1. The view of the sky from my front porch. The sky here can be so amazing.

2. Kitchen Counter Love Notes. I don’t know how he comes up with something new every time, but he does.

3. Good friends. I suspect if Pancho and Ringo met for the first time now, they might not get along so well. Luckily, they met when Pancho was a baby and about the same size as Ringo, so they learned how to play together before they were such different sizes. I love how much they love each other, and lucky for me Pancho’s mom also just so happens to be one of my favorite humans.

4. Practice. I really don’t know where I’d be without it. Through meditation I stabilize my mind, though yoga I embody compassion, and through writing I process where I’ve been and cultivate a sense of where I am now and where I might be going. It keeps me sane and alive.

5. My tiny family. Ringo went to the vet today, where he is terrified and spends a lot of time hiding under a chair. It reminded me how good it feels to be a safe space for someone, to know they trust you even when they are afraid.

Hiding under said chair

Bonus joy: sick days, swimming, sitting in the sauna, getting the laundry done on Friday, sleeping in, Pilates, aqua aerobics, leftover Halloween candy, morning walks, computer glasses, glue stick, the right to vote, good people working hard and not giving up.