life Reading

Friday Bits of Randomness

July 19, 2024

I have a bunch of thoughts swirling in my head about the contradiction between the book I am reading (You Only Die Once — which suggests we should be really aware of mortality and treat life as the precious gift it is) and a podcast I just heard (Michael Easter on 10% Happier, which suggests we should eschew scarcity-type thinking work on moving towards an abundance mindset).

WHICH IS IT? If I have ~2000 Mondays left, is that an abundant number or a scarce one?

(I am not exactly sure! But I think I lean towards the YODO philosophy.)

OHH – and what about the fact one never really knows how many Mondays are left? I probably won’t have a ton MORE than 2000, but maybe I’ve already had my last Monday. I hope not!

ALL THAT SAID, that could be a deep and heavy post topic, and it’s Friday!

Instead I will share:

  • A’s Olivia Rodrigo limited edition Stanley arrived in the mail yesterday. Maybe they could make this an even MORE tween-coveted item if they made it Sol de Janeiro-scented and pre-filled with some pink Starbucks concoction.
  • We have a pretty low-key weekend planned although there may be a room painting project. We will see. (I am not excited about this whatsoever but others are).
  • I did not go to F45 but I went to a yoga class!! It was really nice and I would do it again, especially on a post-call day or on a lower key weekend. It was just like doing yoga in 2011 EXCEPT with far less flexibility and ability to balance. Haha.
  • I am going to read as much of Swan Song as possible over the weekend because I can’t renew it due to holds and really want to read it!
  • I am going to start a Closet Cleanout becuase it’s time.
  • AND I want to bake something since that was a summer goal that I have been ignoring. Peach crisp? Blueberry muffins? SOMETHING.

FULL WEEKS LEFT BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS: 3.

The countdown, sadly, is on.

16 Comments

  • Reply Sarah July 19, 2024 at 12:11 pm

    Just finished Swan Song **chef’s kiss**

  • Reply sesb July 19, 2024 at 1:30 pm

    I think you are going to live well past 80, Sarah.

  • Reply Leneigh July 19, 2024 at 2:21 pm

    I think I will not tell my tween daughter that Stanley exists! 😆

    Interesting ideas about time. I don’t see these perspectives as diametrically opposed, my goal is to try and be mindful that life is finite and therefore appreciate and be present in the moment but also try and embrace the abundance mindset as it keeps me from panicking and having regrets (I definitely have some challenges with skewing to a scarcity mindset especially around time).

    I don’t think I’m regularly achieving the balanced goal above but I’m striving for it!

    I think your tendency and joy of planning helps with this as it creates awareness of how you are using your time which helps to make sure it aligns with your values.

  • Reply Leneigh July 19, 2024 at 2:22 pm

    Also I just got swan song off the library hold list too! Excited to read it.

  • Reply Amanda July 19, 2024 at 3:39 pm

    I started Swan Song last night!

    Closet cleanouts are energizing. With your self-described limited wardrobe, it will not take you very long. 😉

    This recipe as been a new favorite this summer: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/glazed-strawberry-bread/ (text me if you need more recipe ideas!)

  • Reply Lisa’s Yarns July 19, 2024 at 3:47 pm

    I have somehow never read a Hilderbrand book! I should read her books, though. I know they are known being great summer reads.

    School starts SO SOON for you! We don’t go back until after Labor Day and my 6yo hasn’t even been out of school for a month! So the start of school feels far off which I am ok with! This is our prime season so I am trying to soak it up.

    My 3.5 yo’s school closed early today for the memorial service of the co-owner who died from breast cancer at 41. 🙁 It is so heartbreaking to see someone who is so young die. I have good longevity genes so as long as I can avoid something like cancer I expect to live into my 90s. My grandma was almost 101 when she passed. She would tell you that she lived TOO long. She was the last surviving siblings my many years and saw nearly all of her friends die. So I don’t know that I aspire to be a centurion unless I have other peers that survive alongside me! But I would bet on Kae and you living long lives. Maybe we will be old, cool grandmas blogging about our senior citizen hobbies. Ha.

    • Reply Grateful Kae July 19, 2024 at 3:56 pm

      This made me LOL Lisa!!! 😂 Blogging about our senior citizen hobbies…. hahahaha! Hey, why not?! 🤣

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger July 19, 2024 at 4:12 pm

      I totally want to be a cool blogging
      Grandma. Or an uncool blogging grandma. This blog will be 50 in 2054 and I’ll be 74. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. 😂

  • Reply Sophie July 19, 2024 at 4:15 pm

    Hooray you did a yoga class (that was an annual goal for a couple of years, wasn’t it?). A seems to be such a lovely tween, that water bottle is classic. I’m sure my daughter will be into ALL the trends (she’s 7 and already says she wants to have her own YouTube channel when she’s older- she only watches YouTube for a couple of hours of the weekend each week but she loves it so (too) much!).

  • Reply coco July 19, 2024 at 10:22 pm

    I will load swan song to my kindle too. Not sure I’ll be able to finish all my fiction books in two weeks time but I can’t wait to dig into that.
    3 weeks until school starts for us too and I don’t even feel we’ve had a summer break. Hopefully after the trip, I feel better having relaxed/unplugged for the summer.
    Stanley mugs!!! They must be so heavy to carry once filled.

  • Reply jennystancampiano July 20, 2024 at 7:59 am

    Ha ha, I want to be a cool blogging grandma too!
    I want to read YODO- it sounds like it’s right up my alley. BUT… I also want to listen to that podcast- I like the concept of abundance! Can we have both???

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger July 20, 2024 at 10:56 am

      I think . . .yes!?

  • Reply Irene July 20, 2024 at 11:28 am

    This whole Stanley trend is so odd to me. Guess I am officially an old lady who has forgotten what trends are like. My 9 year old has not asked for one yet. Is that strange? She has a few friends that are very into trends and a few from very practical pragmatic families.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger July 22, 2024 at 1:00 pm

      nah, not too strange. I actually think the Stanley trend may be close to burning out? Maybe by the time yours is 11 there will be a whole NEW thing!!!!

  • Reply Coree July 20, 2024 at 11:41 am

    Hooray for yoga! And nothing like a library due date to motivate some reading, I finished a book with a long waitlist this am while at swim lessons walked it over to the library.

    We’ve got 3.5 weeks left, so halfway through and it feels so short? I was adding things to my August list, and somehow sorting uniforms and PE kit is on there, and didn’t I just pull uniforms out of the cupboard? I’m going to be incredibly lazy this year and designate a laundry basket for uniforms rather than folding them and putting them away.

  • Reply Emily July 20, 2024 at 7:42 pm

    Ha! My tween daughter is also obsessed with Starbucks, Olivia, Stanleys, and (newly) Sol de Janeiro so your first item made me lol 🙂

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