As I lay facedown on the massage table with nearly two dozen needles in my neck and back, about a million thoughts went through my head. They ranged from how did I get here to I can't believe I have so many needles in my neck and back to did she really just say that?! Welcome to my inaugural acupuncture visit! To reveal my mind's inner workings, I'll unpack those questions one by one.

On Monday afternoon at about 3 p.m. ET, I found myself sitting on a picnic blanket on the back field of my son's elementary school. Parents milled about, craning their necks at the sky while holding solar eclipse viewing glasses in place. We were about to get to a 90% eclipse and our glasses revealed that the sun already looked, well, like a crescent moon. The air was electric and brimming with anticipation.

Harmony is, by definition, "a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity." (Thanks, Dictionary.com.) As I kept harmony top of mind this year, I was reminded of two adages that are opposite sides of the same coin:

• Good is not the enemy of perfect.

• Some is better than none.

I got my car on December 30, 2020. I remember it had 16 miles on it when I pulled away from the lot.  On April 6, 2023, I noticed the odometer read 10,001 miles when I parked the car after running an errand. Yep, it took me over two years to drive 10,000 miles.

Give or take ten years ago, I read an article in my local newspaper about an organization that assisted low-income women who were victims and survivors of domestic violence. It provided free legal representation for the women to seek final restraining orders against their abusers. Attorneys could volunteer to complete training and then take pro bono cases on behalf of these women.

Five summers ago, I was a partner at the law firm that had been my home for nearly a decade. I was a commercial litigator and, at the time, was handling several high-profile matters. I worked a lot. Like, a lot a lot. I was also overjoyed to be expecting my son and spent the summer getting ready to be a mom.