1. Morning walks. It’s slowly leaning towards fall, my favorite season in Colorado. There are fewer mosquitoes and it’s darker in the morning which means we see more critters and fewer people.

2. Practice. I’ve been understandably distracted so the quality of my practice has reflected that, and yet I’m still so much better off when I show up, am present for whatever may arise, keep my heart open. There’s lots of crying right now, but that can be good too.

3. Simple self care. Brushing my teeth, taking a shower, drinking water, eating, napping, reading, asking for help, hugs, petting Ringo’s sweet head, letting myself fall apart and feel sad, texting with Chloe’ and Chris and Mom, listening to podcasts, watching videos, looking up at the sky, stretching, keeping the curtains closed, eating cookies and mac & cheese.

4. All the work I did to prepare myself for being “here.” I’ve been a serious committed practitioner for 15 years, have studied and read books about all the difficult things, have taken classes and gone to workshops and retreats, practiced with open hearted teachers of all kinds and became a teacher myself. Turns out the benefit of all that is to be able to live through this — somewhere between grief and grace, in the middle of nowhere, at the end of the world, empty and luminous. Thank you, past me, for the dedication, the tenderness. You are saving me now. 

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Ringo got a new enrichment toy and it’s so cute watching him pull out each ribbon of felt and carefully unroll it with his nose to get the treat. Eric spent the day at a D&D event, an annual bash that involves dressing up (this year’s theme: Space Cowboy) — I swear, a nerd is the best possible partner for an introvert.