1. Flowers in the bathroom. The way the light hit them one afternoon was especially nice.

2. Signs of spring. Crocuses blooming, birds singing in the morning, the dogs lounging in the backyard.

3. Morning walks. This past week, we’ve had to reroute a lot for the deer since we are out in the dark again. They can be so stubborn and unafraid, don’t want to move (or maybe they are afraid and their instinct says to freeze, stay still and hope nobody sees them), and with the dogs I can’t get too close.

4. Spring break. It was lovely being home this week, resting and hanging out. We had plans to do some fun stuff but Eric got food poisoning and has been on the couch for the past few days. It’s going to be so hard to go back to work, but only 7.5 more weeks!

5. My tiny family. That includes the ones here and the ones gone — Obi and Dexter, our shadow dogs.

Baby Sam and sweet Dexter, nine years ago

Ringo, Dexter’s echo dog

Bonus joy: Dinner and ice cream with Stacey and Heather, listening to Put Your Hands Together while lounging, reading on my Kindle at night while the boys sleep, my little rental car, meditating and writing in the morning, sleeping in, staying in my pjs all day, grilled cheese sandwiches, an amazing loaf of sourdough bread given to me by one of my yoga students, having last weekend off from yoga teacher training, dinner with Chelsey and Jon, heated car seats when it’s cold outside and you are eating ice cream, toast with butter and marionberry jam.