Happy Friday! This was an exciting week for me with some great news that I’ll be able to share soon. How’s that for a teaser? On to the roundup…
Quote of the week:
“One key to knowing joy is to be easily pleased.” –Mark Nepo
What I’m reading:
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. I was SO EXCITED to get an advance copy of this book. I am a huge fan of Rufi Thorpe. I’m about halfway through and loving it, as I expected I would. It comes out in June!
What I’m listening to:
Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included) by Pooja Lakshmin. Highly recommended for all women.
What I’m watching:
Racist Trees, a great documentary about how a historically Black neighborhood in Palm Springs fights to remove a divisive wall of trees.
I also finished The Curse and immediately googled the meaning of the finale episode, which was so bizarre but also amazing. I still do not understand the finale, but I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Between this series and Poor Things, Emma Stone has reached new heights with her acting career.
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Sixteen of the 25 best-selling books of 2023 were by women
- Traffic on roads in the US tripled between 1970 and 2007. For planes, the figures are even more dramatic: The number of passenger flights has increased 25% since just 2002, and 30,000 commercial aircraft fly overhead per day
- According to a 2016 survey of 2,000 women, women criticize themselves, on average, 8 times per day
- Humans plus our pets and livestock now account for 98% of the planet’s terrestrial vertebrates
- In 2004, 70% of US mothers recalled that they had played freely outside themselves when they were children, yet only 31% allowed their children to do the same, despite a drop in crime since then
- In the U.K., two-thirds of schoolchildren do not know acorns come from trees
- Cicadas are about to take over: This spring, for the first time since 1803, two separate broods of cicadas will emerge simultaneously. One group emerges from their underground burrows every 13 years, the other emerges every 17 years
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Longest first name.” My daughter asked me what the longest first name is so we had to look it up. The honors go to a girl with 1,019 characters in her name. This is the name (I kid you not): ‘Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenkescianneshaimondrischlyndasaccarna renquellenendrasamecashaunettethalemeicoleshiwhalhinive’onchellecaundenesheaalausondrilynnejeanetrimyranaekuesaundrilynnezekeriakenvaunetradevonneyavondalatarneskcaevontaepreonkeinesceellaviavelzadawnefriendsettajessicannelesciajoyvaelloydietteyvettesparklenesceaundrieaquenttaekatilyaevea shauwneoraliaevaekizzieshiyjuanewandalecciannereneitheliapreciousnesceverroneccaloveliatyronevekacarrionnehenriettaescecleonpatrarutheliacharsalynnmeokcamonaeloiesalynnecsiannemerciadellesciaustillaparissalondonveshadenequamonecaalexetiozetiaquaniaenglaundneshiafrancethosharomeshaunnehawaineakowethauandavernellchishankcarlinaaddoneillesciachristondrafawndrealaotrelleoctavionnemiariasarahtashabnequckagailenaxeteshiataharadaponsadeloriakoentescacraigneckadellanierstellavonnemyiatangoneshiadianac rvettinagodtawndrashirlenescekilokoneyasharrontannamyantoniaaquinettesequioadaurilessiaquatandamerceddiamaebellecescajamesauwnneltomecapolotyoajohny aetheodoradilcyana Koyaanisquatsiuth Williams.
Her mother said she wanted her name to be unique and to get a Guinness record. In day-to-day life, she goes by Jamie.
Runner-up: I also googled, “How to make microwave stop beeping” because my microwave is incredibly persistent in letting me know that it is done cooking my food. The beeping is like an assault on my senses. Anyway, thanks to a 45-second YouTube video, I am free of this nuisance. It’s the little things…
What I’m grateful for:
- Visiting with my best friend, who is in town from Paraguay! Her life is very international and I rarely get to see her. It’s such a treat when I do
- Conversations with my daughter. She has become so chatty lately, sharing her thoughts and feelings at breakneck speed. It’s a delight to watch her discover herself
- My book club. I was feeling blah before going to our meeting last night and came home feeling so refreshed. Such a great group of women
- My first good-feeling run in a while. I have been in a slump with running, just not feeling invigorated like I usually do. But my run this morning felt great. It’s such a humbling sport. I’m signed up for a half marathon in 4 weeks and hoping I have a good day on race day
- A few days of rain to water the plants and make everything sparkle
- The usual things—pet cuddles, cozy blankets, therapy, jacuzzi time, hot tea. In reference to the quote of the week above, I really do derive so much joy over the little things in life
Snapshots:
