A gentle close to the week
A gentle close to the week
And 5 things that made life brighter and better / Issue 1,483
Oh, hi friends!
The rare Saturday newsletter! I wasn’t able to write it on Thursday and then yesterday “got away from me.” (As if time has legs…)
So what does it mean to gently close the week on a Saturday?
Here’s an idea: Do a little bit of nothing.
Your “nothing” might be taking a walk, staring into space, absentmindedly eating a bag of Trader Joe’s dried mango.
You deserve a small pocket of ease and space before the week builds up again.
Then, if I can offer a suggestion for Sunday: Do a little bit of something.
My friend Caitlin and I were talking about the Sunday scaries — the dread that can arrive on Sunday night — and how, strangely enough, these scaries can be combated by doing a little scrap of work during the day.
Nothing wild, OK? You don’t have to revise the entire draft or clean out your walk-in closet.
But a little bit of effort breaks the seal and can make reentry on Monday tolerable.
So a little bit of nothing and a little bit of something.
Not a radical idea — but an achievable one.
5 Things That Made Life Brighter & Better This Week
My BFF Marissa visited this week and we had the absolute best time wandering in the park, drinking coffee, and eating ramen and PopUp Bagels. This relaxed hang-out remind me how nice it is to simply catch up and be. We made a pact to do this once a year!
We Live in Time, the new Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh movie, seems like it was designed in a lab for me (emotions! ambition!). I enjoyed it, but also wanted to cry a bit more? Andrew Garfield talking to Elmo about grief did the trick though.
Slept nine hours last night and woke up with a new brain. Highly recommend.
Extremely delighted with my new, Wirecutter-approved bike helmet that perfectly matches my bike — and also happens to be on sale!
Central Park is experiencing extreme Marathon Vibes because of next week’s big race. I’m working towards a big goal for my new musical Marathon, so trying to soak up all the emotions. I’m also reliving this weekend from last year, when I ran 26.2 miles in the park, for fun. I love that my past self wrote this to my current self, which I’ll pass along to you:
More than anything, this has reminded me of the limits we place on ourselves.
How often we wait for conditions to be perfect before we even make an attempt.
But why?
Why wait for next year?
Why wait one more year for something you want today?
Decide.
And watch the path appear before you.
YES INDEED.
What made your week brighter and better?
And keep enjoying the weekend…a little bit of nothing, a little bit of something…
Hi Kara, your “Brass Ring Daily” newsletter this week really resonated with me. The week of October 13th to October 22nd was my busiest ever. So I had to spend time cancelling events and just lying low to get some balance back.
Your labelling of the Sunday anxiety as “Sunday Scaries” is so spot on. I used to have this anxiety big time when I was getting paid to work. But now that I am retired and am actually busier doing all the things I want to do, I still get the “Sunday Scaries”. So I will take your advice and try to do something on my to-do list today to allay that anxiety.
I also acknowledge that I readily embrace the philosophy of doing it now instead of later. However, I have so much going on with music learning, music practice, writing circle time, reading, love of films and food that I have to really actively manage my time so I can ensure I spend enough time on good health practices too! Everything in moderation, they say so I am still working it out but I consider it such a privilege to be in this position. I am ever so grateful! Thank you for your newsletter!
Kara, I'm reading this newsletter on Sunday, Oct. 27th. Your letter made me wonder what I wrote to myself a year ago in my writing diary. So, I looked back:
Last year, I wrote about giving myself a “silent” day the day before – no podcasts, no k-pop, no k-drama, no TV, no Spotify—a cleanse of sorts. This was an effort to “stay away from Korea-thinking during the daytime when I’m supposed to be working and paying attention to my actual life rather than falling into a sort of daydream land where time and place aren’t an issue of any kind.”
And now, here I am. I have been to Korea. I’ve started working on a book with Korea as a setting. And I’m making plans on how I can return to Korea in 2026. Funny.
Hope you're having a fabulous weekend. Take care, my friend.