#6 - Alchemy

Sometimes it's not fun having kids - they fight and are rude and I daydream that I am in a Calgon commercial.  Sometimes it's kind of magical.  One of my favorite memories ever is the Christmas of 2013.  It was the first holiday since my divorce that I had my three kids all to myself. I had a little one bedroom apartment and we didn't have our furniture yet, I just had an air mattress in the living room. The four of us lounged around on the air mattress and watched every holiday movie you can think of (Christmas in Connecticut is my personal favorite).  We even had our Christmas dinner picnic style.  It was lovely, and connected and wonderful.  Why did it come together this way? I have no idea.  It could have just has easily been miserable: cramped in a small space with lots of complaining and fighting and crankiness.

But it wasn't miserable, it was wonderful...

I attribute it to Alchemy. Those special, extraordinary moments when things just click and are right. It's easy—an instant connection with friends, a romantic partner, or family.  It's infectious laughter that makes your face hurt and later you don't remember what was so funny. I don't know why it happens. But I know that when it does it has a bit of magic to it - and it is advisable to free fall into the moment lest it pass you by.