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Letters from a Heart Patient · Jul 14, 2026

Joy List

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Boots Knighton · Letters from a Heart Patient

My previous joy list resonated with many readers, so I’ll keep it going. I hope my list inspires you to notice more around you just as it has for me. What a joy it is to be in this world and experience magic every day. For me, a joy list replaces a bucket list.

If this post fills you with joy, please consider sharing it with others. :) The more the merrier around here.

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The brightest double rainbow I’ve ever seen out my living room window

komorebi

on time departures and arrivals

a friend picking up my medications for me

a long hug in the grocery store

a long hug in the plant nursery by the part shade loving plants

the surgery worked

the pacemaker will help

the first thing I see out the airplane window is a heart-shaped lake after being poked and prodded for 3 days on behalf of my heart

a butterfly on my hand

hummingbirds at my feeder and buzzing my head

improving my watercolor skills

the best neighbors/renters one could ask for

Jason finding two four-leaf clovers in a month in our yard

my dog saying a 10-minute hello after I was away for four nights

standing in the middle of a meadow blooming with camas flowers and buzzing pollinators

the smell of freshly cut grass

the smell of wild roses blooming on my property

professionally cleaned carpets

professionally cleaned windows

professionally cleaned car (why do I only do this every other year?)

picking strawberries in my friend’s strawberry patch

seeing a man running through the Denver airport with an entire head of celery poking out of his backpack

the friend of a friend who came to sit with me when I had complications from a heart catheterization

a fresh big bag of gummy bears and coloring books with swear words from a thoughtful friend

dark chocolate

rollerblading in the evening sun

wind rustling the aspen leaves

falling asleep to the sound of Game Creek below my house

endless fist bumps and high fives on the local trails

a rainstorm during high fire danger

clean reading glasses (a true rarity)

writing classes

writing groups

my hair is finally growing back after heart surgery (I lost over half my hair)

having my hair washed and cut by my favorite hair person ever

Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird

the perfect backhand toss of the frisbee for Hamilton which leads to a midair catch and elation

a dog against my chest, a cat on my head, and another cat on my side when I wake in the morning

watching the wrens tend to their chicks and then weeks later, be at the right place and time to watch all five chicks fledge and go out into the world

a friend’s surgery for stage four cancer is a success and remission is possible

high school graduations

a friend’s breast lump is noncancerous

standing in an ice-cold creek on the hottest day on record with a dear neighbor friend, watching dogs frolic in the water

mountain biking with friends

mountain biking alone and listening to Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul or Naughty By Nature or U2

hearing a new song that just hits and captures emotions perfectly

birding anywhere and everywhere

planning for a big trip

enough frequent flier miles for the big trip

a new pair of hiking shoes for the big trip

any adventure with Jason

outdoor concert on top of a mountain with old and new friends

knowing it is all going to be more than ok no matter what and no matter how because it has always worked out for my highest good

the biggest mushroom of my life on the side of a mountain bike trail

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