My eyes slowly blink open.  Immediately the sight of a snow-covered forest fills my sight through the window.  I turn my body around in bed and gaze at the sleeping face of the love of my life.  I subconsciously smile softly and close my eyes again, wondering if this is a dream.  I reach around to pinch my arm and am delighted to find the same scene greets my eyes when I reopen them.  

I carefully sit up and swing my legs around to slide off the bed without awakening my partner.  I shuffle through the bedroom, down the hallway and into the kitchen where I am met by our French Bulldog Winny.  He covers my legs with licks and kisses while I go to get him his breakfast.  As I lean down to place the dog bowl on the floor, my mind takes inventory of all the aches and pains in my body.  Learning to snowboard was nothing like skiing, and the soreness I’ve felt for the past few days is just a constant reminder of that. 

I think about the pleasurable weekend I have planned as I scoop the coffee grounds into the coffee maker and press start. I lean against the counter and my mind wonders to the gorgeous hiking trail that we hike in the summer, the one that we will be snowshoeing later today.  Once my coffee is done brewing, I take my favorite mug down from the cabinet and fill it up.

I walk through our house to the music room, where I sit on the couch and gaze around.  I look at the posters of The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles we have hanging up and smile again as I take another sip from my mug.  I stand up to put a record on, Déjà Vu.  

By the time the song “Our House” comes on, I have stopped trying to prevent the grin from stretching across my face, and at this point I am practically beaming at nothing in particular.  I am happy with the life I have made for myself, and the person I have become.  I am at peace.  

Sure, not all days are like this day, but I’ve found that days like this are more and more common as I get older and continue to be myself.  I have friends and family that love and understand me, I am healthy, and I have joy in my life.  So, I intend to experience it to the fullest and will be forever grateful for the gift of life I have been given.