Gratitude

1. Morning walks. This week we saw the horses, some deer, and a flock of wild turkeys, which Ringo squealed at, sounded like a monkey — it was very exciting for him. We also had one particularly glorious sunrise.

2. Practice. I published a post yesterday that reaffirmed for me that when I’m writing in my journal and practicing with my Friday morning group, that’s “real” writing that can add up to something shareable. This week, I meditated and did yoga on my own, and it felt just right.

3. A quiet week. I needed it, so I let myself have it. Other than a Pilates class on Sunday and a much needed trip to the grocery store and lunch out with Eric, I mostly stayed home — which just so happens to be my favorite place.

4. How well Mom is doing. It felt a bit like whiplash to go from “she only has another week or two” to her doing so well, but I am so grateful for it. Whatever time she has left, I’m glad she’ll be spending it at Tokarski Home. She’s been getting lots of visitors and eating good food and getting lots of rest and they are taking such good care of her there. When I was texting with my brother the other day, he told her I said “hi” and she told him she wished I was there. I wish I was too, wish I could be two places at once.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Ringo got to meet the neighbor’s dog the other day — so cute! He’s been spending a lot of time in the backyard since it’s been so nice. He lounges in the sun until he gets too hot, then moves to the shade, and when he cools off, goes to a sunny spot again until he gets too warm and has to find the shade again, over and over and over. Everything is getting so green and we have our first flower bloom. Eric and I keep telling each other how glad we are that I’m home.

Bonus joy: Reese’s eggs (I’m a big fan of way more peanut butter filling than chocolate), getting the laundry done, pay day, watching TV, listening to podcasts, sitting in the backyard with Eric and Ringo, texting with my brother, more light, grocery shopping, Pilates, a warm shower, clean sheets, KIND nut clusters, waffles and pancakes, strawberries, carrots, comedy, poetry and poets, libraries and librarians, the riot of bird song in the morning, things blooming and budding and turning green, worms, two new birdfeeders (let’s see if I can keep the squirrels out), Ringo “singing” (howling), old pictures, my Shakti mat, my infrared heating pad, down pillows and blankets, that particular color of blue, the sky, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Morning walks. It’s turning toward spring and I could really tell this week because the birds were getting rowdy in the mornings, in particular the redwing blackbirds, (they are so small but so LOUD). We saw an owl one morning who was getting blasted by the wind just like we were. Then there was a fat robin sitting on a branch next to the river, a sure sign that spring is coming.

2. Practice. No Red Sage Yoga this week (everyone was sick) and a smaller group to write with on Friday morning. Luckily, writing and meditating in the morning only requires me to find my seat, so that was the same. My practices are regular and ongoing but simultaneously shifting and changing.

3. Eric. The pictures he sends me when he goes for a run or a hike, sitting in the sun with him in the backyard, lunch at Mount Everest Café, 30+ years of shared memories, watching Iron Chef and “trading some” (i.e. massage), hugs in the kitchen, all the love and heartbreak we’ve experienced together, making each other laugh.

4. My brother, Chris. He is really taking one for the team right now caring for Mom while we wait for a definite move in date for her new “apartment.”

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I love it here, with them, so much.

Bonus joy: Pilates, getting in the pool, sitting in the sauna, good books, finally cleaning up most of the tiny piles I’d made all around the house, taco salad, sweet & savory, hot cocoa to sweeten my coffee, KIND nut clusters, crunchy and chewy, Icelandic Skyr, watching TV (just finished Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke on Hulu — I thought I already knew the full story, but WOW), listening to podcasts, my Shakti mat, down blankets and pillows, when it’s warm enough out to open all the windows, payday, being able to help from a distance, comedy, true crime, libraries and librarians, poetry and poets, art and artists, music and musicians, streaming content, vaccines, texting and sharing reels, stickers, pineapple, breakfast burritos, eggs from Shaun’s chickens, other people’s kids and dogs, twinkle lights, blackout curtains, wireless internet, my HappyLight, the sound of an owl in the still dark of morning, how good Ringo was for Dr. Foster, a deep sigh, a whole new month, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep.