A gentle close to the week

With 7 things that made my life better / Issue 1,135

Oh, hi friends!

Not gonna lie, this week was kind of a doozy. 

But where I’ve tried to land, as we gently close the week, is on the importance of letting each pillar of your life exist as its own standing structure.

If work stuff is crap one week, try not to let it crash into the way you feel about your secret creative project.

Don’t cancel your workouts if you’re feeling stressed about something else.

Don’t hit pause, in other words.

The trickling down — this didn’t go well so I’m not putting effort over there — can start a cascade.

Instead, lean in to what is good, what is working, what is right.

What makes you happy. 

And as you and I both know, next week is new.

7 Things That Made My Life Better This Week

• Annie Baker: “I have always tried to make the kind of theatre I want to see, and although I haven’t always succeeded, it’s obvious to me that, if you’re making a choice from a place of fear or obedience, it’s the wrong choice.”

• Happy pub week to Katie Horwitch, whose new book Want Your Self is wonderful. Here’s a blurb I wrote for the book, which sums up feelings: “Want Your Self is an empathetic and openhearted guide ideal for anyone who is overwhelmed, living in the safe zone of stagnation, or eager to leave behind casual negativity.” You will love it. (Amazon, Bookshop)

• Seeing that my friend Mai Truong launched her new business, Bo & Mei, featuring joyful culture kits that empower people to carry on time-honored Asian traditions, starting with Lunar New Year. l love a launch, ESPECIALLY when it’s so thoughtful and personally relevant to the person who’s put in the work.

• Listening to “Wherever You Are,” this beautiful song on Ann Hampton Callaway’s new album, a duet with her sister (and Substack writer!) Liz Callaway. A gentle meditation on grief and love. Oh, I cried! 

• Coffee with a friend and lunch with pals is sometimes just what’s needed. Change your scenery, if you can, even for an hour. 

• Steve Martin talks through his multifaceted career with Adam Gopnik and Adam Grant on this podcast, and one of his lines stopped me: “That is success: to be absorbed.” Simple and true.

• Running has been a great joy and equilibrium maker lately. Run hard to clear your head. Run easy to settle down. If you’re reading this on Friday morning, I’ll be on a 20-mile run through the park as prep for a marathon, but more importantly: I want the proof that I can do hard things.

Do you ever need that reminder, too?

Of that time you worked really hard or really late or fully absorbed or stretched beyond what you thought possible?

Conjure up an event from your past or do something you haven’t done in awhile.

Surprise yourself with a memory of who you still are.

I’d love to learn from your highlights of the week!!!

And In Case You Missed It

Monday’s post: The quickest way to do things

Tuesday’s post: Telling the truth about your project

Wednesday’s post: A new way of looking at work

Thursday’s post: Gone missing (I was tired, friends!)