1. SNOW!!! It makes me so happy. It wasn’t much, but I’ll take it.

2. Morning walks, and more importantly that when I can’t do it, Eric can. We both got “the crud” (not COVID or the flu or any of the fancy ones, just plain old crud) around New Year’s, him a few days before it got me, so I spent my whole week canceling plans and staying home on the couch. We’ve had some pretty cold mornings, so a few times even Eric couldn’t take Ringo so sometime after lunch, he and I would do a walk around the block and Eric walks him a bit more when he gets home from work. 

3. Being able to cancel plans and spend the week resting. Every day, I wake up thinking I’ll be better and then spend the day on the couch again — first it was a really sore throat and fatigue, then it was sneezing and fatigue, and now I’ve moved into the “my nose won’t stop running but I’m also stuffed up and my head feels like it’s in a vice” and fatigue stage. Hopefully next week will be better.

4. Wild Writing. I canceled everything else this week, but I was able to show up and write this morning. I love that practice so much, and I can’t wait until I’m through this particularly unpredictable moment in my life so I can start scheduling more things and sharing it more with other people.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. It’s the best place to rest and recover when I’m not feeling my best. And yes, my Christmas tree is still up.

Bonus joy: grocery pick up (that saved me this week because I could NOT face going inside and doing the shopping myself, did NOT have the energy), getting the laundry done (even though it took close to four days), a hot mug of green tea, my weighted blanket, my Shakti mat, tissues infused with lotion, lip balm, lemon mint throat lozenges, tortilla chips, a warm shower (finally), down pillows and blankets, an 11 year old dog who isn’t too concerned if he doesn’t get a walk first thing after breakfast, blackout curtains, a white noise machine, twinkle lights, a working furnace, my aunt Cindy getting her health back, my uncle Bruce hopefully in a place now that will take good care of him so my aunt Monica can recover her health and not have to worry about him, all the caretakers that help my mom (especially since I can’t be there to do it myself), good books, my new Kindle, libraries and librarians, poetry and poets, comedy, true crime, listening to podcasts, Ringo’s continued good belly health, the chance to start over (a million times, if necessary), getting to write with Chloe’ and Cynthia, trading memes and reels with Kari and Shellie and Carrie, pistachios, hard boiled eggs, berries, prescription glasses, first responders and other essential workers — people who run towards the danger (“There are two kinds of people in the world – first those who run away from danger, then there are those who run towards danger, to see if someone needs help.” ~Abhijit Naskar), reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.