Week No. 4: Highs, Lows, and Good Reads

I cannot believe next week is February already! January felt like the strangest, strangest month but now it's almost over! So we've been through four weeks of 2021. How are you feeling about it? What do you want to take with you into February? And what would you prefer to leave behind? Please feel welcome to share your own highs, lows, and good reads in the comments!

Some pretty cool patterns in the snow outside our home.

This Week's Highs

• Career: This week, I got some good news about a potential work change. We will see how it progresses! I also managed to see three big, long-term files get wrapped up. That was good, and I felt proud to see it.
• Health: I am proud of how I'm doing with Noom! I have read all of my articles; I have recorded all of my meals from Mon-Thur (and hope to today!); I have seen the scale inch down. I'm very pleased with how it's going. Also, I went to have a massage yesterday evening. I'd been concerned about doing that during the pandemic, but it really felt so good to get my muscles and back loosened up.
• Personal: This links in with the Noom efforts; it just feels good to feel like I have a bit more self-discipline than I'd been feeling previously. Also, I continue to be very, very happy in my personal life. We watched a few episodes of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain's show. They're pretty old episodes, but it is fun to see him in action.

This Week's Lows

• Career: On Wednesday afternoon, it felt like everything caught fire. It drove me nuts, and I felt absolutely defeated. But, the good news is that those feelings do not last. I drank water, thought about something else, and ultimately started feeling better. But oof, that was an absolute low.
• Health: I have fallen off the wagon with meditation! I definitely want to get back into it regularly--it's not a hard thing--it doesn't have to be many minutes. I hope I can get that going again! Also, my massage therapist did not wear a mask. I felt so unable to express that I'd prefer she wear one. But I wore two(!) masks during the session, so I'm really hoping it is okay. Are you good at handling awkward situations? I just did not quite know what to do!
• Personal: I felt like I had a few frustrating miscommunications with loved ones. Nothing fatal, but whenever they happen, it naggles at me. Also, I have not checked in with many of my friends recently, and I miss that. 

This Week's Good Reads

• Loved this sweet article in Verily about using the same pattern in your decor throughout the whole year. You might be surprised by which pattern it is :)
• I love learning about finance, and especially being able to figure out finance without too much of an entry cost. So the story about what's gone on with GameStop stock is fascinating to me! Via Bloomberg. [Disclaimer, I select these articles throughout the week, so that one is probably out-of-date by today, since the whole situation keeps changing!]
• One of my favorite political podcasts is the FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast. I absolutely miss Clare Malone, who previously hosted but was let go about a month ago. But on a recent episode, the hosts interviewed two other writers at FiveThirtyEight about political polarization. Here's the article. Very interesting. Via FiveThirtyEight.

Find something to delight in today-- A.