1. Morning walks. It rained so hard on Thursday, we couldn’t go, and I still haven’t seen the fox babies, but taking a walk with the dogs in the morning continues to be one of my favorite things almost two decades after the very first one.

I love walking with both dogs, but walking just one is SO much easier

2. Living near the river and the ponds. I feel so lucky we can walk out the front door and be at the river or the ponds in just a mile, and that there’s so much flora and fauna to see.

3. Spring. With all the rain last week, things are blooming and super green.

4. Ringo and Sam. There will most likely be a day when I don’t have dogs, but I can’t even imagine it.

This is his “throw the frisbee, Dad” face

5. Eric. I can’t wait to spend more time with him once we are both on summer break.

Bonus joy: being afraid and knowing there is a risk but saying what I know anyway, good TV (I thought when I watched the last episode of season three of Call the Midwife that the series was over, but there were actually four more seasons!), good books (I’m reading Janelle Hanchett’s new book I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering and So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo), the sound of the neighbor’s lawn mower, the chaos of bird song in the morning, a warm shower, clean sheets, only 7 days of work left, brunch with a friend, orange juice, rhubarb, CBD oil, good smelling soap, aqua aerobics, yoga, Pilates, writing, meditation, good people who are trying so hard, sleep.

1. Morning walks. This was pretty much the only time I was off the couch or out of bed and wearing something other than pajamas last week. I was sick with strep throat and Eric was gone at a conference and Sam is still on restriction, so Ringo and I were on our own.

2. Paid sick leave. There was no way I could have worked this week, although I did a few things from home. My brain and body just couldn’t function beyond taking care of the bare necessities for me and the dogs.

3. The essentials for being sick. This time around they were plenty of clean pjs, clean sheets, Kleenex with lotion (because after a few days of blowing and wiping my nose with toilet paper it felt like my nostrils were ringed with a thousand tiny paper cuts), orange juice and oranges and orange sherbert, antibiotics, cough syrup with codeine, ibuprofen, Butternut Squash soup, onion rolls, House Hunters Renovation, lots of tea, health insurance, and my infrared heating pad.

4. Sam and Ringo. They were so good for me while Eric was away and I was sick, so patient and sweet. They got me out of bed every morning, but also let me sleep most of the day and kept me from feeling too lonely or sorry for myself.

5. Eric. He almost got stuck because a storm moved in his last day in DC, but he did everything he could, even drove to another airport, to get a flight out and get home to me.

Bonus joy: getting some real clarity about changes I want to make in my life even when I was feeling so crappy I couldn’t get off the couch, flowers blooming, being able to take time off and rest without beating myself up about it, getting enough sleep, a kind and available and smart primary doctor, good friends who check on me and are on standby ready to help, feeling better bit by bit.