Exasperated Sighs, The Mug, and Laughter (A Five Minute Post)

Lisa-Jo invited me to write about when I feel the most loved in just five minutes!

It begins with the hundreds of exasperated sighs I exhale throughout the day into the office, into my heavy textbooks, into my conversations. There is always the small smile, the laughter peeking out from the corner of your mouth. I throw my hands in the air and I think, "This is all just too hard!" and I sigh.

And it never fails to make you laugh. When we're sitting in your office and my hands cradle "the" mug and I start to talk loud and rushed, the words tumbling out one after another, or when I'm quiet and unsure and I keep glancing out between the blinds on your window to avoid hearing your question - that's when I sigh and you laugh and I know, you know me. And I know, you laugh because you love me.

And there is always room for me to poke my head in and room for me to ask you a question or text you that I miss DC especially that morning, I miss the home of those brick streets and tripping over branches on my way to Eastern Market and wishing, wishing, wishing i knew when I was going to go back. You make room for me to become me.

Did I tell you this often enough? That these are some of the moments I feel the most loved, when I sigh a long exasperated or sad or angry or frustrated or this-is-the-truth-isn't-it sigh, and you laugh. You laugh and you help me remember to laugh too. And then you mention, "This is like the time that we talked about..," and I don't even need you to finish your sentence because I already know what you're talking about.

You laugh, and I laugh with you, and I feel completely loved.

Love,
Hilary