This week has been dedicated to the first week of my six week best version of myself challenge. I’m trying to focus my five things this week on items that make me feel good. Some are things I’ve been learning from. Others are things that I am hoping will help me grow. Either way these are the five things that I’m loving this week.
It has been a long few weeks. I had a beautifully boring and relaxing vacation in August. I finished four books, I ate well and I barely interacted with any humans. I felt so well rested and then I returned to an absolutely draining week. I coworked with a friend on Monday after having blood work done (I googled the results and spent an entire week stewing), had a long working lunch on Tuesday, had an all day in person meeting with partners followed by dinner with them Wednesday, and then I went to see Jared Freid on Thursday. All of that was a lot already, but then Friday came with a bit of an emotional roller coaster my dad totaled his truck. He is perfectly fine but it was scary to hear about it. I was “officially” diagnosed Type 2 diabetes—I’d self-diagnosed myself Monday after that googling. You can read more about that rude awakening and catalyst for change here. Then I left Sunday at 6AM for a work conference in Orlando and now I’m headed to see my family in PA. These Five Things are what have kept me moving, functioning, and on a steady path forward.
Book: I finished Small Town Big Magic this weekend and I am now telling every person I see that they have got to read it. Typically in magical romantic comedies, the magic side of things is light. It’s not heavily focused on. In fact, most of the books that I’ve read in this sub genre are around a 3 for me for that reason. This book went deep into the lore of the magic. In fact the romance was almost a b-plot to the magical mystery. A full review will be coming next week, but the long and short of it is, you should get yourself a copy.
Article: Ok this is a bit of misnomer because honestly it’s not just one article, it is an entire Substack. I recently subscribed to Morning Person on substack and I have been making my way through Leslie Stephens’s back log of essays, recommendations and favorites. Leslie and her substack have been featured previously on Bad on Paper podcast and I take any recommendations from Becca and Olivia seriously. Leslie’s back log of rituals and routines really helped me form my goals for the next 6 weeks.
Movie: I just watched Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre on Amazon Prime. I heard absolutely nothing about this movie when it came out. Then I saw it for rent on Prime and noticed the cast. Cary Elwes, Aubrey Plaza AND Jason Statham? I could not press rent fast enough. It was a Guy Richie film, which meant it was action with quite a bit of comedy. I honestly really enjoyed the film. A movie is a big time investment for me, so I was pleasantly surprised to feel really great about this one!
Recipe: I am a pretty die hard fan of Cava. There isn’t one in Kentucky, but usually I am in an out of Ronald Reagan airport often enough that I can get my fix. Recently, Defined Dish, a recipe website I love, released a Harissa Chicken Avocado Bowl. This is basically a dupe for what I get from Cava. It has been lunch this week and I have never been happier.
Item: Something I have been using non-stop recently has been a fountain pen. There is something about the weight of the fountain pen and how it glides across the page when I journal that has really stolen my heart. It also seems a bit extravagant so it helps me romanticize that part of my day a bit. We all need a bit of romanticizing don’t we?
