1. Morning walks, and the various shades and colors of the Colorado sky. We’ve had to stick to the main roads because there are still patches of ice and snow from our big snow a few weeks ago, and it’s now back to being dark our whole walk, the sun only beginning to rise once we reach home. We haven’t seen much wildlife and it’s been so quiet.

The view from our front porch

2. We got our Christmas tree! We’ve only had one for the past three or four years after years without. The state of the world made us long for more light, more joy during this season and now it’s one of my favorite things all year. It only fell over twice before we finally got it settled.

3. Practice. Keeping me sane for over a decade.

The shrine on my writing desk where I sit and write morning pages every day

4. Celebrating the season with friends. We went to a fun party where, among other things, we decorated gingerbread houses. This coming week I get to teach a Christmas themed yoga class (it’s the last one before Christmas where everyone will be there, so we are celebrating a week early) and give out goodie bags.

5. My tiny family. They are my favorites. Eric is officially on vacation now, Sam had a bit of a setback but he seems to be feeling better, and Ringo continues to be the family jester. The dogs also got a bath this past week. When humans take a shower, it only involves at most a towel or two, a washcloth, maybe a hand towel, and a set of clean clothes. When (my) dogs take a bath, it involves washing not just the dogs, but 29 towels, two bath mats, all the blankets on the living room couches and chairs, as well as blankets on four different beds, and depending on how long since the last bath, maybe collars and harnesses too. It’s a lot of work, but totally worth it.

Post bath handsome

Bonus joy: good books (I just got done reading The Water Dancer), good TV (the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is streaming on Netflix), good movies (I watched Marriage Story, phew…), good podcasts (Mary Lambert and her partner started a new one that’s really good, The Manic Episodes), [seriously, there is WAY too much good content, which is double the trouble when you are a content creator, as in it limits the time you spend creating and is more competition for what you create], trying new classes at the gym and loving them, honoring my own truth when it would be really easy not to, writing with Carrie and Mikalina and Chloe’, knowing I just don’t have to, feeling a bit more energetic and inspired, other people’s honesty when you really need the truth, Strawberry Santa Hats, mixing hot cocoa with marshmallows in my coffee (so far the experiment is working, I am only drinking a cup every other day and that feels workable), reading in bed at night while Eric and the dogs sleep next to me, how much more Ringo wants to get on the couch and cuddle with me now that I’m home more often, how I can always depend on Sam to take a shower or nap with me (he keeps me company while I’m in the shower, doesn’t actually get in with me), having all the laundry done and put away, our heavier down blanket on the bed now that it’s colder, clean sheets, cooking new recipes, eating tried and true recipes, my new favorite owl pajama pants, laughing.