I appreciate:

• Coffee!
• Sunshine!
• Getting stuff done so I can see Ruby later.

I appreciate:

• Pam, whose lively, funny, bright energy fills me with joy even when I’m just thinking of her, and whose daily appreciations are so thoughtful and lovely!
• An amazingly delicious salad for lunch at Living Waters Cafe.
• Sweater, blankets, socks, and slippers for end-of-the day cozy time.

I appreciate:

• The beauty of the snow. Helps make up for the temperature….
• Toby kitty always making me laugh. Last night: “Huh, what’s this? Lettuce? Oh, dinner!” Then this morning I find that he is helping protect the floor in the hall from stray hairs that might be falling. (He is not concerned, apparently, about the shower.) Goofy cat!
• Nyquil, which, if taken at 4:30 am can help one sleep until 8 am for a grand total of nearly 8 hours of sleep! Hooray!

I appreciate:

• That at least if I wake up early from my cold, I get to pad out to the kitchen and turn on the lights around the window and say, “Aw, pretty,” when I see them against the darkness outside.
• That if I’m tired from waking up at what-the-hell o’clock, I might accidentally put a pan of bacon in the oven before I realize that I’m cooking (which I do not do) and then by the time the coffee kicks in and starts my brain I have a yummy breakfast surprise waiting for me.
• The excited thought that since I woke up several hours before I’d planned to, I have SO many more hours in the day and I’ll be able to do SO many more things (not yet realizing that 3 of those things will be a nap)

I appreciate:

• How lucky I am that I deeply enjoy so much of what occupies any given day. Of course I have bad days and feel stressed or anxious sometimes, but I am never bored and more often than not wake up feeling excited about whatever the day might hold. I am amazed at how good my life is – even during a tumultuous year like this!
• Making things with sparkly crystals and beautiful, grounding stones. So much fun to design – and even more fun when someone falls in love with it and feels beautiful wearing it. What a treat.
• My awesome family who for some crazy reason, supports me no matter what I am doing.

I appreciate:

• Heat. It is so wonderful to come home from doing errands out in the tundra and walk into a cozy house.
• Electricity. In this season of darkness I absolutely adore our lighted windows. Love!
• Luna cat learning from our crazy Toby how to be a kitten. When we adopted Luna as a 6-week old kitten, she and her litter mates had been abandoned in an alley and she was so fearful and serious. We’ve had her 10 years and she’s grown into a very nice lap kitty now, but since we got Toby, she’s started PLAYING. So fun to see her acting like a kitten – however delayed!

I appreciate:

• My proximity to everything. Especially when I’m busy and/or it’s cold outside, I love how quickly I can accomplish a bunch of things.
• Beta blockers and ace inhibitors. I expect that they are helping rest my heart and give it time to heal so when I have my next echocardiogram in the spring, the docs will all stand back in wonder and tell me my heart function is back to normal.
•  Pandora. I started this station with Etta James’ Santa Baby and it is just getting so good.

I appreciate:

• Waking up to the sound of neighbors shoveling. Even before I get out of bed I know it’s SNOWED! I love snow — especially these first few snows that really transform our landscape.
• People who do really interesting things with music.
• Starting work with a purring Luna on my lap, snow falling outside the window, soothing warm beverage at hand and a day full of work I enjoy. Nice.

I appreciate:

• Winter. Dark clear nights with the moon peeking through trees, lights on windows, quiet streets. Good stuff.
• Raspberry leaf tea. So soothing for an upset stomach and sore throat.
• Wodehouse turns of phrase like this one: “The swan had been uncoiling a further supply of neck in our direction…” Uncoiling a further supply of neck! I don’t think I can adequately describe how much I enjoy Wodehouse.

I appreciate:

• Kaiser Permanente’s guided imagery podcasts (link to follow). I like spending 20 minutes imagining all the love I’ve ever felt and seeing my heart getting stronger.
• Starting the week with clean laundry AND a clean kitchen.
• The chance of snow this week. I’m ready!