera lens and laugh at my jokes.
My therapist. To help me talk about my past.
My coach. To help me scheme and map my future.
The Force. It connects us all
The Internet. It also connects us all.
Spotify—check out the Luscious Mother Dance Mix or the Conathan Christmas collection; Netflix—Sex Education, The Crown, Outlander; Hulu—Gravity Falls, The Great; and AppleTV—TED LASSO TED LASSO TED LASSO.
LL Bean Wicked Good Clogs hard-bottomed slippers. I am a committed Maine girl. Fun story: I once chatted up George Carlin in a Los Angeles elevator sporting these babies. When we parted he said, “see ya later, slipper girl!"
Kahoot quizzes on Zoom. Our famliy created one to share on Thanksgiving, and it made our huge family Zoom so much more civilized!
Board games. Ticket to Ride is my fave. I also highly recommend watching the movie “Clue” and then playing the game.
Books. Where the Crawdads Sing, The Hate U Give, Rules of Civility; currently My Grandmother’s Hands is rocking my world and soothing my nervous system.
Dance Church. It’s exercise. It’s a dance party. It’s an exercise dance party.
Our fire pit. Thank you, cave person ancestors! So warm. So versatile. Fire pit s’mores, fire pit cocktails, fire pit outdoor movies, fire pit effigy burning of things I’m ready to release. (Usually written on slips of paper, not burning actual items… usually.)
Halloween. The best holiday ANY year, if you ask me, but certainly the best for a pandemic year. Masked, outdoors, community connecting… Halloween kills it!
Joe & Kamala.
Dr. Fauci.
Dr. Shah. Maine’s version of Fauci, who has also been known to Rickroll his audience during his regular press briefings.
The people who deliver. Postal workers, UPS and FedEx crews, take-out delivery teams, the newspaper guy... Literally bringing it home for all of us.
Disc golf (don’t you dare call it Frisbee golf!). Mamas, I am so bad at it. But it was such a fun activity for us as a family. And I developed a new practice for myself: allowing myself to just suuuuuuuck at things but do them anyway and still have fun.
Crying! Crying while laughing. Rage crying. Sad crying. Lonely crying. Crying in public and getting free flowers. Crying is awesome, and I will cry all over anyone who says otherwise. Thank god for nature’s oil change.
Laughing. Thank you, Ali Wong & John Mulaney.
VACCINES! Science! Scientists! Dolly Parton!
And lastly: knowing that I can watch “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas morning.
As I said, the list is huge, but so are my blessings. And I hope yours are as well. If you feel like sharing with us we’d love to hear from you. Don’t be shy! (Be Luscious instead!)
Hang in there, mamas. The cavalry is coming. And if you need a hand to keep your head above water until then, we’re all here for you.
All our Love & Lusciousness,
Anna & Sarah
