1. Peonies. I love them so much, and this poem about them by Mary Oliver:

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

and they open —
pools of lace,
white and pink —
and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away

to their dark, underground cities —
and all day
under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again —
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.
Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,
and softly,
and exclaiming of their dearness,
fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,
their eagerness
to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are
nothing, forever?

2. Practice. I get to practice yoga with the crew at Red Sage again, where I was teaching when COVID shut everything down. They have a new building with more room to practice and more people. Holding space for those who spend their days helping dogs and their humans feel better (including me and mine) is such a perfect fit for me. I’ve been practicing yoga every morning first thing when I wake up, then meditation and writing, and it feels good.

3. Morning walks. Mostly around the neighborhoods but every few days, we walk towards the river, just to get a glimpse of it. With all the rain we’ve had and the snow melting, it’s full and fast and freezing these days.

4. Yard time. Sitting in our backyard together is one of my favorite things. The other night we were out there and Ringo got the zoomies (which he does quite often for a nine and a half year old adult man). Eric got up and they chased each other and played a bit and I got some really funny pictures of the chaos.

5. My tiny family, tiny home, tiny life. I am SO lucky, so grateful, so content, so in love with all of it.

Bonus joy: training with Shelby and the gang, one on one training with Shelby, the hydromassage chair, the pool, sitting in the sauna with Eric, yoga with Jamie, birds at the feeder, the bunny that has been napping under my rhubarb plant, good neighbors, other people’s dogs, having enough peonies to give some away, taco salad, texting with Chloe’ and Chris, naps, laundry, stickers, dark chocolate covered walnuts, good TV and films, listening to podcasts, stretching, sunshine, rain, green, how soft my hair is after using the new shampoo and conditioner I got, Oofos flip flops and slides, fabric scissors, patio umbrellas, collapsible wagons, strawberries, calendars and clocks, gummies, a big glass of cold clean water, clean air, down blankets and pillows, comedy, poetry, paper, hummingbirds, baby cows, quilts, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Morning walks. Even though there are mosquitoes, I wanted to see how swollen the river was with snow melt and all the rain we’ve had, so we walked down to the edge but turned right around after I took a few pictures. It’s nice to get to walk with Eric in the morning, and still sort of weird to only have one dog between the two of us. Ringo, on the other hand (paw) LOVES the fact that he has two humans who both carry treats and he’s the only one who gets (or wants) to eat them.

2. Making art. It is a particular kind of magic and medicine to sit down at my desk and let myself make something just for the pleasure of making, added bonus if I’m hanging out with a friend on Zoom at the same time.

3. Books. I’m in a phase where every book I read is so good, exactly the book I wanted and needed at the exact right moment.

4. Practice (and peonies). I’ve really been leaning in as I move through some difficult things and as I step back into the role of “teacher,” holding space for other people also moving through hard stuff.

5. My tiny family, tiny home and garden, tiny life. I’m not a fan of summer temperatures or bugs. I am, however, a HUGE fan of the garden and Eric being home more often. Lounging in the backyard or napping or cooking or taking a walk, all three of us together is the best.

Bonus joy:  crossing things off my list, completing asks and tasks without having to talk to an actual human, training with Shelby and the gang, weeding (yes, I have absolutely lost my mind), clean laundry, clean sheets, wild-ish writing with my tiny writing group, setting a schedule to teach yoga at Red Sage and getting back on the sub list at Om Ananda, pictures and video of dogs who are no longer here in a dog body, scissors, tape, glue stick, green, clean water and air, good neighbors, texting with Chloe’ and Barb and Chris and Mom, that someone filmed Rita’s memorial service so I could “be there” even though I couldn’t be there, strawberries, cucumbers, stickers, paint, down pillows and blankets, our whole house fan, lawn chairs, the kitty Ringo didn’t see who followed us down the block while we were walking this morning, comedy, listening to podcasts, streaming content, true crime, poetry, ice cream, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.