Do you have a keepsake box (where you retain special cards, pictures, letters, things that are special to you)?

I do. I made one for each of us. Mine is filled with photos (those high school and college ones feel like a lifetime ago), letters, a girl scout sash, and a dozen other small items that make me smile…and now I feel like looking through that keepsake box again.

What has made you smile lately?

We moved some family room furniture around and as silly as it sounds I’m smiling because the cats are discovering new favorites in the room. Seven, always embracing his inner dog, loves to camp out in a small bed by the fireplace. Mittens has discovered the joy of sprawling across a storage ottoman in its new location. They’re happy, I’m happy, it’s all good.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I’m definitely a night owl. I try to keep a healthy amount of sleep built into the schedule — if I’m in bed by midnight I can get about eight hours of sleep a night. But I’m not exactly a joy to be around on those mornings when my schedule demands I get up much earlier.

Do you prefer to be hosts or guests at a dinner party or family event?

For years I enjoyed being a guest at family gatherings but was happiest when I could worker bee my way through. Once my social battery had run out and I couldn’t talk for another moment I’d tuck myself away in the kitchen, cleaning up and storing leftovers so the people around me could enjoy visiting. The passage of time shifted gatherings into our space so now I guess I have to get good at a different role.

Gratitude:

Days that are brisk but not bitter cold, a great playlist on Spotify, the promise of my mom’s Thanksgiving stuffing, and our sweet girl is home from college.

Pensitivity101 hosts Share Your World.