1. Morning walks. We went to a natural area we hadn’t been in a while because when we drove by it last week, there was so much color and I knew it wasn’t going to last much longer. I was sad when we got there because it was super foggy that morning, so I thought I wouldn’t get any good pictures. Instead, the first part of the walk I got some cool foggy pictures and then the sun came out and I captured the color — which is all gone now, after a really cold night early in the week that made most of the leaves die or drop. Still no chance of snow yet, which is really late for us, but I’ve also heard we are going to get a lot of it this year, so I can wait.

2. Practice. I showed up for yoga at Red Sage and it was so clear that the idea I had for class wasn’t what was needed, so I shifted to begin in shavasana with extra blankets and challenged myself to teach an entire class where if one wanted, they’d never have to take the blanket off. We had a small but vibrant group for Friday morning writing and I got to share three Leila Chatti poems from her new book. My meditation practice has been rough, but I welcome the difficulty knowing there is space for it.

3. Infinite opportunities to begin again. Especially when the new habits you are trying to cultivate are complicated, remembering that it takes time, and that you will most likely fail and have to start over a few times, is such a comfort. As long as you are still here, still breathing, you can try again.

4. Books. I’ve been reading and listening to some really good ones lately, but it also feels like that’s been true for the past few years. 

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I just got back to my computer after taking a break to sit in the sun in the backyard with Ringo and Eric, one of my favorite things to do. I’m going to miss getting to do that with Eric’s mom when we go to Oregon this summer. 

Bonus joy: good TV, listening to podcasts, watching a movie, finishing the laundry, leftovers, a warm shower, clean sheets, down blankets and pillows, the sound of the furnace kicking on in the morning, other people’s kids and dogs, a hot cup of coffee, a warm mug of green tea, refillable ink pens, stickers, finding the last three bags of candy corn that woman at the store was so sad was all gone before she’d left the aisle and I could still catch her, snack size candy bars (although just about now, I kind of wish there weren’t so many of them at my house), slippers, libraries and librarians, poets and poetry, comedy and comedians, music and musicians, art and artists, true crime (although Eric said I may be watching and listening to too much of it considering I had a dream last night that I was wrongly accused of poisoning him), pictures of my dad as a little kid (seriously, he was so cute), pay day, warm fall days that are cool enough to wear a hoodie but still nice enough to sit outside in the sun, how the deer are so unbothered by us when we see them on our walks in the morning, how when we walk around Lincoln Jr. High if they do the morning announcements Ringo stops and listens as if they are talking to him and he needs to find out where morning study hall is being held, naps, used books, new books, gummies, changing my calendars to a new month and choosing a new desktop calendar image, cleaning off a counter or table, having the sauna all to myself, aqua aerobics, Sunday morning Pilates, cheese, pizza, texting with Chris, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Morning walks. It was time to get Ringo’s coat out again. The mornings are much darker and the temperatures are colder, with some gold still lingering in the trees. We didn’t even get a walk on Monday morning because it was too windy, 30 mile an hour winds all day long. I had a bunch of early appointments and obligations this week, so the rest of our walks were in the full dark, where I had my headlamp on almost the whole way, so I didn’t take many pictures. The one above, Eric took on their walk this morning.

2. Practice. Yoga at Red Sage this week included some of my favorite people and one of my favorite dogs. Sometimes during class along with a few moans, groans, and complaints, a couple of jokes that typically require a break for us to laugh it out and get ourselves back together, they’ll say things like “I really need to do yoga more than once a week” or “I really needed this” and I love that. Almost the whole group was there to write on Friday morning, even me who thought I wouldn’t make it back from my early doctor’s appointment in time to join. It is a really magical practice and a group of amazing women. I’m so lucky. I’m restarting my eight week MBSR program because as well as I did the first week, the second was a mess and I didn’t meditate enough or do the full body scan every day, but luckily I can always start over, begin again.

3. Being able to choose. This week included making some big choices for my health, two new things to try and two things to let go. As for the letting go, one morning, in a fit of passion or rage or something else altogether, I deactivated my Facebook and Instagram accounts. It’s been a few weird days since then but I’m certain it was the right thing and I’m sure I’ll write more about that later, as well as the two other new things I’m going to try. 

4. Health care professionals and their support staff. In particular this week, the ones who take care of me and the ones I love.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I love it here.

Bonus joy: finding a new recipe for peanut sauce, getting at least half the house tidied up, gummies, napping with Ringo, sitting out in the backyard in the sun with Ringo and Eric, libraries and librarians, poetry and poets, good TV, eBooks from the library on my Kindle, preordering books that haven’t been printed yet, other people’s dogs and kids, shade from a tree, a hot cup of coffee, a warm mug of green tea, the chance to start over, texting with my brother and Chloe’, finding ways to keep in touch that aren’t social media, book club and dinner after, clean sheets, a warm shower, my weighted blanket and weather cool enough to finally use it again, my Shakti mat (which Eric has been using as much as me lately), my sleep mask, my infrared heating pad, an “emergency” massage, grocery shopping, how Eric always loads my yoga gear into my car for me on the mornings I teach, how Ringo follows Eric out thinking he’s “helping,” cooking (when I want to be cooking, sometimes I DO NOT have the patience for it), slippers, down blankets and pillows, therapy, the other day when Eric forgot his phone and I rushed out to catch him before he drove away and when I came back towards the house the front door was open and Ringo was just standing there in the doorway watching (rather than running out and away, which he’s only done once to go after a cat I didn’t see when I opened the door), how being home with him more often I understand better what he needs from me, weekends when Eric doesn’t work, making each other laugh, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.