1. Morning walks. Saturday morning I had planned on sleeping in, skipping the walk, taking the morning slow and getting some laundry done. Instead, Eric woke me up (or rather Ringo did when Eric opened the bedroom door and he got up on the bed and booped me awake) at 6:30 to ask if I wanted to go with them, that they hadn’t left yet. Even though my half-awake mind was grumbling about it, listing all the reasons I should stay behind while they went without me, I got up and got ready to go, because the thing I know (and this is true of both morning walks and yoga) is that I will never regret going but I might regret not going. And once again I was right.

2. Peaches and watermelon. I know I said last week was probably the last of them, but I managed to squeak out a few more.

3. Practice. Yoga at Red Sage and the gym, writing with my Friday morning sangha, meditating, writing in my journal in the morning, reading poetry, pulling a few tarot cards.

4. The colors of fall. The past three days and have really felt and looked like fall, and I am so happy! It’s my favorite season in Colorado.

5. Comfort food. Sometimes “eating healthy” means taking care of yourself in a different way, and eating nourishing food doesn’t always mean only vegetables. And usually if I want something baked, like a cake, I’m better off making it myself rather than trying to buy it somewhere.

6. My tiny family, small house, little life. Eric has been sick but is thankfully feeling better. He got me my very own murder of tiny brass crows, hid them around my computer to surprise me. I came out after reading, writing, and having my morning drinks, and he asked if I’d noticed anything, but I had no idea what he was talking about, didn’t understand, hadn’t seen them yet because I was sitting at my other desk. It wasn’t until later that afternoon that I sat down and reached for my keyboard and saw two tiny crows sitting on my spacebar and looked to my left and saw more scattered on the desk, a few perched on the modem, and more lining the shelf in the corner. I called out to tell him now I understood what he was talking about, but he didn’t hear me because he was fast asleep on the couch, where he’d been spending a lot of his time. Ringo got acupuncture this week with Bronwen, who even though she pokes him with needles still manages to be one of his favorite people. He’s doing really well for almost 13 years old, was making us laugh last night chasing his tail after dinner, trying to get someone to play fight with him.

Bonus joy: texting with Chloe’ and Chris, good books, listening to podcasts, other people’s dogs, chrysanthemums, cooler weather, down blankets and pillows, comedy, poetry, short videos, pasta, a big glass of cold clean water, my new laptop, watching Death in Paradise with Eric, listening to music, cream cheese buttercream frosting, a couch comfortable enough to spend the night on, battery operated candles, garbage collection service, a washer and dryer in my house, bluetooth speakers, gummy supplements, that Ringo is easy to give pills and other supplements to (because he gets a lot of them), our futon and the wool topper, wool slippers, being able to help, pictures of the little humans in my family, the doodle notes Chris makes, inviting my father-in-law to come stay with us for Christmas (not sure yet if he will), horses, owls, indoor plumbing, sitting out in the yard with Eric and Ringo, stickers, new Birkenstocks, lip balm, lotion, an electric toothbrush, canceled plans, getting things delivered, prescription glasses, mint and ginger drops, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Morning walks. Ringo and I did most of them by ourselves this week, as Eric was sick enough to be home from work but also sick enough he couldn’t go along. Each one that typically wasn’t my day to walk, as we are back on a “regular” schedule with Eric back at work fulltime so we alternate days, I thought to myself, “I’m the lucky one” — lucky to be out seeing the sunrise, lucky to be the one who gets to see all the animals (lots of owls lately), lucky to be able to walk, lucky to be with Ringo, lucky to be alive.

2. Canceling plans. Eric started feeling sick on Monday and at first, we assumed it was COVID, so I canceled everything on my schedule for the next few days, until we were sure it wasn’t anything contagious that I could pass on or that would take me out too. Except, the day that I thought I was safe to get back to my regular schedule, I had not one but two migraines and had to cancel all those plans too. Luckily, the only situations and relationships where I’m important are with Eric and Ringo, so canceling with everyone else but still being able to show up for them is workable. And for the one time I wasn’t able to help them with what they needed, there was Instacart.

3. Watermelon and peach season. I am most likely eating the last of these today but while they were here and I was able to have as much as I wanted, they made me so happy.

4. Ringo Blue. He was SO good this week, content to just rest and hang out with us as long as he got his morning walk and all his meals. With Eric feeling bad and needing extra care, and then me having an off day, it helped so much that Ringo was just okay with all of it. This is for sure one of the benefits of an old dog.

5. My tiny family, our small house, my little life. Just now, I can tell that Eric is feeling better because he is in the kitchen listening to his favorite old-time radio station, Radio Classics on SiriusXM. Earlier he was outside sitting in the backyard. This week he spent a lot of time sleeping, which is so unlike him I knew he didn’t feel good. I’m so glad he’s starting to feel better. This week was another reminder that we live in bodies that are impermanent and that more time together is never promised so we need to be so grateful and present, enjoy it while we have it and take such good care of each other.

Bonus joy: a new laptop, payday, pizza, our futon with the wool topper, air conditioning, our new to us lawn furniture, the new rug I got for the end of our bed so Ringo doesn’t slip on the wood floor when he gets up in the morning, deactivating my Facebook, new poetry collections, good books, YouTube shorts, listening to podcasts, having good music playing while driving with the windows rolled down, chrysanthemums, the trees turning gold, the cooler mornings, a hot cup of coffee and a warm mug of tea, a warm shower, rosemary mint shampoo, ibuprofen, seltzer water, urgent care, health insurance, asters, rabbitbrush, owls, crying, texting with Chris and Chloe’, getting to hang out with Carrie last week, people who share from their gardens, other people’s pets and kids, naps (so many naps), healthy eyes, being able to read, book club, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.