This is my last week as a 42-year-old. I have no sadness about birthdays. I love celebrating a year of being alive (even though this past year was particularly difficult for me). I’ll be doing a lot of thinking this week on what will be ahead for my next trip around the sun. Until then, here’s this week’s roundup:
Quote of the week:
“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… Get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel
What I’m reading:
This week, I read My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Loved it! I just started Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy (it comes out in March).
What I’m listening to:
I’ve been listening to The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. It’s taken me a while to get into it, but I’m liking it now.
What I’m watching:
I’m making my way through The Watcher on Netflix. I feel like most people binge this show, but my pace with shows is like one episode a week–haha.
Writing news:
Yesterday was the second birthday for All the Acorns on the Forest Floor. As I said on Instagram, I know mothers shouldn’t confess to having favorite babies, but this is one of my favorite book babies.
What I’m talking about:
- Post-viral depression. I read something about people having depression post-Covid and started to research this. There is a link between inflammation in the body (from infection) and depression. I was definitely depressed after having Covid and it lasted for a couple months
- Texas schools sending DNA kits to parents to identify their kids’ bodies in emergencies (like school shootings). How about we work on gun reform instead of investing in initiatives like this?
- The Jan. 6 committee’s official subpoena of Trump. Looks like he’ll have to testify around mid-November
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Hysteria derives from the Greek word for uterus
- According to a Mixbook study, peak life satisfaction for people in most states comes around age 40-49. Maryland was lower–age 37. Vermont was higher–age 63
- In 2021, the average annual cost of childcare was $10,600 per kid. For the third year in a row, increases in childcare costs outpaced the rate of inflation
- Anna May Wong is the first Asian American on US currency
- Melisa Raouf became the first makeup-free contestant in the Miss England competition’s 94-year history
- Hyperion, a coastal redwood in Humboldt County, CA, exceeds the Statue of Liberty in height
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“oldest tree in the world.” After learning about the tallest tree (see above), I was curious about the oldest one. The oldest known tree was a 4900+-year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine in Nevada, cut down in 1964. It was given the name Prometheus. The oldest known living tree is another Great Basin bristlecone pine, this one in California. It’s 4,854 years old (not sure how they know this) and it’s name is Methuselah.
What I’m grateful for:
- Feeling healthy. I had a non-Covid virus that led to an ear infection and I lost hearing in my ear for a couple days. It’s better now, though I do still have some ringing. Grateful for antibiotics
- A wonderful long run this morning. I’ve been on fence about doing my half-marathon next month since I missed training due to illness, but this morning’s run gave me some confidence
- Friends! One of my best friends has been in town from Denver and it’s been so nice to SEE her and have some quality time
Snapshots from this week:
❤️
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