1. Spring. Lilac blooms, rain, everything so so green and lush, bird song in the morning, the promise of summer vacation, lazing around in the backyard.

2. Dharma of Writing. We had our first session last night, one of four. My dad told me on his birthday a few weeks ago that he’s giving me one year to write this book I keep talking about, and last night I worked on it. The first task is to start typing up and working with the 10+ years worth of journals I’ve filled. I’ve always joked that if I just did that, I’d have 70% of the book already written, and after an hour of doing just that last night, only four pages in, I can see that I was right. I’m going to trust that if I just keep showing up, working with that material, the story, the book will become clear.

3. April Love. Yesterday was the last day of the 30 day challenge. I missed it this morning. For the past month, the first thing I wrote when I opened my journal was “April Love prompt.” One of the first things I thought about every morning was how I was going to respond to the prompt. I miss it. Whatever will I write about now? 😉

Sam hiking at Lory State Park

Ringo hiking at Mount Margaret

4. Eric. How he takes the dogs hiking. How he does all of Sam’s maintenance stuff to keep him feeling good, keep him from being uncomfortable and scritchy. How even though he really wants to kill Ringo sometimes, he doesn’t. How he leaves me love notes on the kitchen counter.

5. Sam and Ringo. They are so different from each other, so much like Obi and Dexter but also so much themselves.

Bonus joy: the meadowlarks singing at the park, that one bird that sounds almost like a monkey, yoga, Fridays, pay day, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, avocado, hummus and sweet potato corn chips, having a job but also having vacation time, knowing I’m good at what I do, the tiny irises that are yellow with a purple beard that I totally forgot about until they bloomed again this year, the smell of the lilacs, grocery shopping, things that were hurting starting to heal.

1. Breakfast with good friends that I don’t see nearly enough. Friendships that last decades without needing to try, love that lasts just because it does, women who are smart and kind and funny.

2. Feast with Rachel Cole and a whole group of amazing women. I’m grateful it was, and I’m also grateful it’s over now.

3. My Kindle, and all the books on it that I can read whenever and wherever I want. Don’t get my wrong — I’m not giving up paper books, but it’s nice to have another option.

4. My tiny family, my three boys.

5. Friday. Thank goodness.

Bonus joy: making it home from our walk before it rained, homemade ketchup, hummus and sweet potato corn tortilla chips, the grocery store stocking my favorite granola bars again, yoga teacher training, sangha, the Daily Dharma Gathering, the Open Heart Project, Season 4 of Girls on Amazon, funny people, smart people, the memory of peach pie, sleep, a cold glass of water, a hot shower, soft dogs, clean sheets.