1. Flowers in the bathroom.

2. Good friends. And the technology that allows me to stay connected to them even when they are far away or we are on different schedules.

3. Practice. Yoga, meditation, writing, and dog. They all work together to keep me sane.

4. Snow. I could have done without the super cold temperatures we’ve had, but I do love the snow. I was especially happy to see the trees along the trail decorated again this year, some one else’s lovebomb.

5. Eric. He’s so good to me, does so much good stuff, takes such good care of me. For example, for the past three mornings when it’s been too cold for the dogs to walk (because if they walk, the snow gets clumped up in their feet and their feet get too cold), Eric’s taken them running.

6. Sam and Ringo. They make me laugh, and cheer me up when I don’t feel like laughing. And, they make sure I never have to bathe alone.

Bonus joy: clementines, Solange’s new album A Seat at the Table, people who are working so hard and make it so easy for me to help, Fridays, the weekend, clean sheets, a house that smells like cookies, ibuprofen, good podcasts, the Voxer app, snow tires, gortex shoes, a warm coat, tape, sleep, flannel pajama pants so worn and soft they are almost falling apart.

1. Morning walks. It’s been dark and cold this week, but that also means hardly anyone else is out (except the rabbits and deer, and the occasional owl) and we have the park all to ourselves.

2. Slowing down. I’m done with my meditation instructor training, Wild Writing is on a break until next month, and the semester is coming to a close. This season has a funny energy though where at the same time things are slowing down, they are also ramping up to the new year and all the new things that will come with that.

3. Being able to choose. There’s a lot I could be doing right now, and it would be really easy to burn myself out, get sick, crash, but I’ve been being careful about just that, making better choices about where my energy and effort goes, and when I need to rest.

4. Sweet Sam. Speaking of rest, that’s what this boy had to do this week. Last week he did a lot of hiking and sprained his ankle (or foot or shoulder, it can sometimes be hard to tell in a dog), so he was on restriction this week. The limping only really lasted the first day, and was only really the first few steps right when he got up, but since it was the second time in the past few months, we made him take things slow for the whole week and he’s better now.

5. Ringo. He just is so stinking cute, and can be such a pain in the ass. He’s been a real cuddler lately. After dinner, he crawls up on the couch with me, gets right on top of me and demands I pet him. I love it. I also love his new harness. This is a big deal, to get the right gear for a dog, especially a stocky but short Cattle Dog, and takes lots of trial and error, but I think at three years old, we finally found the right one for him — a Freedom harness.

Bonus joy: snow tires on my new car, a clean desk, being almost done Christmas shopping, having the money to be able to Christmas shop, working from home, clementines already peeled, homemade potato soup, clean laundry, my new slippers, a warm shower, clean sheets, down blankets, my favorite wool hat, chocolate, twinkly lights, sleep, how hard Eric laughs sometimes.