As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I don’t have a “one word” this year (again, actually). But I do have a “theme” (or two) going on. My themes . . . are basically all around my efforts to find a way back to myself. Because last year, well. Last year I kind of . . . lost myself.

So I’ve been working hard to regain my focus and attention span, to up my “noticing” (rather than just going through the motions of life), to be intentional about making choices, and to create more space (in my head, in my closets, in my life). That kind of . . . thing.

I’m happy to report that I am making great strides in the focus/attention span department. Great. Strides. Using The Brick to help me manage my phone use has changed my life. (And I’m not kidding.) It doesn’t change the world. But it does change how I choose to interact with the world.

You know what else has helped?

“Sniffy walks” with JoJo!

As I mentioned the other day, JoJo wasn’t really up to even short walks in the neighborhood for several months earlier this winter. But for the past few weeks, I’ve been getting her out nearly every day. She was very . . . out of shape . . . at the beginning. Still hurting. Very slow. It was actually a lot of bundling up (on my part) for just a 5-minute walk past a couple of houses down the street and back.

And yet . . . we persevered!
Because JoJo loved getting out there again.

And now, we’re up to about a 3/4 mile loop together through the neighborhood. At a very (very) leisurely pace. A JoJo kind of pace. No limping . . . and a lot of sniffing! In fact, I let her lead the way (which she loves), and I let her sniff whatever she wants for as long as she wants. Our route has a lot of very interesting things for her to sniff. Hydrants. Street signs. Mail boxes. Melting piles of icy snow. Favorite trees and shrubs. It takes us a long, long time to make that 3/4 mile loop. (This is no calorie-burner for me. Just sayin.)

But there have been some great lessons in there for me along the way. Slow down. Notice the small changes every day. Listen to the sounds of my corner of the world. In just the past few weeks, I’ve seen big piles of snow shrink to nothing. I see hawks and geese on the regular — and I think I glimpsed a crane on Sunday. I’m hearing more and more bird song every day. I’m heartened by buds swelling on some of the trees. Soon, I’ll see daffodils pushing up . . . I just know it.

JoJo’s “sniffies” (as Tom and I call these walks) are encouraging me to slow down. To be quiet and to notice. No phone. No Air Pods. Just me. And JoJo. And getting outside every day. Picking up the pieces.