A gentle close to the week

And 7 things that made the week brighter / Issue 1,418

Oh, hi friends!

Am I too late to gently close down the week with you?!

I still think we can do it…

You know those weeks where nothing *big* happens. No grand announcements or major news to report.

Someone asks, “What’s going on?!” and you respond, “The usual! …good? Stuff?”

But when you look around, you might find there are plenty of smaller shifts. 

Little pre-earthquake rumbles.

A conversation that clarified.

An improved draft. 

A settling and simmering.

And those weeks, one by one, add up, too. 

So give yourself credit for every week that passes, regardless of having Exciting Major News to Report. 

You are working through and working towards and you are your own witness to it all. 

Cherry blossoms in Brooklyn / source

7 Things That Made the Week Brighter (Including My Daily Show Debut?!)

• On Wednesday, I went for a little run in the park… where I got interviewed on the local news (while running in the rain) about a potential increase in marathon fees… then that local news story made the opening of The Daily Show last night, where they hilariously and lovingly teased marathoners. lol. Life is ridiculous. But let’s pretend Kris and I are just laying the groundwork for Marathon, the musical we’ve been writing, via this extremely subtle guerrilla marketing campaign. (Thanks to Alex Parrish and newsletter reader Beth H. for pointing me towards the clips!) You can see The Daily Show opener here!

• The app One Sec, which breaks the habit of compulsively checking apps on your phone. NEEDED. Thanks to newsletter reader Em for the rec!

• Lovely impromptu hang with friends where we talked about current projects and gently helped each other with next steps. Sometimes all you need is to be asked the right questions. 

• Another week, another excellent serial killer drama. One episode in and The Long Shadow is v v good. (On AMC+, I think? Use Just Watch for proper streaming info!)

• Thanks to Brass Ring Daily reader Kate for telling me this: National Portrait Gallery in DC, and there it was. Front and center. Do It (or Don’t). It looked like it belonged there. Great job! (Putting any book — or any piece of anything, really — out into the world is scary; it made my week to know my latest journal is in such a prestigious home! I still think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written.)

• Reese’s eggs are addictive. And probably deeply discounted, now that Easter is over!

• Finally, all hail Jasmin Paris, a 40-year-old senior veterinary lecturer who became the first woman to complete (yes, complete) the 100-mile Barkley Marathons: “I still find it really exciting to push myself, especially when I don’t know whether I can do something,” she says. “It sounds a bit corny, but you also find out more about yourself, when you strip away all the stuff that makes life easier.” Amen.

Close your weeks and go forth to your weekends, my friends, whether that involves running for 59 hours straight or walking under cherry blossoms or anything else on the spectrum of things you find fun and engaging.

I’d love to hear anything that made your week better or brighter, too!