From three years ago, but just what it looks like today

1. Getting to work with good people. For example, I got a new camera for work this week, a fancy grownup one, and the day I took it out of the box, I was scheduled to take pictures of some interns in action for a series of blog profiles at CSU. I didn’t know what I was doing, either with the technology or setting up the shots, but with the help of my colleague who knows so much more than I do, the pictures turned out great and I learned some stuff.  Another example is I met with my interns for the last time this week, published their final profiles, gave them their parting gifts, and reflected on how lucky I am to get to work with such dedicated, enthusiastic, creative students. And finally, there’s that guy who stops by my office and steals my candy who always has such nice things to say about me, and seems to show up and say them just when I need to hear it.

2. Spring. The bird song, the blooms, the 1000 shades of green, the promise of summer break and a garden, and yes, even the rain, (although, after a week’s worth of it, I’m having to work really hard on that one).

3. Healthy, happy dogs. We are nearing the sweet spot with these boys, that moment in our lives together where they are grown up enough to be easier, calmer, but they are also still young enough to have lots of energy and good health. We’ve got about 2-3 years of that, five if we are lucky, before the inevitable down turn starts to happen on the other end of things, where Sam starts to get older and can’t quite keep up — at least, that’s the hope. We’ll be so lucky if Sam gets old. Obi was still in the sweet spot when he got his cancer, and Dexter was just barely starting to slow down when he got his. I tell Sam and Ringo all the time that they are going to be my old dogs. #fingerscrossed

4. Sangha. Community and connection. My yoga friends, the Open Heart Project, the Daily Dharma Gathering, all the other creatives and healers I’m connected to, my writing companions, and all the other humans who help me to cultivate an open heart, softness and strength, practice, faith.

5. The ability to choose. The luxury to have space and time to listen, to sit quietly with myself and consider what I need, to contemplate what I want, and to be able to choose.

6. Andrea Gibson. She’s an amazing performer, poet, human. I got to finally see her in person this past weekend, in the company of an equally amazing poet and human.

Bonus Joy: how curious Eric is, how excited he gets when he’s telling me about something he saw or read or heard, how he makes me laugh, how he makes himself laugh, the stability and comfort he offers me, sweet potato corn chips and hummus (yes, I’m still obsessed), lemonade, cabbage rolls, smashed potatoes, knowing that I can only do what I can do and what doesn’t get done is okay too, humans who care and are putting so much effort into making things better, how happy Ringo is when I get his favorite toy out for him to play with, how I’ve watched him lately catch himself when he’s about to make a bad decision and independently redirect, how sweet Sam is, how he just wants everyone to be calm and nice, books, being able to give — gifts and attention and effort and encouragement and attention.

1. Spring. Lilac blooms, rain, everything so so green and lush, bird song in the morning, the promise of summer vacation, lazing around in the backyard.

2. Dharma of Writing. We had our first session last night, one of four. My dad told me on his birthday a few weeks ago that he’s giving me one year to write this book I keep talking about, and last night I worked on it. The first task is to start typing up and working with the 10+ years worth of journals I’ve filled. I’ve always joked that if I just did that, I’d have 70% of the book already written, and after an hour of doing just that last night, only four pages in, I can see that I was right. I’m going to trust that if I just keep showing up, working with that material, the story, the book will become clear.

3. April Love. Yesterday was the last day of the 30 day challenge. I missed it this morning. For the past month, the first thing I wrote when I opened my journal was “April Love prompt.” One of the first things I thought about every morning was how I was going to respond to the prompt. I miss it. Whatever will I write about now? 😉

Sam hiking at Lory State Park

Ringo hiking at Mount Margaret

4. Eric. How he takes the dogs hiking. How he does all of Sam’s maintenance stuff to keep him feeling good, keep him from being uncomfortable and scritchy. How even though he really wants to kill Ringo sometimes, he doesn’t. How he leaves me love notes on the kitchen counter.

5. Sam and Ringo. They are so different from each other, so much like Obi and Dexter but also so much themselves.

Bonus joy: the meadowlarks singing at the park, that one bird that sounds almost like a monkey, yoga, Fridays, pay day, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, avocado, hummus and sweet potato corn chips, having a job but also having vacation time, knowing I’m good at what I do, the tiny irises that are yellow with a purple beard that I totally forgot about until they bloomed again this year, the smell of the lilacs, grocery shopping, things that were hurting starting to heal.