Read this quote in James Clear’s latest newsletter:
“Selfish people should listen to advice to be more selfless, selfless people should listen to advice to be more selfish. This applies to many things. Whenever you receive advice, consider its opposite as well. You might be filtering out the advice you need most.”
Source: Conor Barnes in 100 Tips for a Better Life
Made me think of something that keeps coming to mind: Men, in general, need to get the hell away from stoicism as a philosophy/approach to life. And women need to get closer to it.
Finished reading: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 📚
After reading Tomorrow x3, I wanted to read more by Zevin. This one was recommended by @pratik. I loved this poignant, sweet, book-filled story.
2024: Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells 📚
A fun, quick, intelligent YA read. Victorianesque adventuring + hidden worlds + merpeople + clever banter, science-y magic, and interesting characters. I liked Emilie. Would love to read more of her adventures. Some over-explaining (e.g. “They turned a corner and opened a door and entered the room…” –just put them in the room!).
I was a little bummed all the kids would be seeing the eclipse at school (and not at home with me). Then 2 of mine came down with the flu this weekend, so they are here with me… 🤒😎
Finished reading: The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher 📚
“…but it is somehow easier to face things when one is not alone. Courage still does most of the heavy lifting, but Pride gets it shoulder in there, too, just to keep you from embarrassing yourself in front of the other person…”
I love the gorgeous colors of these tulips. The foliage is nice too 😁 #mbapr
🥾Yesterday’s hiking church
Finished reading: Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel 📚
A recommendation from @jordon. A great vacation read, would be a great anytime read. Funny and real and sad and poignant and hopeful. The power of art, our need for beauty, how desperation warps thinking, connection, regret, finding meaning. Lovely writing, characters I cared about.
Finished reading: The Lost Steersman (The Steerswoman Series) (Volume 3) by Rosemary Kirstein 📚
Finished reading: The Outskirter’s Secret (The Steerswoman Series) (Volume 2) by Rosemary Kirstein 📚
Finished reading: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (Enhanced Edition) by Charles Yu 📚
Enjoyed this one. It’s a philosophy book + father-son story cleverly disguised as a funny, poignant sci-fi novel.
💜 friends 💜
Last day in Rincón. Enjoying every moment. Have discovered that, for an introvert, vacations with children + meeting with old friends is both rewarding and exhausting. Have also discovered that kids sleeping in provides quiet mornings for solitude, journaling, just being.
🧡🇵🇷☀️😍
Spent yesterday connecting with friends, enjoying the beach, and walking in Viejo San Juan. My dormant Spanish skills are coming back a little bit.
Headphones are a paid actor on this journey
✈️ StL ➡️ San Juan
Currently reading: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (Enhanced Edition) by Charles Yu 📚
Time is a machine: it will convert your pain into experience. Raw data will be compiled, will be translated into a more comprehensible language. The individual events of your life will be transmuted into another substance called memory and in the mechanism something will be lost and you will never be able to reverse it, you will never again have the original moment back in its uncategorized, preprocessed state. It will force you to move on and you will not have a choice in the matter.
Sunshine, breeze, warm, things in bloom. Great day for a balcony break.
For sure, this is what e e cummings envisioned.