I am a voracious reader and every week I come across either a book, online piece or website I want to share with others. I’ve decided to curate these gems and highlight them on Friday. I hope you find these faves as insightful as I do.
- “Your ability to connect is a resource much more precious than money, so manage it well. It may sound cold-blooded to say you must divest yourself of the relationships that give you consistent losses, but unless you do this, you’ll soon run out of capital, and you’ll have no connection energy left to invest in anybody. So please, decide now to deliberately limit the time and attention you spend on “low yield” relationships.” Martha Beck’s quote and her entire piece, “Logging Off: The Power of Disconnection” is a can’t miss read on trying to find what works for you in a world which is too connected.
- David Brooks honors midlife in his essay, “The Middle-Age Surge.” I loved the theme of reconceptualizing what midlife means and when certain choices are eliminated, it isn’t necessarily a negative, but liberating.
- Want to watch something fun? Check out James Corden’s carpool karaoke with Jennifer Lopez. It’s uplifting to witness the banter, the jokes and of course, the singing.
- What if you stopped writing? What does that mean? Interesting perspective by Jennifer Hill in “The Writing Life: Please Stop Writing,” in Hippocampus Magazine.
What were some of your favorite reads this week?
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
I did not know Martha Beck had a blog. I loved all of her columns in O, but I rarely get the magazine anymore. Just added her to my bloglovin feed. Thank you! Off to click on the Brooks piece now.
I loved this particular piece by Beck. Glad I was able to introduce her blog to you! Have a good weekend, Nina.
I always love your round-up posts. Short, thoughtful, extremely well-curated. Thank you. In particular I find this David Brooks piece inspiring and right on the nose. xox
Thanks, Lindsey. I am glad you enjoy my round-up posts. The feeling is mutual. I love your monthly love lists as well. xo
Carpool Karaoke is so much fun. Have you seen the one with Adele? I love how animated he gets. A great pick-me-up. I hadn’t seen this one yet. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, Jackie, I watched the karaoke with Adele. He is great at banter and putting people at ease. I find myself laughing out loud with his questions and reactions. So much fun to watch!
Tucking these links away for some Sunday morning reading. Thank you for always creating such intriguing lists. And have a great weekend, Rudri.
I hope some of these links resonate with you, Kristen. Have a good weekend!
Thanks Rudri! I love your Friday round ups. I especially loved the Martha Beck article, and the piece on why writers should consider not writing. Both food for thought. I discovered carpool karaoke just a few days ago and binge watched online…J Lo and Adele were my favorites!
The Martha Beck article offers such insight and perspective. I felt so grateful to intersect with it. Glad you enjoy my Friday faves.
This is a fantastic round-up, Rudri. Concise but full of depth. I loved Martha Beck’s article and her term “squid” is now a fixture in my brain. And the writers stop writing article gave me chills… I place so much value in myself as a Writer and feel unmoored when I’m not writing. And yet, I’m still there whether I’m tapping away at the keyboard or not. Looking forward to reading the article on midlife. Thank you!
Dana,
Beck’s post served as an epiphany. I’ve always focused on the word, solitude, but never quite equated it to active disconnection. Her tips and advice are practical and yes, squid, is a powerful metaphor. Glad these pieces were helpful to you. Have a good weekend.