our rocky mountain bee plants are gi-normous!

This post is a mashup of The Little Bliss List and Joy Jam, and as such is meant to celebrate: the little things that brought me hope and happiness this week, the sweet stuff of life, those small gifts that brought me joy this week. By sharing them, I not only make public my gratitude, but maybe also help you notice your own good stuff and send some positive energy out into the world.

1. Being home again. My garden, which is going crazy (see the above picture for proof), and my little house, and my backyard, and the park. I am especially in love with my bed right now. I forgot how perfectly comfortable it is.

2. Girlfriends. I am so grateful to have open-hearted, creative, funny, wise, loving, generous friends. I am especially enjoying catching up with a few of them this week after a month apart, and looking forward to connecting with a few I just met. I am also missing a few I haven’t seen or won’t see for a while. They are all precious.

3. Letting go of stuff. I am grateful to have such an abundance of things that it’s necessary to purge, happy that I’m able to let go, to allow those things to possibly help someone else who doesn’t have so much, and thankful for the newly cleared space and clarity that letting go allows.

4. Yoga and training. It’s good to move, to stretch, to get stronger, and to do so in the company of such funny, kind people.

5. Cucumbers and tomatoes from my own garden. Yum.

6. A safe trip home. There were hiccups–like spending an hour packing the car only to have the latch on the back hatch break right before we loaded up the dogs and left, so having to repack the whole thing so they could ride in the back seat, and Dexter panting the entire time in the car, two long twelve hour days, because that poor pup has decided at nine years old he does not like long car trips–but we made it home safe, happy and tired.

Bonus Joy: There was a fat raccoon in our neighbor’s tree right by our back fence this morning, (most likely rabid, hanging upside down some of the time and moving way too slow, so that part’s not so cute) and Dexter stood in the yard most of the morning guarding us from it. Not barking or making a big fuss, just staring and waiting, ready to fight it if he had to. He is one tough little dude and I love him like crazy.