1. I’m still here. Sometimes you have weeks that are extra rough (this week one of the things I did was get a tooth pulled, and all of the fun that comes with it) and when you start to feel better, you are simply grateful to still be here.

2. Flowers. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved them. (Hey Mom, remember that time I went over and picked some of the neighbor’s peonies without permission?). I love a garden of blooms and I love to have them inside. It’s one of the things that consistently brings me joy.

Our neighbor’s driveway. I love how the garage door color matches the sunflower blooms.

3. Good friends. I really do have some of the best. They bring me eggs from their chickens when one of the only things I can eat is scrambled eggs, they meet me for our yearly breakfast at Lucille’s and it’s like no time has passed at all, they continue to sit next to me in meditation or writing practice even when it can be so hard to just show up, or they respond to my text’s about something hard that happened with so much love. They make me laugh, remind me that it’s worth it to keep trying. The women I know are kind, smart, creative, funny, and brave. I’m so lucky.

4. I finally got a haircut! It’s been two years since my last one. I got about three inches cut off, which means praise all that is good I don’t have a tail anymore!

5. My tiny family. Our summer is winding down, coming to a close, and I’m so glad we stayed home and had a quiet one. Sam is still having ongoing trouble with his back and back legs, but we are doing everything we can for him and he seems perfectly happy. Ringo is now a full on grown up dog in the prime of his life and as much as he drives us crazy sometimes, he also makes us laugh and can be such a lovebug if you catch him at just the right moment. And I wouldn’t trade Eric for anyone or anything.

Bonus joy: feeling a bit better today, having a wide open schedule so I can do what I need to do to rest and heal, my old computer hanging in there so I don’t have to rush to set up the new one, rain, Japanese cucumbers, soft serve ice cream from Dairy Queen, the kind of tv that’s the kind of good that you enjoy watching it but it’s also not a big deal if you fall asleep and miss part of it, a warm shower, clean sheets, new next door neighbors who put a “Hate Has No Home Here” sign in their lawn on the day they move in, long naps.

1. Colorado sky. This picture was the view from my front porch last night.

2. Our garden, and all the hard work Eric does to keep it going. We lost our zucchini in the first hailstorm of the year and our tomatoes are doing terrible, but we have tons of lettuce, basil, cucumbers, and flowers.

3. Summer food. The above picture is the peach sorbet I made with Palisade peaches, and the one below is the glazed lemon zucchini bread I made today (let’s be honest – it’s cake). Then there’s watermelon and corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes. It’s all so yummy.

4. The calm before the “storm.” I’m getting a tooth pulled on Monday and the week after a colonoscopy (turned 50, so they are doing the baseline test) and the week after that I have to go back to work, so I’m trying to enjoy just being normal and on vacation for a few more days.

5. My boys. Sam had to get a lumped checked at the vet last week, but thankfully it’s just a fatty tumor (he has one on his belly too). At 4.75 years old, Ringo is finally settling in to being an adult dog, but he hasn’t lost his goofy sense of humor or that typical Heeler independence/stubbornness.

Bonus joy: hanging out with amazing women (seriously, my friends are so smart, funny, creative, and kind), aqua aerobics, swimming lessons, Pilates, cooking, rainstorms, teaching yoga, getting paid to teach yoga, being able to help, meditation, writing, clean sheets, air conditioning, prescription glasses (can you imagine life without them?!), good books, good TV, documentaries, rice krispie treats, a cold glass of clean water, emails from my mom, a new computer (now I just need to set it up), laughing with Eric.