A gentle close to the week

With 7 mood-improving things / Issue 1,202

Oh, hi friends!

I love this practice of ours to gently close the week. 

I usually think of a door quietly swinging back into its frame.

Or the back cover of a book resting on the pages that came before. 

But now I'm thinking of another image. 

One of clearing the table after the guests have gone, sweeping the crumbs, and laying down a fresh cloth.

A reminder that soon the table will be full again, with plates and forks and glasses.

Guests will sit, dishes will be passed, and the air will bounce with voices and ideas and possibilities.

But not yet.

We're still waving goodbye to the last friend leaving, wishing them safe home, and turning back to our table.

We're gently closing the week to settle ourselves.

We're pausing for what comes next.

7 Things That Improved My Mood This Week (with 1 P.S.)

• Reading about my new favorite person, 114-year-old Elizabeth Francis aka "Queen Elizabeth of Houston." Her advice for living a long life? "Speak your mind and don’t hold your tongue." Also: "If the Lord gave it to you, use it.’” (h/t Husband Colin)

• Seeing that newsletter friend and talented playwright Mallory Jane Weiss is holding a new two-part workshop for writers next month titled — wait for it — Start the Damn Thing. Sign up here!

• Hearing that friends are googling "how to do a tough mudder" after listening to this week's Do It Today podcast with Kat Jackson.

• Gathering on a weeknight with my dear and creative and inspiring friends. Good people > most everything else.

• Running hill repeats for the first time in years — and feeling stronger for it.

• Hearing from a young woman who interviewed me last year for her dissertation that she's now graduating with "upper second class honours" in September. I love hearing good news!!! (If you have some, please share in the comments!)

• Slowly watching What We Do in the Shadows, the most creatively silly TV show I've seen in years (yes, we're late, but thanks to Aliza, we're finally on it!).

PS — I spontaneously decided last night that I'm taking next week off from writing the newsletter (and most everything else). I want to do concentrated work on my musical Marathon, which I'm writing with Kris Bjarke, and am finally realizing that projects don't progress unless you actively choose them. And I want to choose this one.

Will I miss you, my newsletter friends? Yes! I hope you'll be here when I'm back on September 5.

Meanwhile, cheering you on, as always.

Have a gentle close to August and smooth glide into the wonders of what’s next.