Quote of the week:
“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, love is knowing I am everything, and between the two my life moves.” –Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
What I’m reading:
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos by David Pogue (this book is both depressing and extremely helpful… I read it in very small doses, which is why it is taking me weeks)
What I’m listening to:
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
What I’m watching:
Dexter: New Blood
And Just Like That… (the Sex and the City revival)
Writing news:
Nothing to report this week. I’m taking a mini break from writing right now. I’ll resume in 2022! I’m excited that Ways the World Could End comes out in less than 5 months!
What I’m talking about:
- The feline saga of Jean and Jorts (if you haven’t read about this yet, you must)
- The rise in Covid cases–up 40% in just a couple weeks (read here)
- The ongoing Great Resignation–a record high 4.4 million Americans (3% of workers) quit their job in September; 23% plan to resign in the next 12 months
- The viral TikTok warning of nationwide school violence today (read here)–this makes me feel sick
Interesting things I learned this week:
- I really enjoy puzzles. Who knew?
- Alaska was the state with the highest e-book consumption in 2021 (source)
- People in Idaho, Wyoming, and Vermont read the most in 2021; people in New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. read the least (source)
- US adults’ blood pressure levels increased during the Covid pandemic (duh) (source)
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Whale dream meaning.” I had the most intense dream of standing in the bleachers overlooking the ocean, watching giant whales pass by. Google gave me this: “The appearance of a whale in a dream can signify that everything is or will be OK and is often related to spiritual matters of the mind and heart… Whales tend to appear during times of relevance when facing an issue in your life.”
I also googled “how to get super glue off skin” and the suggestions (soap and water, oil, nail polish remover) all failed. What worked was waiting for it to come off by itself.
What I’m grateful for:
It’s been a difficult time of year for me as I continue to grieve my dad. But seeing my daughter’s excitement about the holidays has brought me a lot of joy. I’m grateful for that joy. She had her holiday performance at preschool this week and, while I could not discern her emotional state due to the mask covering her face, she said she had a blast.
I’m also grateful for the little things in life–like morning views on my runs, my candle that’s been smiling at me all week, and custom Post-its with my cats’ faces on them.
