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. 

1. Morning walks. They might just stay at this shorter distance, which means I might have to start walking a bit further on my own, without my dog, and that’s just weird. Lilacs are starting to bloom so I think we might start seeing some baby geese soon. 

2. Medication, both over the counter and prescription. I had a biopsy this week that was pretty painful and a migraine ever single day since, so I’m feeling extra grateful for the help. Along with that, I’m grateful to myself for allowing the space and time to recover, even though it meant canceling my Thursday morning yoga class, and the knowing that I’m teaching them something about self-care when I do, and to my husband for helping take care of me when I’m “down.”

3. Finding Mom a new place to stay. I am feeling really good about the situation we found for Mom, in a good location that’s close to Chris and fingers crossed her older sister ends up moving in just around the corner so they’ll be close too, in a room with a view of a garden that gets lots of birds and deer, and a TV with The Hallmark Channel, with the same sort of care and company she’s had this past year, and no need to ever relocate again. Now fingers crossed the move won’t be too disruptive or confusing for her, and she’ll be content and comfortable there.

4. Signs of spring. The trees are blooming and I bought myself a bunch of spring flowers. Tillamook also has my favorite limited availability ice cream back in stock and it was one sale, buy one get one free — although I told Eric no more for awhile because I was eating it like it was my job. 🙂 Chris and Lia have been riding their bikes at the park by the river, and Ringo and I have been spending some time every day sitting in the backyard, where the grass has filled in, soft and green.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Comfortable, safe, and loved, hanging out together, making each other laugh. It’s everything I ever wanted. My practice room, a very small area even when empty, has been a disordered chaotic unusable space for the past few months. This week, I finally put it back together. My favorite lesson from my various practices and teachers is just this: you can try again, start over as many times as necessary, and things don’t have to be perfect in order to begin.

Bonus joy: onion buns, a big glass of clean cold water, our new futon, practicing with my Friday morning writing group, books from the library on my Kindle, turning over a new page on my calendar and picking a new image for my desktop calendar, texting with Chloe’ and Chris, Eric finishing the laundry for me, a warm shower, kind and caring medical professionals, being on Instagram again for a bit and sharing reels with Carrie and Kari and Shellie, YouTube shorts, listening to podcasts, my Shakti mat pillow (which it turns out is helpful for my migraines), other people’s pets and kids and gardens, Haflinger wool slippers, down blankets and pillows, the relationship my brother and I have as adults even after (or maybe because of) all the hard things we’ve been through, fruit, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.