Week No. 2: Highs, Lows, and Good Reads

This Week's Highs

Career: This week, I managed to get answers to a pretty convoluted payment issue for one of my files. It took quite a bit of communication and following up, but I got it answered. One of my friends at work and I have also tried to make a more conscious effort to ask about each other's achievements so that we can congratulate one another: typically, things that go well aren't acknowledged, so we're trying to make more of an effort there.

Health: Apart from one day, I have meditated every day this week. I have also worked out almost every day. Although I have not started losing weight, I have stopped gaining weight--which is at least a small win.

Personal: I have had a lot of happy times this week with loved ones. I just feel like we've been laughing a lot, listening to fun music, sharing little funny things from the Internet. In our home, my husband and I often try different kinds of coffee, and the bag we used this week was very delicious:

Colectivo Coffee's Blue Heeler

This Week's Lows

Career: I have returned to some lack of focus which gives more stress than it removes. Also, I have had a heck of a time with some technological issues lately.

Health: I have not been drinking enough water lately! I've got to fix that.

Personal: This week was the anniversary of my grandmother's passing. 

This Week's Good Reads

This piece in National Review by Kyle Smith is a brief and touching essay on the passage of time, and on life. 

Monica Burke over at Verily has a sweet article on the art of the Thank You note. I am married to an extremely competent Thank You note writer, and he is helping me get better at it too. The Thank You note is a perfect example of something much greater than the sum of its parts. It's a helpful exercise for the writer, it's a pleasant surprise for the recipient, and it's just a little time and some cardstock.

I think this piece from The Guardian is a very good one to help Americans understand what China is doing to the Uighurs.

Find something to delight in today, A