1. Morning walks. This was a strange week because we had some rain/snow and cold weather at the beginning, but the ground was still so warm that it didn’t exactly freeze over. When it comes to the dirt trails by the river and around the ponds, that can make for a muddy, messy walk so we had to find the spots with more paved trail than not. And yet, even under those circumstances, where we live does not disappoint — the sky, the water, the trees. Getting to spend time with Ringo while he’s doing something he also loves is an extra bonus.
2. The lingering fall. I got my snow tires put on this week and am ready for winter weather, but the color and sunshine of fall that remain are glorious.
3. My “support team.” I feel really lucky that I can identify and seek out help when I need it, and especially grateful that it is accessible and involves people who are kind and wise.
4. Practice. I had a few insights as I was writing this week that made all the effort worth it. I am also so lucky to have found solace and comfort in things I can do regularly and wholeheartedly.
5. My tiny family, my tiny home, my tiny life. Love, love, and more love.
“Can I haz this stick, Mom?”
“Uh, that’s not a ‘stick’.”
“Oh right. So, can I haz it?”
Bonus joy: sitting in the sauna with Eric, getting in the pool, chatting with Janice and Sarah, texting with Chloe’ and Mom and Chris, the cute pictures they send me of cute kids, Eric’s parents finally getting phones we can text and send pictures to (now they just have to figure out how to open them and respond…), my little desk at the dining room table, watching the birds in the feeder while I sit at my writing desk, the crows and bluejays taking actual baths in our bird bath out front, naps, health insurance, vaccines, the “kids” who work the front desk at the gym, training with Shelby, missing Calyx but knowing she’s “still there” and I’ll see her soon, chrysanthemums, sweet potatoes, green grapes, smoked salmon, roasted almonds, the crunch of the leaves and the way they flutter to the ground when they fall, Ringo lounging in the backyard in the sun, naps, reading (The Prophets and Braiding Sweetgrass are my current reads, both of which I recommend), listening to podcasts, being able to find just about any music I want to listen to on Spotify, good TV (I have watched a few really good true crime limited series recently), cooking, a warm shower, clean laundry and sheets, laughing with Eric, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 