October’s 10 Things

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 11/2/20.

Happy November! At the beginning of last month, I wrote a “monthly recap” after taking time to make a list of 10 memorable things (big and small) that happened in the previous month. I enjoyed that experience so much that I did the exercise again over the weekend and was happily reminded of some of the fun moments that happened in October. 

Sharing my list below of the 10 random things that stood out to me this month in hopes that you might make your own to catalog your October. If you do, I would love to hear about it! 

10 Things – October Edition: 

1. Chicago’s weather in October is amazing. I have an embarrassing amount of pictures on my phone of trees with leaves changing colors and gorgeous sunrises/sunsets. Fall is such a magical and fleeting season here in Chicago! 
2. The Halloween decorations in Lincoln Park brought me joy. Speaking of the magic of fall in Chicago, one of my favorite activities this month was walking through Lincoln Park (my favorite neighborhood) and looking at all the brownstones decked out for Halloween. Loved the festivity! 
3. I bought a new lamp for my at-home work station. I was so happy to have that extra hour of sleep yesterday, but I know that also means that the sun will start setting BEFORE 5 p.m. here in Chicago. In anticipation of this (and after being inspired by this article), I bought a new lamp to add some extra light to my work station in my apartment. 
4. I took days off work even though I didn’t have any planned trips or visitors. This concept would have seemed crazy to me last year, but I have to say, there is something really nice about completely covering off at work, turning off the Outlook notifications for a day or so and disconnecting from work. If you are also lucky enough to be able to take time off work, I highly recommend taking a day for yourself even if you have nothing big planned! 
5. Loved the Monet and Chicago exhibit at the Art Institute. I spent one of my days off work by going to the Art Institute for the first time to see the special Monet exhibit. It was amazing! The exhibit is here until Jan. 18, so if you are in the area,  I highly recommend checking it out. 
6. Enjoyed feeling the hustle and bustle of downtown. I also spent a late afternoon off work in the city running a few errands and ending with a glass of wine along the river. Even though so much has changed, I was still happy to feel the inherent electricity that comes from being downtown. 
7. My favorite book I read this month was Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving by Celeste Headlee. After hearing Celeste on a podcast interview (which I talked about here), this book was calling my name. A quote from the book that intrigued me came from Philosopher Andrew Taggart. He says, “We adopt the illusion that personal productivity is itself the end of suffering, or is itself happiness, when in actuality, the aim of personal productivity is to enable the work society to continue… The truth is that we are its tools.” 
8. Proud of myself for completing two running-related items on my 20 in 2020 List! Like I wrote about last week, I am counting my participation in a virtual relay marathon toward my goals of “participating in a running group” and “running a 5k race.” 
9. Thankful for some one-one-one time with friends. Whether is was a fun dinner, casual wine night or phone conversation, I’m thankful for the quality time I had this month with friends near and far. 
10. And finally, I was so relieved to finally cast my vote early. PSA if you haven’t already – please vote tomorrow!! Our participation is so important. 

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