Never Done flashback

Fourth of July turned out to be a beautiful day. Anthony was in town from the bay area, and I got to spend all day with him. We went to Riis Beach with Heath and Josh, and saw many many friends there, and we went to a party at Emily and Tara's, and saw many many friends there. I got to swim in the ocean for the first time this year (shehekhianu) and jump in the waves with friends, and run barefoot in the surf, and grill merguez on a gorgeous deck, and still be with Anthony. I'm going to diverge a bit from the selfish joy theme of this year's blog, and have a quick flashback to Never Done. I took a black cohosh supplement, to help me with hot flashes, which have suddenly appeared in my life the way other women have described them. They come, dozens a day, suddenly heating me up from the inside, breaking me out into a delicate little sweat, then they're gone. Until they're back again. It's one of the most curious things I've ever experienced. Not really horrible. More curious, like, "Oh, this actually happens." I think maybe I thought it wasn't going to actually happen to me. But it is. And I started taking some black cohosh, and I said a shehekhianu for that too. And then later at night, after the beach, on the deck, Tara gave me a sparkler, and I had never held one of those, but I did, and it was sweet fun, and it sparkled, and I said a shehekhianu for that too. And then I realized that there's a special joy that comes from new adventures, and that I have been missing that, and that a day with three shehekhianus is a joyful day indeed.