A gentle close to the week
7 things that made life brighter / Issue 1,411
Oh, hi friends!
As we sift through and gently close the week, here’s one thing I’ve been thinking about:
Try to meet your mind where it actually is, not where you want it to be.
The stickiest parts of my days are when I try to lock myself into a certain state: OK, Kara, now we do [X]. You have brain fog? Too bad. You’re doing [X]!
Mmm. Rarely works. But if I think about what I’m actually capable of in the moment — and where my mind is naturally settling — I move forward with more clarity and ease.
Try to meet your mind where it actually is, not where you want it to be.
7 Things That Made Life Brighter & Better This Week
“Even in life, if you’re too comfortable, you don’t evolve.”
Wow. That’s from American Symphony, the documentary chronicling Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad through his Carnegie Hall symphony debut and her cancer recurrence. A wonderful film. Lessons upon lessons on life and love and art and the gossamer threads between all three.
Really enjoyed Claire Keegan’s So Late in the Day, a short collection of short stories. Perfect appetizer in the morning.
Worth six minutes of your time: the charming short film Proof of Concept, featuring Richard Kind and the Upper West Side.
Welp, now at the hydration vest point in my running journey! I took the Salomon Adv Skin 12 for a 20-mile test drive last Friday. It was amazing? So nice to hold fewer things, and a reminder that the right tools — for any activity — make a big difference.
I’ve always considered Seth Godin’s newsletter the Platonic ideal of newsletters. His short podcast with Tim Ferriss, in which he describes his writing process, reminded me why.
Spring theater season is blooming. Two great shows we saw this week: Lucy Prebble’s The Effect at The Shed, and Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, reimagined by Amy Herzog and starring Jeremy Strong. Smart writing never disappoints.
Finally and most importantly, an endangered pygmy hippo was born in a zoo in Greece. He’s just as cute and small and squeezable as you might imagine!!
I’d love to know what made your week better and brighter.
Food, friends, culture, naps?
Hippos, pygmy or otherwise?
Have a great weekend, friends. Don’t forget to hydrate.
Thank you for the suggestion (permission?) to meet one’s mind where it is. I worked on a “fun,” optional project at work yesterday rather than The Big Heavy task I’d set out to do. I was feeling guilty about it, but no more! My brain felt unleashed and I found joy in the day. The other task can wait. 💟
If you are a mass of contradictions, as I am, as many people are, don’t try to sort them out, accept them and enjoy the complexity of life.