1. Morning walks. Ringo and I did most of them by ourselves this week, as Eric was sick enough to be home from work but also sick enough he couldn’t go along. Each one that typically wasn’t my day to walk, as we are back on a “regular” schedule with Eric back at work fulltime so we alternate days, I thought to myself, “I’m the lucky one” — lucky to be out seeing the sunrise, lucky to be the one who gets to see all the animals (lots of owls lately), lucky to be able to walk, lucky to be with Ringo, lucky to be alive.

2. Canceling plans. Eric started feeling sick on Monday and at first, we assumed it was COVID, so I canceled everything on my schedule for the next few days, until we were sure it wasn’t anything contagious that I could pass on or that would take me out too. Except, the day that I thought I was safe to get back to my regular schedule, I had not one but two migraines and had to cancel all those plans too. Luckily, the only situations and relationships where I’m important are with Eric and Ringo, so canceling with everyone else but still being able to show up for them is workable. And for the one time I wasn’t able to help them with what they needed, there was Instacart.

3. Watermelon and peach season. I am most likely eating the last of these today but while they were here and I was able to have as much as I wanted, they made me so happy.

4. Ringo Blue. He was SO good this week, content to just rest and hang out with us as long as he got his morning walk and all his meals. With Eric feeling bad and needing extra care, and then me having an off day, it helped so much that Ringo was just okay with all of it. This is for sure one of the benefits of an old dog.

5. My tiny family, our small house, my little life. Just now, I can tell that Eric is feeling better because he is in the kitchen listening to his favorite old-time radio station, Radio Classics on SiriusXM. Earlier he was outside sitting in the backyard. This week he spent a lot of time sleeping, which is so unlike him I knew he didn’t feel good. I’m so glad he’s starting to feel better. This week was another reminder that we live in bodies that are impermanent and that more time together is never promised so we need to be so grateful and present, enjoy it while we have it and take such good care of each other.

Bonus joy: a new laptop, payday, pizza, our futon with the wool topper, air conditioning, our new to us lawn furniture, the new rug I got for the end of our bed so Ringo doesn’t slip on the wood floor when he gets up in the morning, deactivating my Facebook, new poetry collections, good books, YouTube shorts, listening to podcasts, having good music playing while driving with the windows rolled down, chrysanthemums, the trees turning gold, the cooler mornings, a hot cup of coffee and a warm mug of tea, a warm shower, rosemary mint shampoo, ibuprofen, seltzer water, urgent care, health insurance, asters, rabbitbrush, owls, crying, texting with Chris and Chloe’, getting to hang out with Carrie last week, people who share from their gardens, other people’s pets and kids, naps (so many naps), healthy eyes, being able to read, book club, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.