Smile!

These are some of the things that make me smile.

• P, my two-year old, covered from head to toe in sand rolling around in the sandbox.
  
• D, my six-year old, whooping with glee while riding around the park on his bicycle - without training wheels.
  
• The look on M's face when he gets home and the boys come running, barreling into him with "Papa's home! Papa's home!'
  
• The sound of my parents' voices when they realize that I'm the one on the other end of the phone.
  
• The really satisfyingly loud thwack as I hit the mat in a decent aikido breakfall.
  
• Throwing somebody bigger than me without expending a huge amount of effort. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, it is sweet.
  
• The rare, rare night when both kids sleep through the night. Or at least they don't come to our room to wake us up.
  
• Running in shorts and a tee on a gorgeous day in February in California when the East Coast, where I lived for 9 years, is freezing cold.
  
• Crossing off ALL the things on my to-do list. Again, this doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like.
  

These things are precious. I am rich and I am thankful.