The end of the year and decade draw near, and somehow I feel lucky to be alive.

I don’t feel lucky every day – not by a longshot – but I know inside that I am. I can’t believe that we can choose to be lucky; but I do think if we examine our lives with perspective, we will find the fortune we didn’t know we had. Trust me: there are so many times I’ve sobbed “why me?” when the accumulation of hurts, and woes, and slights gets overwhelming. Just a couple of days ago I was thoroughly insulted and scolded by a nasty postal worker for no good reason – and I felt myself tumbling down, but it doesn’t mean the day is ruined. I couldn’t let it. We cannot let it.

And about the holidays, there is so much pressure to fill every moment and enjoy it, and they often cannot live up to our own (and Hallmark’s) expectations. Take some down time for yourself – alone if you can – to recalibrate.

On a cheerier note, our guest this week is author and editor Steve Levingston. His new book, Barack and Joe: The Making of an Extraordinary Partnership reminds us not only that we once had a team in the White House that was respectful to one and all, believed in the power of connection, but that friendship and support are vital to leading a healthy and balanced life. Also, #ThoseSmiles.

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The 5 things that made my life better in 2019.

1. Beef stew in the pressure cooker. I did it! I do not speak “instapot,” and I had moments of fear, but I did it and the stew cooked in 45 minutes. Also, only one pan had to be cleaned. That’s the good news. I still have a lot to learn about this strange object that takes up so much room on my kitchen counter, but I’m willing to try. Next week I’m going to try to make a lamb stew. (Goals, right?)

2. Amuses Bouches. These are the “free hors d’oeuvres” that some restaurants, particularly high end restaurants serve before the meal. I want to say here and now that I have never had an amuse bouche I haven’t liked. Naturally it’s a moment for the chef to show off and make something tiny and perfect that will whet our appetites and make us order more. It works! Also, doesn’t free food just taste better? Mais oui.

3. Pockets. How I love them. A dress or skirt with pockets is so dreamy – a place for a Kleenex or a coat check or just hands that may not know where to go. I know I’m not alone in this. It’s ironic that sometimes I don’t open sewn up pockets or I’ll even get the cleaner to close up pockets if I think they make pants or a jacket look too bulky. Once our dear old dog Henry smelled a pellet of a treat in the pocket of a pair of cotton Bermudas I had, and he ate the whole pocket – not great for his digestion, but how could I be mad at him? Pockets – what’s not to love?

4. My Exhibits’ ™ careers. All of them are launched. My three, my partner’s one, and their significant others’es. No one handed them much in the way of help – if any. They are being promoted and hired for their talents and their solid work ethics. I am proud of how motivated and smart they are. I watch them with fascination and awe.

5. The Impeachment. It is not a joyful “great thing” but a somber and responsible thing we must endure for the good of our democracy. The impeachment is a time for statesmanship, not partisanship. It’s a time to end the damage that has been wrought by a corrupt and depraved man and his feckless toadies. It is time to prosecute him for his crimes and remind our fellow citizens that any shred of this behavior would have been considered unacceptable in every previous president in the history of our country. If he had nothing to hide, why has he refused to share his tax returns, why has he refused to allow his senior staff testify? It makes no sense. Even as a Democrat I miss the concept of an honorable opponent. I long to see the Republican party restored to its principles of small government and nice people. This administration has forced some “very fine people on both sides” into their separate bubbles with their own narrative logic. Trump wants to foment civil war at home and make deals with dictators abroad. Trump must be impeached. It is the only right thing to do.

Steve Levingston_credit Chuck Kennedy.jpg

Steve Levingston’s 5 Things

1. Archives

2. Indexes

(both of these first two things make historical research easier, compared with the research he did for "Barack and Joe" -- no archives, presidential libraries, etc. yet)

3. Squirrels

4. Cheers TV show

5. Two pens in his pocket