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.