1. Grocery shopping. I know this might make me weird, but I love grocery shopping. The privilege of being able to enter a store and buy anything I want and know that I don’t ever have to go hungry is something I never take for granted, and as someone who lived with an eating disorder for decades, there’s a newfound freedom and ease there too.

2. Eclipse shadows.

3. Flowers in the bathroom. I got to the Farmer’s Market later this week, so there weren’t as many left at my favorite stall, but still they are gorgeous.

4. Having my car back. It was in the shop for almost two weeks getting a dent in the door fixed, and I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it. This little grasshopper hitched a ride with us to the post office and back today, reminding me of another thing I love so much about a summer garden — all the bugs and animals it houses and feeds.

5. My tiny family. I’m especially grateful recently because one of Ringo’s brothers has been missing for three weeks. I can’t even imagine how painful that must be for his family, and I hope I never know.

Bonus joy: Wild Writing with my cool girls’ writing nerd club, aqua aerobics, my heating pad (which I realized today I may have “borrowed” from you at some point, Mom…if so, sorry, and thanks), ripe peaches, a warm shower and a clean towel, sleeping with the window open, good interns, a fan in the bathroom, physical therapy because even though it hurts it’s helping, fresh watermelon, when Eric laughs so hard he can barely talk.