1. Morning walks. Things are really blooming and starting to turn green. The snow must be melting in the mountains because there’s water moving in the river again. Next will be all the animal babies.

2. Mom’s birthday party was a success. She really seemed to enjoy herself, the gifts and the treats (the berry pie my aunt brought was her favorite) and the company, and as soon as they put her back in her bed, she passed out for a long nap. As always, and as is clear from the pictures, baby Hallie is still her favorite human, (seriously, as soon as you had her that baby, everyone else disappears — I like to pretend she thinks it’s me).

3. My brain is “unremarkable.” Apparently, this is the result you want from a brain MRI. The only thing they found during my scan was evidence that I am, in fact, a person who has migraines. Knock on wood and fingers crossed that my migraines have calmed down for a bit and having a cluster of them like that is not the new norm. 

4. Practice. Doing yoga at Red Sage and writing with my Friday morning group.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I love it here, with them, in this place. 

Bonus joy: chicken breast made in the air fryer by Eric, the yellow green new leaves on my neighbor’s Honey Locust tree, good mail, stickers, a new blank notebook, ink refills for my pen, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, getting in the pool and sauna, my new aqua shoes, Haflinger wool slippers, texting with my brother, sitting in the backyard with Eric and Ringo, down blankets and pillows, compression socks, listening to podcasts, naps, reading in bed while Eric and Ringo sleep. 

1. Morning walks. Slower and shorter, but still one of my favorite things.

2. Mom’s birthday is tomorrow. They are going to attempt a party of sorts for her, a gathering in the main room with cake and singing, but there’s always a chance she’ll rather stay in bed. I’m glad she gets to spend her birthday at Tokarski, and hope it gives a chance for the people who’ve cared for her for the past year to have a more official “goodbye” and celebration with her before she moves. She’s already been getting visits and wishes from people who can’t make it on the actual day and the flowers I ordered her are supposed to get delivered today.

3. Friends. Writing with my Friday morning group, visiting with Chloe’ in person, brainstorming some ideas with her for more regular gatherings with bigger groups, and sharing Instagram reels with Carrie and Kari and Shellie, ordering a bunch of new cards from a smaller company to use to send some snail mail, texting with Chelsey and my cousin Christie.

4. Shipping success. The Ubox my brother packed with the things I’d saved from Mom and Dad’s house arrived with everything perfectly intact. My favorite thing about working with U-Haul is their obvious commitment to employing women (only one person during the entire process, on the phone or online or on site, was a man), in particular to drive the trucks that deliver and pickup the Uboxes (all the drivers were women, and when I mentioned it to one of them, she said, “yeah, U-Haul loves their female drivers”).

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. We’ve been doing lots of what feels like spring cleaning, partly because cleaning out Mom and Dad’s house made me want to do better in my own, to get rid of things we didn’t need anymore and organize what we keep, and because I knew I was collecting some of their stuff to bring here and needed to clear space for that. It’s comforting to have some of their things here with me. My favorite thing about that kind of cleaning and organizing is knowing what I have and where it is and choosing it, wanting it to be in my house and in my life. I’ve really been noticing lately how much more attached Ringo is to me as he ages. I never used to be his first choice, but now even when Eric is home, Ringo chooses to stick by me, always wants to know where I’m at and what I’m doing. 

Bonus joy: access to healthcare and the ability to afford it including extra things like MRIs (I’ve been having migraines almost daily for over a week, so my doctor is sending me in for a scan just to be safe), ibuprofen, the smell of lilacs, bees on the dandelions, down blankets and pillows, our new futon mattress, organizing my spices (y’all, I’ve got A LOT, and short of building a custom cabinet there are just no good options for keeping them clean and accessible, but I did my best and it’s better than it was), getting in the pool and the sauna, a good sleep mask, listening to podcasts, the show Shrinking (I just finished the third season, and really like it), cheese, oranges, green tea, hot coffee sweetened with hot cocoa powder, hugs, making each other laugh, Haflinger wool slippers, finding my missing headlamp at the bottom of an empty reusable grocery bag in the back of my car (too bad it wasn’t before Eric already ordered me a new one), one of my yoga students realizing she had COVID before we met for class, chewy crunchy foods, a big glass of cold clean water, rain in the forecast, sitting in the backyard with Eric and Ringo, canceled plans, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.