A gentle close to the week

Featuring eight things that made life better / Issue 1,184

Oh, hi friends!

How are you all doing? 

How did we get here — to a Friday. 

A real, live, hot-summer Friday.

Deep breath.

Take five minutes today to do something you really want to do.

Five minutes! A sliver of your day! 

Five minutes. 

(It often helps to declare the thing, so I’ll say that I’m going to read five pages of Foster by Claire Keegan, which I *finally* was able to check out from the library, and whose hold is about to lapse, and five minutes seems like a pitiful amount of time but it’s not about duration it’s about doing, so there it is!)

This is Irish. Would be fun to read on the cliffs, no?

Eight Things That Made My Week Better

• Talking to my Grandma on Sunday for her birthday!!!

• Signing up to be a tech coach through the organization DOROT, which aims to combat social isolation among seniors and create intergenerational connections! (Meant to do this months ago…felt good to actually commit.)

• Going to a 5pm showing of Barbie with my friends Janine and Jake. "This feels so early!" we said. But that's what made it even more special? That and the popcorn and the recliner seats and the fact that the movie is so creative, so weird, and so good.

• Catching up with my friend Jonathan and introducing Lula to her very first dog, Gadget. (It…went…well…ish…)

  

  OK, this photo was actually taken during a thunderstorm. She was very brave with the extremely gentle 14-year-old dog and defended her territory with all her might.

• Hitting up two plays in a day with Colin and remembering how fun and full the fall theater season is going to be…and how I never regret taking the time to see something (even if I don't love it). You always learn something.

• Hearing from so many newsletter readers and new friends — you all really boosted my week.

• Reconnecting with my pals at the GoGoDone coworking community. I missed them! 

• Trying this unexpected cheddar cheese spread from Trader Joe's, thanks to Marissa and Aaron's recommendation. Mmm cheese spread…

This definitely felt like a fractured and weird week, but I see a lot of themes of connection, friendship, and finding moments of calm. 

Took me a second to remember everything (I checked my calendar and iPhone photos) but hope you might take a second, too, if you need it. I'd love to hear about your highlights.

And just look — we have a few days yet. Things that make your week better could be around the corner.