1. Morning walks. It’s gradually starting to get just the tiniest bit lighter that early. Sam is going 4-5 miles a day now and even running a little. He’ll never be back to where he was before he hurt his back, but I’m happy he gets to go on the full morning walk again.

2. Paid sick leave. I’ve needed it the last few days. After Eric being sick THREE times already this winter, I finally got a cold. All I want to do is sleep, but I don’t have the luxury. And even though I’m using some sick leave, I’ve still been working, along with all the stuff that needs to get done whether I’m sick or not, like the laundry and teaching yoga and walking the dogs.

3. Date nights with Eric. As I mentioned before, we always take a selfie when we leave the house after dark, just to prove that it actually happens sometimes.

4. My boys. They always want to come along when we pick up the dad from work. They are good company when I’m not feeling so great. Sam especially is a big fan of the all day nap.

Eric posted this on Facebook, with the caption “Bird dog… Ringo saw that hawk and stood there, then barked. He wanted to make it fly. Ringo wants RESPECT.”

5. Only 14 weeks of work left at CSU. The next few weeks are super busy, but I’m hoping after that it slows down a little so I can really start making the transition, tying up loose ends and letting go.

Bonus joy: some of my favorite presents ever (like this meditating dog garden statue or the blanket my niece made me that’s the perfect throw to use on the couch), sunny blue skies (although, we could really use more snow), naps, sleeping in, down blankets, a soft warm hat, yoga, meditation, Pilates, swimming, aqua aerobics, texting, cancelling plans, reading my Kindle in bed at night before I fall asleep, good TV, clementines, orange juice, hot sweet & spicy tea, nasal rinse, computer glasses, dreaming about birds.

1. Flowers in the bathroom. I bought these daffodils and the very next day it snowed. We’ve had a really mild winter so far this year, but it’s still a little cold and a lot dark so I’m craving sunshine, warmth, citrus, and flowers.

2. Tuesday was my last first day of the semester at CSU! I feel pretty good about it. I had a realization this morning that if the expectations about the quality and quantity of work are going to so far exceed the compensation for said work, I’d rather spend my days writing and teaching yoga, meditation, and writing, and spending more time cooking, reading, swimming, working in my garden, and being with my husband and dogs. And yes, I absolutely understand that the only reason I can make such a choice is because of my big fat privilege.

3. Four years ago yesterday, I taught my first paid yoga class in my friend Stacey’s basement. That group of humans is still one of my favorite classes ever. They brought laughter and love to something I easily could have taken too seriously. Feeling some major gratitude – for them, for that opportunity, for my practice, for the privilege of teaching, for all my students who show up just as they are and allow me to hold space for them, for how far I’ve come and hopefully how far I will still go.

4. Facebook memories of the first month with Ringo. Some of the memories aren’t happy. They are about how Sam was sick and we didn’t know why or if he was going to make it, and others are about how hard it was to have such an energetic, demanding, mouthy, smart puppy and all the things I did wrong. But everything else is all “look at how cute and tiny he was!”

5. My tiny family. They really are the best thing, as essential for my survival as sleep or water.

Bonus joy: tea, treats, and talk with a friend who can make me cry and also laugh multiple times in the same conversation, aqua aerobics, sleeping (a regular night, sleeping in or a nap, doesn’t really matter), all the good TV and books and podcasts — there is not enough time for all of the goodness!, Pilates and how much I laugh in those classes (it counts as core work), teaching yoga, yoga teacher training, good people, buying groceries (this is one of the times I am most aware of how privileged, how lucky I am), bran muffins with dried raspberries, butternut squash soup, split pea soup, tomato bisque soup (I am on a soup kick right now), our new Instapot and all the yummy stuff Eric is cooking with it, a good internet connection, seeing Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo last night (watch their documentary, it’s so good).