1. Morning walks. It’s the perfect blend of the sacred and the mundane.  This weeks was extra special because Ringo is feeling so much better. Which leads to…

1.a. Ringo’s physical therapy team and pain meds. Teri and Dr. Lindsey Fry and the whole team at Red Sage are just the best. Lindsey said he’s getting so used to acupuncture, she doesn’t even have to give him treats, he just lays down and closes his eyes, leans into her and trusts her to do whatever she’s gonna do. And Teri just might be his favorite person in the world.

2. Practice. I was talking to a friend yesterday about drug addiction, and we talked about how our practice is maybe the most important thing that kept us from going all the way down that road. Yes, we suffered and struggled, but we also had methods for working with trauma, strong emotions, and difficult situations.

3. Rest. Naps. My bed or that side of the couch. This particular picture of our bed makes me smile because it’s such a scarily accurate comparison of how Eric and I exist in the world, the state of our minds, the quality of our experience. You can probably guess which side is mine.

4. My friend Leslee. She passed away this week. It was unexpected, shocking, and sudden. I didn’t get to say good-bye. She was the smartest, sweetest, most creative, silly person — I mean, just LOOK AT HER. I’m thankful that she died at home, in her sleep, but I’m so so so sad that she’s gone. The world lost a bit of its magic and I am going to miss her so much. I still can’t quite believe I won’t ever see her again.

5. Good neighbors. I found out yesterday that our next door neighbors of the past 13 years are putting their house on the market and moving to Ohio to be closer to family. It makes me so sad, but also so grateful to have had them there for all these years. I sure hope the next set of people are just as good, and that they like dogs.

5. My tiny family, my tiny life, my tiny home. I say it every single week and maybe you are tired of hearing it, but they and this are exactly everything I ever wanted.

Bonus joy: cooking (I just made these refried beans and they are so good!), getting in the pool, sitting in the sauna, the hydromassage chair, Wild Writing, texting with Chloe’ and Chris and Mom, sharing cute pictures and memes, good books, canceled plans, Zoom, writing, listening to podcasts, bran muffins, raspberries, a big glass of clean cold water, a warm shower, down and wool, therapy, KN95 masks, vaccines, gummy supplements, cleans sheets, that corner of the couch, watching TV with Eric, making each other laugh, dog fur, toast, a crunchy gala apple, caramel, pinto beans, snow, trees, snow tires, ice scrapers, heaters, birds at the feeder, squirrels eating out of our compost pile, white twinkle lights, my infrared heating pad, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.