1. Morning walks. On one this week the sky really lit up, and on another we walked through the snow by the river.

2. Good food. I’ve been avoiding campus or campus events and even most campus people cause it feels too soon, too tender, but this week I took myself to lunch at one of my old favorite work lunch spots right across the street from CSU.

3. Good content. I finished Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives and Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, both really helpful. I also finished watching Gentefied on Netflix, which was really good too, (although just dramatic enough I could only watch one episode a day).

4. Good friends. People I can trust, who make me laugh.

5. My tiny family. My favorites. Eric is such a good husband, offers me so much support and loves me so much, and I love that Ringo gets I’m also his person now that I’m home more often, and even though Sam triggered my anxiety last night waking up choke coughing, he eased it later when he got in bed and spooned with me.

Bonus joy: aqua aerobics, sitting in the sauna, yoga, meditation, this mantra, taco bean salad, fresh lemonade, tulips, bird song in the morning, a good therapist, Girl Scout Thin Mints, canceled plans, reading in bed at night while Eric and the dogs sleep, TV shows that are easy to watch (like HGTV’s House Hunters), coupons, grocery shopping, my new pen, clean soft pajamas, cooking with Eric, sunshine.

1. The last bit of winter. I think I’ve mentioned it: as much as I love my garden and all the green and sun of spring and summer, living in Colorado I actually prefer the weather in fall and winter. We’ve been getting snow pretty regularly this month, but I can hear the birds singing in the morning and it is getting light much earlier, so spring is close. I’m savoring this last bit of cold and snow.

2. Good food. I made this Sweet Potato Salad with Pepita Dressing from Smitten Kitchen (my favorite recipe site) this week, added in some spinach because I had some that was wilting and needed to be used, and it was SO good. Pretty much anything with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and spinach is going to be something I like, and the lime really made this salad. I love trying new recipes, especially when they turn out well and are something I want to eat again.

3. Teaching yoga. This week in my regular class, I talked about “completing the stress cycle.” This is the time of year when people are getting sick and feeling fatigued by the dark and cold, and I had one person with a knee injury and another with a hurt back. I was also pretty sore from doing 120+ push ups in a fitness class the day before and extra tired from a people-y week, so teaching was a challenge, but also the best medicine.

4. Good TV. I watched The Stranger and Safe on Netflix this week. They are both based on books by the same author, murder mysteries with lots of interpersonal drama and intrigue, and even though it seems like those things would be triggering for someone with anxiety issues, they are weirdly calming in small doses. I’m also rewatching The Office, one of the only comedies that seems to stand the test of time, and there’s always House Hunters to round it out. I’m also reading some good books and listening to a bunch of good podcasts and good music. There seriously isn’t enough time to consume all the worthy content, let alone create some.

5. My tiny family. Last night while I was watching TV, Ringo got in my lap, and seriously there is nothing better than a warm cuddly dog on a cold night. Sam does his cuddle shift in the morning, in the hour or so before the alarm goes off.

Sam grows his own socks in the winter

Bonus joy: pay day, Girl Scout Thin Mints, napping, clean pjs, clean sheets, a warm cup of cocoa coffee while I write in the morning, writing with Carrie, hanging out with Mikalina, aqua aerobics, morning walks with the dogs, blue sky, good neighbors, my tiny house, sitting in the sauna with Eric, texting, therapy, grocery shopping.