The morning was bustling with breakfast-making and games on the living room floor until we saw our sleepover friends off for the day. The girls were sleeping over at my parents’ with their cousin that night, so we packed ourselves up and head out for the day.

I had an appointment at my naturopath’s office to review some test results, only to confirm that many of my health concerns have been stress related. I don’t consider my life to be exceedingly stressful, but there’s a lot to be said for the way modern women internalize stress. Heed this: it’s ruining us. From the inside out.

I dropped the girls with my brother and went home to an empty, still internetless house to wait for Comcast. I spent quite a bit of time at the piano, learning the new Billie Eilish song because I was going to the Barbie movie.

My Xfinity appointment time slot came and went, and by some miracle, I found a tiny section in the sunroom where I could get one unreliable bar of service. I rescheduled the appointment, decided not to be mad about the inconvenience, and got myself ready for a night out with a friend.

We met for cocktails at Lady Jane and had dinner at Root Down before, finally—FINALLY!—seeing Barbie. I was feeling very out of the culture loop. And I loved it.