1. Farmer’s market. This was the haul from last week. It just makes me really happy to buy directly from who made or grew it. I also love the ritual of going downtown early in the morning at the beginning of the weekend and walking around.

2. Getting help with a nasty nest of yellow jackets. I find no joy in killing anything, and yet, once these mean little dudes (did you know they have TEETH, and they can chew through concrete?!) got inside our house (the crawlspace), it became them or us. I was really happy to find someone who not only could take care of it, but was a decent human being and made me feel better about the whole thing.

3. Practice. When it’s hard to breathe because I’m so anxious and heartbroken, this is always a soft place to land.

4. Morning walks. I love where I live so much — the access to green space and trails, the sky and the water.

5. My tiny family. It can be hard to manage everyone’s health and happiness (including my own), but the pay off is so worth it. And p.s. Eric takes such good care of all of us.

Bonus joy: Wild Writing, water aerobics, my not new anymore but still feels new to me car, a warm shower and a clean towel, a cold glass of clean water, watermelon, fresh corn, strawberries, remembering who I am, good TV (I’m watching The Sinner and it is the guiltiest pleasure, also One Mississippi and Better Things are back), good books (I’m finishing up Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates), clean sheets, cooler weather.

1. Morning walks with the dogs. It is officially fall here, with the darker, cooler mornings, and the green things starting to turn color. There was a bit of extra excitement this week because there was a young bear roaming our neighborhood — which isn’t unusual for where we live, especially this time of year. We had to be extra careful for a few days though.

2. The last surge of the garden. We are getting a few more strawberries and rose blooms.

3. Farmer’s Market flowers in the bathroom. I can feel the turn of seasons here too, as there are different varieties in the mix, and bouquets that lasted almost two weeks at the beginning of summer barely last until Thursday now.

4. Summer food. The peaches are done, but there are apples now. The corn is on its way out, but the watermelon is still good. And we still technically have bbq almost every night because if Eric can cook it on the grill, he will.

5. My tiny family. We are healthy, relatively sane, safe, and together.

Bonus joy: aqua aerobics, being in the swimming pool, technology that allows me to stay connected to people, good TV (just finished The Defiant Ones), good books (just finished I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings this morning), my not new anymore but newer car, my not new anymore but newer bathroom, finding a good company to put in a new fence for us, being able to help, wise and compassionate humans who haven’t given up, good lotion, a warm shower, a clean towel.