A gentle close to the week

And 6 things that made life better / Issue 1,131

Oh, hi friends!

We’re gently closing the week!

What does that mean to you?

I’m going to try to nudge the work — finished and unfinished — to the side and make the weekend a real weekend.

(Hopefully saying that will make it true.)

(And my birthday is on Sunday! The start of a new month! How very appropriate for my whole ~vibe~!)

What do you need to leave behind this week?

What kind of boundary would you like to create for the weekend?

And who do you want to be starting Monday?

Clean the slate.

Start fresh.

How is it possible there’s even rain left in the sky?

6 Things That Made My Week Better

• New song from Glen Hansard!! “There’s No Mountain.” Wait, is it time to rewatch Once?

• Further ammunition for why I like to fly Delta: They got understudy Mikayla Renfrow to Aladdin in time to take the stage. Wonderful!

• You know me, always on the cutting edge: A few weeks ago, Colin and I watched Apollo 13. Wow, is that a good movie or what? Makes me want to revisit some of those other “classics” that I think I remember but actually don’t. (Here’s where you can rent it.)

• Claude.ai continues to be a good friend of mine. I asked this AI app five or six questions this week, mainly research-based, and it never failed to give me some insights, quotes, or seeds to plant.

• Saw Jaja Africa’s Hair Braiding, a new play by Jocelyn Bioh on Broadway, and loved it so much. Also loved this old New York Times profile in which Jocelyn talks about her journey from writing “anguished kitchen-sink dramas” (her thesis play was called Salt on a Slug, obsessed) to appreciating and displaying her comedic voice.

• Not applying to a few things also made my week better! There are always applications and deadlines floating around (fellowships, awards, developmental opportunities, etc). For years, I would put them out of my mind, then rush at the last minute to apply, and repeat the cycle. This week I finally took a beat and asked, “Is this what I need to do right now? Is this what my project needs right now?” The answers: Not now, not yet. So I took myself off the hook for applying!

Hope you might be able to take yourself off the hook in some small way, too.

Gently close that tab, if that’s what you need.