Thank you for spring birdsongs.

Thank you for made up words.

Thank you for quirky personalities.

Thank you for Peaches sleeping next to me. Usually she spends the night in her bed on my bed, near the foot. For some reason she got close enough for me to sneak cuddles a couple nights.

Thank you for a mood boost from wearing socks with sandals (like Jesus might, if he were here today).

Thank you for an appointment with the contractor, John, in less than four weeks to haul that gravel stuff (forgot it’s name) up to the lot. 

Thank you again for the friend who took down the for sale sign by the front gate. Not sure who did that, but it was appreciated.

Thank you for Seaspiracy coming out on Netflix soon. 

Thank you for Dr Tran making me a new nightguard that works better for sleeping.

Thank you for an extra comfy bed with soft, warm blankets.

Thank you for people here waving. They’re not just humoring me by waving back. If I don’t wave first, they usually do.

Thank you for little friendly exchanges between strangers all over the world every single day. If you added them up, they’d be enormous.

Thank you for the beloved curator behind the ten digits.

Thank you for the tidbit I learned forever ago in a social psychology class as an undergrad. Sorry if I’m messing it up: The strongest determinant of whether or not you will like someone is whether or not you think that person likes you. Awareness of that tidbit helps me to go on liking people even if I think they may not like me (because I’m not convinced that being liked is the best reason for me to like).

Thank you for yoga nidra.

Thank you for a beautiful warm sunny day.

Thank you for Ramona next door and her close knit family that supports her. Thank you for their offer to help out here after I leave.

Thank you for our neighbors who hang art in their garages. It’s fun and funky.

Thank you for Senator Pope and his passion for renewable energy.

Thank you for the reassurance that I have this beautiful place to visit, at the very least.

Thank you for the smell of frosting paired with the look of multicolored sprinkles.

Thank you for a booch after a long break. It was decaffeinated, so it’s ok. Thank you for Stacey recommending Rowdy Mermaid to me.

Thank you for the Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching (THOTBT), pages 217, 224, and 225. What’s really pleasurable is reading that kind of book a few pages a day. It’s nice not to rush through books. What’s the hurry?

Thank you for longer days. 

Thank you for life feeling easier when I care less about some of the more superficial stuff, like wearing a different outfit every day. 

Thank you for the tip to keep from passing out. Maybe I was slow to learn about it. Here it is in case you don’t know, because it may come in handy. They say that if you feel like you’re going to pass out but can’t lie down, then squeeze and release the muscles in your butt, thighs, and calves. (Also it’s kind of funny.)

Thank you for a movie night with my mom.

Thank you for a reminder that love is not selfish.

Thank you for the electrical permit submitted and approved. That seems to be the last permit required, at least for a year.

Thank you for everyone who loves Peaches.

Thank you for turmeric.

Thank you for a pleasant meeting with Sister and Moms. We were all dreading it. We had to review the inventory of everything we lost and resend it to the fire lawyers. Digging up those memories is not pleasant, but it helps to appreciate the present and to remember that material stuff doesn’t give happiness. Anyway, none of us went too far down the rabbit hole this time. For that I’m grateful.

Thank you for my efforts to let go of the idea of a dream house or a dream car or place to live, or any dream thing. Those things (in my opinion), aren’t where my dreams belong. Getting or taking or having aren’t the goals I’d prefer either. It feels like I’m programmed to have those goals as a product of this environment/society, but re-programming is possible.

Thank you for efforts to improve.

Thank you for stubborn love.

Thank you for pockets.

Thank you for Sri Hari and Jaya being in my life again after a period of absence. Thank you for uplifting and thought-provoking chats with Sri over tea at Tifa before the move. Thank you for patient, forgiving friends. Thank you for friends with similar interests.

Thank you for the art of doing nothing. It’s the title of a book that was propped up on a rock in the dirt beside the walking path. I’ve never read it. Doing nothing does seem essential, and there must be an art to doing it well.

Thank you for the only headache this week leaving quickly. Cutting back on caffeine and screen time seems to have helped. It also made it go away faster to do nothing but lie in bed listening to the humidifier and staring at the ceiling.

Thank you for friends and family, and tons of others, getting vaccinated. 

Thank you for this last forty days in the desert. 

Thank you for an adventure on the horizon.

Thank you for different ways to show love. Some of mine are probably a little bit flawed, but I try.  

Thank you for Iceland.

Thank you for labradors.

Thank you for yucca.

Thank you for reconciliation.

Thank you for bear hugs.

Thank you for 123482610.

Thank you for the quote from THOTBT reminding me of how powerful my thoughts are, “To make hell into paradise, we only need to change the mind on which it is based.”

And, “The mind of the people is the basis of paradise. With your deluded mind, you make hell for yourself. With your true mind, you make paradise. If two people come together with true mind, they make a small paradise for themselves.”

Thank you for the power to feel love and hope instead of hurt and pessimism.

Thank you for letting go of grasping.

Thank you for openness.

Thank you for rest.

Thank you for the unknown.