1. Morning walks. Eric’s foot is better so he came with us this week on all our walks. It’s strange because most of the places near the water we typically have to avoid this time of year have remained accessible, only a few mosquitoes and plenty of dragonflies doing their work eating them.  

2. Books, reading and writing them. I am still amazed how almost every book I read is a good one, hardly any stinkers. I can only think of one or two in the last year that were disappointing. And every time I sit down to work on writing one of my own, I’m amazed how much I’ve already written, how the process now is like piecing together a quilt. It’s also strange how now that I’m actively working on that, it matters less to me if I ever finish, because if I don’t it will only be because I ran out of time, not that I didn’t try.

3. Practice. I adore practicing with the women and sometimes dogs of Red Sage. I’m grateful that I’ve found practices that work for me and so lucky to have such good people to share them with.

4. Mom. We still send selfies to each other. As she gets more confused, I’m so grateful she hasn’t forgotten me and am eternally grateful for the good care and company she has where she’s at.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I love it here, with them.

Bonus joy: being able to start over or change my mind or cancel plans, naps, libraries and librarians, poets and poetry, my primary care doctor’s nurse practitioner, being able to opt out when they want to weigh me — and knowing that change in that office was at least partly because of me and a nutritionist who advocated for me and in so doing shifted the perspective of that practice, texting with Chris, the yellow mums Eric got for me, the whole house fan and a/c, other people’s dogs and kids and gardens, watching TV, listening to podcasts, new to me music, cooler temperatures, sharing reels and memes with Shellie and Kari and Carrie, ice cream, fresh corn, the value of doing absolutely nothing, opting out, fresh eggs, the ways Eric and I help each other, not being alone in “this,” photo magnets, afternoon storms, cooler temperatures, online shopping, grocery shopping, HRT, heating pads, vaccines, prescriptions, gummies, green tea, a handmade mug, stickers, birds in my feeder, butterflies and hummingbirds in my garden, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.