1. SNOW!!! Finally… I could absolutely do without the below zero temps we are going to have for the next three days, and Ringo hasn’t had a walk yet today, but we really need the snow, especially since last week I noticed my irises were already trying to come up.

2. Morning walks. They were a bit weird this week because before the storm and super cold, we had a lot of big wind.

3. My bed. Flannel sheets, down pillows and blankets, blackout curtains, a sound machine, my moon nightlight, my weighted blanket. I am not even embarrassed to say that my bed is one of my favorite places, and during the cold and dark season, it’s just so comfy and cozy. I went into my bedroom the other day when it was super windy, and Ringo decided my bed was the best place to be as well, (he doesn’t like the wind).

4. Good humans. As much as I enjoy being by myself and as many days as I have when I just can’t people, there are lots of humans in my life and the world that make it worth engaging and even leaving my house sometimes. And lucky me, my favorite human just so happens to live in my house.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I don’t ever want to leave. 

Bonus joy: dark chocolate covered almonds, sweet potatoes, so many good books, texting and sharing pictures with Carrie and Chloe’ and Chris, being sad, my infrared heating pad, sitting in the sauna, getting in the pool, training with Shelby and the gang, breakfast burritos, pancakes, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, good TV, listening to podcasts, that video of Leslee I found on my phone, naps, gummies, being able to start over, letting go, crying, the way Ringo’s head smells, birds in the feeder, our neighborhood murder of crows, how chunky the squirrels are, all forms of bread, citrus, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep. 

1. Morning walks. Eric and I decided that we liked going together so much, we are going to make more of an effort to do that at least once a week. And as nice as it is to have dry trails and therefore be able to walk anywhere we want, we desperately need snow and colder temperatures right now. Without it, our lawn is still green and my irises are starting to come up, and that is just wrong.

2. Other people’s kids and dogs. Hendrix with his new baby cousin, the way they look at each other and how big Hendrix smiles at him. And Tony, now five months old, who I am somehow able to leave without every time I go visit him — that’s some serious self-control right there.

3. Good humans. Making art with Janice, going to brunch with Carrie, texting with Chloe’, sending love to Kari, New Year’s Day yoga with Sarada, laughing with Dana, writing with my Friday morning Wild-ish Writing sangha, (or as Cynthia misnamed it this week: “wildest” writing), training with Shelby and the gang, hopping around in the pool with the aqua aerobics crew.

4. Good books. There aren’t many things I love more than reading. I just started The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery and it’s already blowing my mind, breaking my heart (in a good way), and I’m about to start Yellowface which was on just about every “Best of 2023” book list.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. This week was a rough one for me, (grief has its own timeline, its own methods), and having Eric and Ringo along with a safe, comfortable place to be makes all the difference.

Bonus joy: twinkle lights, clean laundry, clean sheets (I just put on the flannel ones, fingers crossed they aren’t too warm), grocery shopping at 6:30 am and having the whole entire produce section all to myself and be finally able to take the time to ask how to use the digital coupons, dark chocolate covered almonds, the stack of new books I got for Christmas, a warm shower, tuna fish sandwiches with sweet pickles and tomatoes, my infrared heating pad, the opportunity to start over, sitting in the sauna with Eric, using the hydromassage chair and getting in the pool, peanut butter, green tea, being able to schedule appointments or ask questions on my own schedule using an app rather than having to make a phone call, practice, pain medication, gummies, the sound of our furnace running, naps, blackout curtains and white noise machines, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.