I’m starting to finally look through and organize the photos I took last year. While the process always seems daunting and a little tedious, I wind up reliving my entire year and realize how lucky I am; that despite whatever grief and difficulties may have occurred, my life is filled with joy. Gratitude lists are pretty popular lately and I keep one in my journal, but at the end of a year I like making one that I think of as my happiness list. In no particular order, here goes…
Above: After almost two years, I was finally able to spend a week with my friend Lynn in New York. We sat in her backyard garden, did a lot of writing, and made a pilgrimage to our favorite Innisfree Gardens. I missed her so much!
Below: John and I made several trips to Vermont to look at land. This is one of my favorite photos from our January visit, and although this wasn’t the property we eventually made an offer on, this enchanted forest became the benchmark for everything else we looked at. If a piece of property didn’t feel magical somehow, it got crossed off the list.
3. I was finally able to travel with John on some of his trips! Panama City, Savannah, Hartford, Greenville, Jacksonville. There he is in the yellow vest, doing the pre-flight walk-around and waving at me :-)
4. Glamping in our front courtyard on the new air mattress, complete with Persian carpet.
5. Zora! Her Momma was hit by a car, and when my friend asked if we’d take one of the kittens we wrestled with an apparently popular question: how many cats is too many? We decided that three is just fine.
6. Ohhh the CAPA Summer Movie Series came back! John surprised me with tickets to five movie nights. I love the Ohio Theatre with all its red velvet. And the organ mini-concerts made me think of fun liberty routines I could perform with Pippin!
7. Speaking of which, I made some new friends and became part of a whole new world that is liberty horsemanship. Pippin loves this as it honors his free spirit — you work without bridles or halters or ropes (yes your horse can run away from you) — and I love it because it honors mine. This photo was taken at the International Liberty Horse Association show in Kentucky in October. It was so inspiring! While I went as an observer to cheer on my friends, I know that Pippin and I will compete one day!
8. Being back in the art room at the Ohio State School for the Blind. While this dragon isn’t part of the project I’m working on with the kids, it makes me happy to see it every time I walk into the classroom.
9. Pippin. He has taught me SO much and we are having insane amounts of fun.
And I end with #10, Christmas with John and the girls. It might have been my favorite one yet.
