“Thinking of every venture, every project as an experiment is a great way to go through life. It lowers the stakes. It minimizes the downside. It lets you take a shot on something that otherwise might be way too intimidating.” - Ryan Holiday (Ventures seen as adventures also can be helpful.)

Thank you for free smiles on a rainy walk. Strangers seemed to give them not as courtesy but as expressions of glee.

Thank you for our last family outing with Peaches. 

Thank you for the feeling (in between cranky episodes) that my heart is spilling over with forgiveness since she’s been gone. She gave me that, and I want it for others.

Thank you for the Peaches in me and the Peaches in you. We’re all a little bit Peaches!

Thank you for Surviving Death episodes one and six (a Sister recommendation).

Thank you for space to adjust to this new life. It is kind of sad and in some sense lonely but hopeful, too.

Thank you for the realization that decisions up my anxiety. Whether about treatment options for my girl or chocolate bars at the store, I get nervous. Pressure added onto each choice then clouds what’s going on. It contributes to regret. Calm, as usual, is an antidote extending clarity to those critical moments.

Thank you for wandering thoughts on long walks.

Thank you for friends texting song links last week for no special reason. 

Thank you for the clunk of the teacup on the nightstand. 

Thank you for fresh ginger tea.

Thank you for all that’s magical in life. Thank you for belief in more than our eyes see. Thank you for guidance.

Thank you for dreams recorded and reviewed. Thank you for when loved ones visit us in dreams.

Thank you for miracles.

Thank you for coherence.

Thank you for summer plans taking shape. On the list is a meditation retreat and visiting friends, if they’re up for it. A trip to CA, too.

Thank you for a possible new career path to experiment with.

Thank you for that actor’s quick no and long yes: "Before I say yes to anything...I give myself about 2 weeks in each frame of mind—yes I'm in, no I'm out—and then I measure what keeps me up at night.”

Thank you (again) for distance from a stifling career to reset self-esteem, curiosity, and compassion—which takes time. Thank you nonetheless for friends and experiences gained in that chapter.

Thank you for a definition of success including personal wellness. Beyond having a positive impact indulging passions, a successful me moves most days and sleeps well most nights. She’s outdoors often. And, of course, connects (honestly) with others…

Thank you for the gentle ways of Peanut Bob. I call him that because he’d walk up Mulholland tossing breakfast to the blue birds. He’s part of what makes the place special.

Thank you for vivid flashbacks of cycling canyon roads not measuring distance or speed, just enjoying. That may be how dogs feel cruising with their heads out the window—freedom!

Thank you for my sobriety and healthy eating journeys. Let’s focus on the latter. I used to be kind of addicted to sodas and fast food—Taco Bell, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., In and Out… The attachments took years to loosen, and old ways attract me still, even the substances. But tugs in that direction are met with awareness of downsides. Plus the benefits of life now are too good. I’m grateful to be somewhat even-keeled. The pleasure beyond passing moments is truer. I face the world with a little straighter spine. Mornings feel fresher. My body is “lighter” and clean and mind enjoys clarity. Thank you for a freer way to be.

Thank you for irreverent offerings of wisdom like this endurance cyclist’s take on opportunity in adversity.

Thank you for heartfelt exchanges with my shero sisters. Thank you for the good fortune to use the plural.

Thank you for care we put into ourselves. As I tend to my suffering, yours diminishes, and vice versa. Every step back is a lesson. Every step forward is a victory.

Thank you for heart-to-hearts with myself when missing a loved one. Feeling powerless due to the circumstances, I urge myself to trust. Practice love. Be patient. Surrender to the unknown and appreciate its gifts.

Thank you for a related thought about giving up control: If we’re growing and learning, then maybe our futures will look different from what our past (more limited) selves envisioned. The future may exceed our visions in ironic ways. It may also reveal value in what we previously didn’t appreciate. 

Thank you for trials and errors, experiments, and leaps of faith. 

Thank you for love as a catalyst of unbounded wonders.