A gentle close to the week
And 8 things that made life better / Issue 1,362
Oh, hi friends!
Be nice to yourself today.
How trite, I know.
But we're here in your inbox together, and maybe…
I know it's only the first Friday of the first week of the year, and it's going to sound completely terrible to say, but I already feel "behind," while rationally knowing that's not possible.
Behind what? Behind who?
IT’S ONLY JANUARY 5TH!
Relax.
You've done good work this week.
And if not work, then life. You did a little bit of life. And isn't that great?
That's more than enough for any week.
Be nice to yourself.
8 Things That Made Life Better This Week
Because I’m trying very hard to stay within some boundaries, I said no to a nice opportunity this week, and wanted to share my response, in case it might help you say “no” to something:
“As much as I love to talk about writing, I'm a little bit in ‘hibernate and create’ mode right now. If your generous invite still stands in March, I'd love to reconnect then about a conversation.”
Absolute favorite story of the week: a server working in Times Square received a $500 tip from a customer who told her to “Go see Merrily [We Roll Along]! Sit in the orchestra!”
Boy, 13, Is Believed to Be the First to ‘Beat’ Tetris, thereby achieving my childhood goals.
Professional organizer Linda Samuels is holding an empowering workshop to help your approach to chaos and clutter on February 8. Register here!
Wonderful new piece by my old friend Ben Crair: How Charles Darwin Found Inspiration on the Cape Verde Islands.
Internet sleuths identify lost ‘X-Files’ song, yesssss! (h/t Colin)
I love thrifting: Vase bought at Goodwill for $3.99 sells for more than $100,000. (h/t Alison Peters)
And Colin and I watched Maestro and Ordinary People this week. Oh, complex and emotional films, how I love you! The excellent Maestro script is available to read, by the way.
Would love to hear anything that made your life a little brighter or better this week!
The best part of my week was hosting my annual New Year's Day party. I get to start the year with a bunch of people I love, and I don't feel pressured to stay up late on NYE. The best of both worlds!
Manifesting the magic of finding a $3.99 vase and selling it for $100K for this year, thankyouverymuch! Coming back "home" to Paris (for the last time in a while!) to see a rainbow as I approached my door was definitely a bright spot.