September 24, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It is almost a month since we dropped our youngest off at Harvard for First-Year move in. So much has happened in a month. I had started this blogpost to update the readership but it was there half started, because I wasn’t really ready to share or talk about things. I don’t ever think as a parent one gets over your child growing up, and moving into college and their adult lives. High school friends family had similar posts, children who we have known since 4 now settling into their dorm rooms. It was wonderful to see on facebook their smiling faces and excitement. We were also living in our own family and drama, as every family has different dynamics and birth orders and number of remaining children at home and different lives outside of our parenting. But it was good to see that the stage we were in, others were in as well.

Move-in a month ago went very well. There was the mad dash to her packed as she would be the first to actually move cross country via plane. I remember sitting at work about 3 weeks before she was flying out and thinking, “gosh, she needs to get things actually into her suitcases.” We had no plan, but did have a deadline with the day we were flying out together as a family of 3. She was very organized with her list, and the last few weeks at home with me were lovely – especially now that I am thinking back in the quiet of my empty house. She needed to pick up dorm essentials at Target. She needed a better bathroom caddy. Towels. Bathrobe. One container of her bathroom needs to get by before she figured out how to navigate Harvard square. We needed stationary, and she needed face-masks so that maybe she would have a face-mask party with the college girlfriends. Which dress should she bring? Which shoes did she need? How cold was it going to get, and did we need to buy the winter gear here? We ended up at REI and at Carlsbad outlets and bought some outerwear and fleeces that would get her through at least the beginning of the fall. It was this lovely time and rushing home from work, because she needed to be driven somewhere and wanted to see her childhood spots one last time.

The actual Harvard move-in was lovely. Everything happened honestly seamlessly. The timing for each uber ride, T ride, dorm drop off and coffee-meet up with our newly transplanted child was perfect. Mr. Plastic Picker and I were amazed and nostalgic and excited for her. We helped her move into her actual room, and didn’t over buy. We met her roommates and saw the environment that she would be navigating for the next four years. We walked down streets and neighborhoods that we knew so well as students, but now really belonged to her. Her Harvard experience has been so vastly different than ours, but it’s comforting knowing the names of the buildings and the streets and having some basis of knowing where she is.

We saw students from San Diego from rival high schools, and had impressions and thoughts – that likely are not true at all anymore. And those students were characters in the first few weeks, and they’ve faded as new friends and roommates and classes and activities have crowded her days. We got to live with her fully for the three days we were together, moving her in and making sure she was settled. After much back and forth with my own sister, we had purchased for her super fancy (for us) luggage from AWAY as her college luggage set. I had never bought fancy luggage like that for myself, but for her – we wanted her to have something nice. And we made the Harvard instagram account with our luggage that had 3.5 million followers! That was an entire adventure in itself.

And since move-in, we’ve had 30 days of text messages and facetimes and conversations and updates. Harvard Move-In day was beautiful. She joined the Harvard class of 2030.

So somewhere in that crowd is our daughter, who joined the class of 2030. She’s an adult now and settling in, and living her life. I want to give her privacy and she’s been so giving to allow me to share some of her childhood with my patient sand parasocial friends. But it’s time for me to let that part go. It’s been so beautiful sharing these stories with the blog readership and with so many of my real friends. Thank you for cheering us on, and we’ll continue to do the same for you and mostly for our earth! There is still a lot of climate work to do!

September 9, 2026

It was so hot yesterday that the H3SD San Diego’s Heat and Human Health Summit sticker partially melted into one of our extra programs. I have the programs in the back of my car and extra stickers, and I’m using them strategically through the next year to raise awareness of the next summer’s summit and the work that our coalition is doing.

I was so hot yesterday and sweaty, and I felt looked horrible on camera. But after thinking out it, it’s freakin +100 degrees and it was HOT. I had just come from an important to me trip from Boston, and saw a full morning of patients thoroughly and met with two important UCSD student leaders on their projects.

I’m giving myself a lot of grace this morning! I’m not sure if you are following, but you should some of the normal environmental accounts and we have now crossed the 1.5 degree threshold. Greta Thunberg is one of the young youth activists that is now an adult that initially activated me, and her last Instagram message is very clear-sighted.

My daughter is settled now up in Boston and started her first year at Harvard. She is allowed to stress about her language classes and making friends in her Shakespeare course, and I’m allowed to continue to try to save the world for my children. It’s hard to miss her, when I know she is safe for now in Boston and the other child is in San Francisco. They are adults now, and figuring out their lives with plenty of support from us. But I don’t have too much time to be sad, because this was the entire point. I’m getting them ready for the world that is fast approaching, and trying to help save millions if not billions of lives by continuing to be a climate activists!

Lots to do! Was on CBS 8 news yesterday which was in the end really important. Anything that generates coverage, and gets folks talking – even if I think I don’t look good on camera. I need to give myself grace! And I got to tell San Diego the links between extreme heat and mental health emergencies and child abuse, and also the importance of DE-ISOLATING ourselves. Connection and community, is really what is going to help us to continue to mitigate the worse of the upcoming disaster story.

Anyway, I don’t really feel bad about looking not great – because I’m a real doctor! I was seeing patients and needed to wear a facemask to make sure my unvaccinated patients don’t get sick -despite me reminding them to get vaccinated. I also was wearing a facemask because I saw a few newborns and wanted to make sure they didn’t get anything from me since I had just traveled. The facemask is not great on my foundation. Oh well! And then my eyebrows disappeared – AGAIN!

It is painful being a climate and health doctor, but all of this I do at great pains to my ego – because I am here to save lives.

I had a great meeting with two UCSD premedical student leaders, so I have a to do check list that I need to work through on their fast fashion project. I need to write a letter of recommendation for someone else for the Rhodes fellowship. I need to write another letter for someone for psychiatry residency. We have two articles we want to write about for the San Diego Physician Magazine, which I will circle back to my co-authors on. I have to reach out to Kaiser Mid Atlantic pediatrician who wants to do the same thing I’m doing, but in Mid Atlantic. I need to reach out to Kaiser medical school to see when they want me to go up to teach there. I need to reach out to our regional person regarding coding heat related injuries, which none of us are doing correctly. He came to our summit.

So lots to do! So just wanted the blog readership know that I am here! Still fighting for the earth. It’s still so darn hot that I’m going to try to jog a bit but at 6am!!!! Mr. Plastic Picker was supposed to take me for a walk yesterday but he came back too late and we had a haphazard dinner instead and fell asleep.

It’s okay though, some of it is the heat! But here was my reward for all my continued work on behalf of our community and children – I took a quick trip to see my special person in Cambridge to give her a hug.

I still am in amazement that she got into Harvard and is in the class of 2030! There are so many epic story lines happening during this time. I hope that you pick the side of good and do something to help stop catastrophic climate change!

September 2, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

This is what I posted on my personal facebook and social media

“This was the honor of my lifetime, to meet Yahushua Robinson’s mother and sister. In August 2023, a 12-year-old student, Yahushua Robinson, suffered a fatal heat-related illness during a PE class held in extreme temperatures. California Senate Bill 1248 (SB 1248), also known as Yahushua’s Law, was introduced to prevent tragedies like this. At H3SD 2026, I co-presented with a powerful panel of like minded women and mothers on the importance on “Cooler Schools, Healthy Kids.” This was a call to action, and the four of us from AAP San Diego, Scripps So Cal Heat Hub, Green Schoolyards of America and Christina Laster from Stanford are committed to work together to make sure this does not happen to another child. Yahushua Robinson’s mom told us that she felt loved and supported at H3SD, and hopeful. We all brought our daughters to this breakout session, and we all connected. Wanted to share this meaningful moment.”

There are many moments from H3SD 2026 that I will remember. Joy, irritations, relief and exhaustion. This year was a harder summit for me, for various reasons and I’m committed to making sure the team works well together next cycle and that we iron out the frictions that happened. But overall, the team did amazing and the most important part is that the entire summit happened. And through many different break-out sessions and moments through the summit, we inspired and motivated each other to continue the different climate projects that we are responsible for.

For me, meeting this group of speakers was crucial for my work. I have to thank Nan Renner from Scripps So Cal Heat Hub for keeping us all together. My part was very short, and it was a montage presentation with some powerful speakers. But we delivered that session, and the most important part is that a family that had a young boy die of heat stroke and channeled that event into something productive (legislative action) were brought into the H3SD fold. It was an honor to meet Yaushua Robinson’s family. They were there at the summit with his picture, to remind us that he was here with us and that he is no longer here. This death was preventable and we need to prevent it, and also try to continue to address global heating.

So rather than just pontificating, I have things to do. I will reply to an email chain that is on my work email. We will set up a meeting with some people from Stanford and the AAP California. I need to myself read up on stuff, to make sure I fully understand the policy landscape. I need to loop in one of the UCSD graduates who is applying to medical school this next cycle. This will be her project.

I also need to write two letters of recommendations before I fly out on Friday to Boston.

I didn’t blog about it, but our daughter left for college and had an interesting and good transition to Harvard. Her first class is today. I miss her quite a bit. But I’m lucky that I had her at home for me for so long, and now she has to go to college! But I get many text and pictures throughout the day. I get to check her LIVE 360 to see where she is. And my daughter got to meet and hug Yaushua’s older sister at the session. All of the speakers’ daughters were there and got to see their mothers try to make the world safer for kids during extreme heat event. I am so grateful this happened, and for the advocacy work that I still need to do!

August 22, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I don’t write/blog as much about our oldest. We are headed up today to drop him off for his last year at UC Berkeley. He’s 21 now and very much an adult. He could graduate early but will stay the full 4 years at school, and will finish his BA in Psychology and he added on a Creative Writing minor. That he added back writing into his studies, his father and I are so happy.

I’m so proud of him. Mr. Plastic Picker is very much Korean, and always worried about his son. His way of loving him is worrying about him. And he worries and worries and worries. He doesn’t worry as much about our daughter, because in Korean culture the girls are not as important (which is unfortunate but true). Korean fathers worrying about their Korean sons. This is the story of my life. I just watch my husband worry.

But I told him last night, that it’s so easy to love our oldest. He is filled with love, joy and light. He had an amazing summer which felt twice as long as previous summers because he had so many adventures. We traveled together to Europe and met some important people and connected. Then he trekked with his uncle and his good friend from Toronto on a epic 10 day journey through the Swiss alps. Our son told me, “Mom. I’m in the best shape of my life.” So it was fitting that this was the summer, he did this physical task when he is at his healthiest. He celebrated his 21 birthday party at home with a houseful of friends that cared about him. He was joyous and celebratory. He studied and did the academic work that he is supposed to. He was creative and launched some new independent projects. He thought about his future, and made new connections. He asked people he trusted for advice. He did climate projects and his part in the work our family does. And he was present in the life of so many people that he cares for.

He loves and is so loved. And that is why Mr. Plastic Picker, you should not worry so much. Plus I’ll work every day of my life to make sure he continues to have joy and to protect and nurture him. I will work every day for our world and our climate, because he is in the world, until my body decomposes. And that is the truth. He is also my climate why, why I work so much for this beautiful world of ours.

August 18, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Eight years ago we brought this puppy home and she became central to our lives. But today I have been thinking of what seven means. We have 7 more days until we leave for Cambridge/Harvard to drop off our youngest to college. And it’s been about 7 years since I started blogging. Checking my blog, this is my 951 blog post – so before this blogpost I’ve written 950 entries onto this blog! Wow.

That act of writing for me, and bringing that back into my life has been vital for me. Writing/blogging/creating has helped make the last seven years the best 7 years of my life. And it’s helped me create my own story line in this climate chaos, giving me agency in my own life and in this world.

So if you are at a loss, write. Write it down. Write somewhere. Write anywhere. But start writing.

August 16, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

OMG I am so tired still from yesterday’s summit. It was wildly successful with record number attendance and the sessions went flawlessly. We had to stay late to clean up, and the student leaders understandably were ready to move onto their weekends. If you know me in real life, there will be a lot of food in the lunchrooms! We overbought some Costco food. Most of the conference attendees ate the empanadas instead of the mediterranean food this year. It’s hard to know why.

There were a lot of interesting developments. More organizations want to become officially involved. Lots of those connections folks were looking for. Students were milling around having finished their projects. We moved the climate conversation with new and innovative sessions, and really talked about the idea which is not so new to veterinarians of “One Health.” We had a new logo and stickers this year. There are always little hiccups and this year toward the end because some of the student leaders were not communicating as well, there were actually a lot of hiccups. But other people and students stepped up and filled in the gaps. This is the natural ebb and flow of working in a team. I learn so much about the students through this process, and I hope serve as a positive mentor to them. In the end, as long as everyone leaves the entire process having learned something. Learned something about themselves, about others, about the climate, about microplastics. I hope that student leave with new skillsets whether it be making social media ads, postering, how to run a panel, presenting a poster, dressing up for a conference, or how to jump in a figure out how to record a session when the microphone doesn’t work.

I know yesterday was very impactful and our family did what we could for the climate movement. Yesterday was our day where we gave San Diego and the earth a big hug.

But the next 9 days! No more summit. No more climate stuff (except for one session for our HMO). It’s all about getting our kids off to college. Our oldest starts his last year at UC Berkeley! And our youngest heads off to Cambridge/Harvard in 9 days. Yes, we are going with her. And we wish everyone else during this big time – please enjoy every moment with your child and family! We get to live today which is such a blessing. And if you do something that helps the earth or that is more sustainable – than that is wonderful! Thank you to everyone who made it out to H3SD this year! There were so many lovely people there.

August 13, 2026

It is 2 days until the 4th annual H3SD, and 12 days until we fly out with our youngest to drop her off at Cambridge/Harvard. She’s registered for her classes and after minor drama, has a schedule that she loves. In between shopping with her at stores and spending money I would never have spent on myself, I’ve been working with our UC San Diego premedical students and getting the 4th annual H3SD summit off the ground. It’s been a lot more work for me this year, since the students organizing the summit are younger and need more support. But it’s honestly been more interesting and more rewarding. In previous years, I would just hold my breathe and hope it all worked out. And it always did due to the amazing contribution of everyone but in large part due to senior post-baccalaureate students who are now all matriculated to medical school.

This year, I’ve been involved more heavily in the speaker coordinating, CME approval process, coordinated several sessions, speaking at one of the sessions, recruiting volunteers, nagging volunteers, recruiting the tech team, nagging the tech team lead (who is my own son), making sure said son comes back in time from Vegas to lead the tech team (which involved buying him a ticket to fly home from Vegas instead of driving home with his friends), nagging Mr. Plastic Picker (said tech team’s father) to buy him his ticket home. Then there was the custom cheese boards and charcuterie platters that were etched with our logo. The logos were created by Dr. Luis Castellanos’ son. There was ordering the stickers! Here are the stickers

There was also approving 2 research/advocacy posters, and then heavily organizing and writing 2 additional posters (they were ALOT OF WORK!). But those are two important projects that I wanted to get done for the community anyway, and it was fun working with the two separate groups.

There was recruiting my own resident to present, and mentor a high school student.

Wow! It’s been so busy. But during this entire time, I was able to spend time with our daughter. We have 12 more days until she leaves for college. And I intend to fully enjoy the last 12 days with her. We will shop. We will chatter. We will be together. She said she’d come with me to some of the summit preparations as well. Here is the fancy luggage we got after many conversations with her aunt.

So it will be a glorious 12 more days to end an idyllic last summer together. And then I will be left with myself. But I really know and like me. So I think I’ll be okay. I have a lot of projects planned for the fall, and will by flying out twice to see her.

She’s so cute! I had 10 mugs made with her picture on it. The mugs cost $15 each and they are for close family. Her education already costs $500K (JEEZE LOUISE!) from 3-18yo but it was totally worth it. I never intended to work so much as a pediatrician but it all went to her education which was good. I have to go now and keep on working! I hope to have graduate school to pay for!

August 7, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I’m not really sure what the point of LinkedIN? I’m mostly on the platform because I had several premedical students posting incorrect things about their credentials, and have to monitor it to make sure students that I’m mentoring aren’t posting incorrect credentials.

So I’m on this platform occasionally to post things. But it seems just old people and some young people who are acting like old people, jabbering and posturing with their resumes in front of them?

That’s it. The platform does not take too much time. But I know the people I need to know, and being connected with folks on LinkedIN doesn’t really help my climate work, because no one is DOING ANYTHING on LinkedIN. No one is picking up trash. No one is signing petitions. no one is volunteering. No one is becoming more climate aware. No one is being inspired – on LinkedIN.

Pretty much folks are just posturing. But I like to see some of my friends there who are more active on LinkedIN. I’m also there to make sure no one is taking credit for work they aren’t doing. And also to monitor my premedical students.

That’s it. If the platform went away, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

July 29, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s 712AM and I’m headed into a full clinic work day. I’m a bit tired this morning, because our son came home from an epic trek with his beloved cool younger uncle and good friend through the Swiss Alps. He stayed in Europe an extra 2 weeks after we had left Copenhagen, as he is young and without responsibilities yet – and we encouraged him to make his time and the carbon spewed going to Europe worthwhile. They did the Swiss Alps the hard way (relatively), carried all their things themselves and trekked and climbed and had their adventures. They saw the melting glaciers and there is not much left. The snow on the Matterhorn is less than before. The evidence of global heating is stark up in the Alps.

Both of my kids are extremely lucky. They’ve had their father and I guide them through their college admissions process, with all the resources that wealthy families have. As much as we can, we’ve had them “work for it” and work with others and not given them unfair advantage. Their moral character and world view of fairness is important too. They are both extremely lucky, and we’ve worked extremely hard (my husband and I) our entire lives to provide them with the experiences and opportunities that they have. It’s taken me a while to realize that those two things can coexist.

I just reviewed the H3SD 2026 San Diego’s Heat and Human Health Summit program, and I’m so incredibly proud of this group effort. It belongs to everyone, the students and the physicians and all the volunteers over the last four years that have made it possible. It belongs to everyone and no one. It really belongs to San Diego.

That’s why you’ll see my children there as well. It’s not part of their professional development, but I throw my children in as well. It’s important for them to learn the real lessons we are trying to teach our trainees – that building something meaningful takes community, collaboration and sweat-equity. Somethings take hard work, but if everyone does a little part – than we can all get it done together. What I’m also trying to teach our students is how to figure things out, how to hustle. So much of the world now, falsely teaches you that others should do it for you. But really, we should all try to figure it out ourselves – especially future physicians. Even if the nurses eventually are the one who places the IVs, you should also learn how to put in a few. A physician needs to know and have the curiosity in terms of how the other parts of the healthcare team work. The premedical students working with us organizing H3SD and doing advocacy, are learning invaluable skills for free.

They are learning how conferences work, and how to build an agenda. They are learning how to run meetings and how to interact with speakers. They are learning how to collaborate with fellow students that they would not otherwise work with. They are learning team-work. They are learning how to event plan, and how to market conferences. They are learning how to organize poster sessions, and how to select abstracts. They are learning that sometimes certain team members do more than others, but how to professionally lead and speak collegially. They are learning how to moderate sessions, and how to write abstracts and papers. They are learning how to attend city council meetings and interact with policy organizers from nonprofits that have big logos and funding. They are learning the power of what it means to have an MD and have a strong reputation and community trust. They are learning to essentially be me and my senior colleagues who are doing this work together. They are learning public health and climate and health through mentorship and apprenticeship, with no other costs to them other than their time and efforts. This has been a completely transformational and voluntary endeavor for the senior leadership that works on this work.

And I hope all our students find that their admissions process through medical school has been worthwhile. I mostly have to thank my children. I needed to let them find their own way, and earn their spots as well. We had caring adults surrounding them, but I was relatively hands off the entire time. I prayed that if I helped other students and kept the entire community and planet at my heart, that my own children would navigate their ways as well. Throughout both their college admissions process, I reminded myself that I was part of an ecosystem of mentorship and caring adults that was rooting on all our students. I had some missteps and difficult students that had limited projects with us, and quietly left our network. But the majority of the students, especially those that I know personally and are from UC San Diego – have flourished. We had 9 out of 9 students admitted to medical school this year. That is freakin’ AMAZING!

And my own daughter absolutely earned her way into Harvard, and she knows that she is smart but there are always smarter kids out there. She is so grateful to be included in the Harvard 2030 class. Our son as well is entering his senior year at UC Berkeley, and has had to fight his way through the school to find his place. He definitely hasn’t had things handed to him up there, but he appreciates and values his time and his friends. It has been the right place for him, but a very different journey than we expected. He’ll figure out his way with his friends, and it won’t be an MD. I just ask both of my kids to get a terminal degree – some kind of doctorate (JD/MD/PhD/PsychD). I’m willing to work so that they can do that.

Just really happy and wanted to share with the blog readership this happy picture! I’m going to splurge and make a mug set with her pictures on it! My own personalized Harvard mugs! Only for me though. She thought it would be weird if other people drink out of mugs with her picture on it!

July 20, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s 4:43am and I can feel my body adjusting to the weird time change between Copenhagen and California. I guess it’s a 9 hour difference? But it’s nice to be up at 4:43am because this is the time I used to get up before I started binge watching Kdramas about 4 years ago. I stopped binge watching Kdramas and Cdramas, and did a puzzle yesterday that I had purchased at a cool little book store in Copenhagen. So most of yesterday was doing this neat puzzle spread all over the kitchen table, and watching the World Cup Finals (Argentina vs Spain) at my good friend Dr. LC’s house.

It was such a beautiful day. They live very close to us and it only took about 15 minute to get there by car, so technically the entire trip there and home was all electric on my hybrid. I was going to buy something to bring, but I was so immersed in my puzzle that we didn’t have time and our daughter did not want to miss the beginning of the World Cup. For some reason this year, EVERYONE has been watching the World Cup – even me. We watched it before we traveled to Copenhagen, and then while in Copenhagen and then on our return to Copenhagen.

How many times did I write Copenhagen? Five times! LOL.

But while we watched the World Cup, I did not mention Harvard too often. Someone mentioned Williams College multiple times but in a very natural way, as there was a son of a friend who is a sophomore there. We mentioned judges names, Speech Team, Law School, Election, CEQA, various prep school names, various colleges (and made fun of Stanford), various medical specialties, various lawyer fields. We talked about the H3SD summit, facetimed my sister who was in Tennessee but who knew several people at the World Cup 2026 watch party because Dr. LC’s family is close with her family too. My sister made arrangements to meet one person there in Indianapolis because that person’s 18 year old daughter is niche Instagram famous in the baton twirling/drum major world. In that world if you have 8000+ Instagram followers you are very famous. I watched my niece who is a 16 year-old drum major jumping in the background of the Facetime call because she was so excited about the meet-up to come in Indianapolis.

We talked about careers, and work-life balance. We talked about clinical work (as there were two adult cardiologists there) and someone was excited about her next clinical research trial that does address health equities in this rare neuromuscular disease. We talked about soccer teams, and summer activities and YMCA camps. We talked about cerviche and Golden Chopsticks Salt and Pepper chicken wings, and there are two locations now – one in National City and one in Mira Mesa? We talked about Harvard, mostly because other people chatted about it in a natural way. We didn’t talk about it, but I learned from my daughter who has been avidly following the World Cup that Messi was 500 million + Instagram followers because he is the most famous soccer player in the world. The 19 year old star player from the Spain team who is a rags to riches story has 80+ million followers. But I was reminded that in the Instagram world 8000+ is famous as well if you are a baton twirler but in soccer you have to have 80 million+. Me? I have 3000+ which is all I ever wanted. I was happy when I got to 1500+.

The day was filled with little moments like that and memories. I had the best nap of my life in the corner of my cardiologist’s friends house as the breeze came in so lovingly on World Cup 2026 day. I sat close to our daughter and she leaned against me. I woke up just in time to see Spain score! Dr. LC was rooting for Argentina because his brother-in-law in from Argentina, and I got to watch my friend Dr. LC watching his text messages for little video clips from his brother that were filled with the light blue and white striped jerseys.

It was a beautiful day yesterday. We got home and I finished the puzzle. Mr. Plastic Picker came home and ate the left-overs we brought home from the party (Cerviche and the chicken) and listened attentively as we recounted our outing to our family friend’s house. Then he took our daughter driving and they drove around the parking lot as a local university that is safe to drive around.

It was such a lovely day, and I am reminded how much work it takes to create that community. A text message from the wife half of the lovely couple. I saw glimpses of her throughout the day, darting back and forth making everyone feel loved and comfortable. She is so filled with light and love, and impish humor and strength. I am grateful to know this couple and their family and their network. And I would not know them as well if I hadn’t become Dr. Plastic Picker and reached out to the smartest and kindest and most Harvard cardiologist that I know. I would never had that beautiful nap and that beautiful day if I hadn’t decided to dive into climate and health advocacy. I am so grateful for this life, and for yesterday. We almost didn’t go because I was so immersed in my puzzle, and I’m naturally very introverted. But my daughter feels very loved at that house as well, and she really wanted to watch the World Cup and see our family friends. She said “Mommy, we should be in community.” And we were.