(For the past 5 years I have used the same journal prompts in December for my personal blog Hurry Slowly. Inspired by the #Reverb10 prompts, I have kept the best and added a few of my own. Interestingly enough, I have 22 favorite prompts, and they match up nicely with the Major Arcana, so this year I’ve decided to call it #TrumpTheYear.)

EMPRESS. What social gathering  was the highlight of this year?

This was a low-key year. We also have no plans to go to his or my holiday parties, so I think it will remain so. Two dinner parties come to mind, and both are indulgent, nourishing gatherings the Empress would have approved of:

We drove out to the desert, where a recently-divorced friend and his new girlfriend were staying in a hotel to celebrate his big-number birthday. We could manage to also see family, so it was a win-win. And while this friend and his ex were being great about not asking anyone to take sides, it’s still hard to see people you are used to seeing as a pair when they are not longer in the same place at the same time. He had the hotel do a lavish dinner in a private tent out by the pool. The food was great. The conversation was lively. It was so nice to see him happy with a woman who was new, but likable. I remember I was tipsy as we left past the empty-almost-closed bar. I remember the night sky was so clear out there in the desert.

More recently, a friend came to town with his long-time girlfriend. His parents live here, and they had never been to a restaurant with stars. We are never going to pass up a chance to go to a place where they pair your wine to the food and have a cheese course. Ever. So we went. It was a great place – if a bit fussy. The food was great. The cocktails were lovely. The company was hysterically funny. It was a pleasure to be at a table with two other loving couples.