It was sometime in January 2023 and my sister was visiting me on winter break. The brisk new england weather kept us indoors all winter, our bodies permanently attached to the couch. We told ourselves that we had essays to write and emails to send but we pushed them out of our minds as we underwent our Harry Potter movie marathon. We were kids again, living on H-mart snacks and sleeping later and later and then waking up later and later.

And then it was over. Coming back to work after the holidays is always a bit disorienting. You’re under the fluorescent lights, in your work clothes, small-talking about how, once again, we wished that it had snowed on Christmas. First day back of the year, the ultimate Monday.

There’s nothing like coming back home on these days. I opened the front door and stepped into the living room, and Eric, Sandy, and Kiki (our cat) were right where I had left them, hanging out in the living room. It occurred to me, in that moment, that this was the happiest moment of my life. Sometimes we don’t know when we’re in our happiest moments until we look back years later. But for some reason, I knew it this time. Maybe it was because of the relief I felt when I came back to my family.