Tiny sparks throughout the day. The melodies of familiar songs. The smell of pine needles, the lights on a tree. A painting, abandoned in the snow. A parent’s handwriting on a gift wrapped in paper. The pet cat’s boundless enthusiasm upon realizing that we put up a tiny stocking for her, too, and her joy at getting to play with the pet cat toys inside because she knew immediately that they were for her. The way she mimicked us by sitting beside her tiny stocking as we opened ours together in the morning. The porous, waxy texture of the outside of an orange. The way a homemade snickerdoodle cookie crumbles in the mouth. An hour or so of a favorite video game before leaving. Trying to open a bottle of wine with increasingly creative methods when we forgot the corkscrew at home. A football game halftime show featuring Beyoncé performing music from the album Cowboy Carter. Listening to a Foy Vance song and washing dishes in the sink, in their new kitchen:

When I need to get home,

You’re my guiding light

You’re my guiding light…