Happy Sunday! Welcome to another Small Collection, a new series I started to help me focus on the things that bring me joy.

1.) This probably makes me weird, but I’ve taken to calling Eli The Luck Dragon when posting about him on social media. That whole sentence is weird, actually. I can’t help it, though—Sometimes he just reminds me of Falkor from The NeverEnding Story.

2.) Speaking of Eli, dude finally caught his tail the other day. After taking a few minutes to get acquainted, he rolled all over the floor with it. It must be so weird to be a dog.

3.) Chocolate raspberry oatmeal. So. Freaking. Good. The other day after 7 am hot yoga, I made this recipe but used raspberries instead of blueberries and added cocoa powder before cooking. I was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture.

4.) One great thing about having a puppy vs having a child: When I put him in the crate for 20 minutes so I can take a shower and get dressed for work, I never have to worry about him growing up to write a tell-all memoir about what a horrible, selfish woman I am. That said, did anyone read Oh the Glory of It All when it came out a few years ago during the self-destructive memoir craze?

5.) I’m finally starting to feel capable of creating meals that are not just bowls of random vegetables and protein topped with hummus. This Trader Joe’s lobster ravioli seems way too good to be just $2.99 a container. I kind of don’t even want to know why because I’m afraid it will turn out to be some mob operation or something equally shady. I enjoyed mine with some wilted arugual and roasted asparagus, cauliflower, and broccoli. I had no idea what to do for sauce, so I just tossed it all in some garlic-infused olive oil. So many things I love on one plate!

6.) Good Spread. Love this idea.

7.) My 6-month review at the hospital was even more positive than I could have dared hope for. I even managed not to downplay what I’ve worked hard for or otherwise discount what I should be proud of. I am wildly uncomfortable with compliments, so this is a big deal for me. I did take advantage of the chance to say, “Well, thank you for the opportunity to do all these interesting things and have these professional experiences.” I never cease to be amazed at the twists and turns and how they continue to lead me back to the center of why I do what I do.

8.) This last one is not so much an overtly joyous thing so much as it is an important reminder that knowing when to let go of something it important. There are always going to be cranky people who will go out of their way to make you feel like crap and pick at your emotional scabs. You can’t change them. What you can change, however, is how much you let it get to you. What helped me get through an uncomfortable encounter this past week was reminding myself that it must suck to be that person and feel so annoyed by things all the time. Then I went and got a massage.

9.) A beautiful yoga class at Zenyasa on Saturday morning. I may or may not have fallen into a deep trance during savasana.

What’s brought you joy this week?