Monday, 7/12/21: Talking about notes from June and what I read and watched on vacation
Happy Monday!
It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter. Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.
Three Steps to a Happier Monday
Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.
Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend?
Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?
Step 3: What is my intention for this week?
GRATITUDE: From my weekend, I’m so thankful for time to relax, an easy travel experience back to Chicago, and for the facial I treated myself to on Saturday (btw – if you are in Chicago, Leah Chavie was amazing & FL peeps, she has a spot in Bradenton too!!).
TODAY: I’m most excited about getting back into my routine today.
INTENTION: My intention this week is to write down three things going well at the end of each day.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: Notes from June
As mentioned recently, one of the items on my 21 in 2021 List is to write a quick recap each month. My hope is that these monthly recaps help me better remember all the things (big and small) that happen over the span of a few weeks.
So far, I’ve found the exercise to be really fun. Around the end of the month, I’ll take time to reference my calendar, scroll through photos, and jot down a quick list of memories. I’m usually pretty focused on what’s coming next, so I’ve come to appreciate how this practice helps me pause and reflect on what’s just happened.
In case you’re interested in reading what I jotted down for June, I’m sharing my notes below. Read on for more! And if you have a ritual to mark the end of the month, I would love to hear about it.
June’s 10 Notes:
- I’ve been trying to take advantage of some of the inherent flexibility and freedom that comes with summer by playing around with my routines. I feel like the swirl of work emails and meetings don’t tend to start as early in the summer as compared to other seasons, so I’ve been trying to at least get outside each morning before diving into work. One of my favorite ways to this is to sit outside at a coffee shop by my apartment with a book. Feels like I’m on vacation!
- Speaking of reading, I read a lot of good books in June. My favorites from the month include People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (so cute and the perfect summer read IMO), Gabrielle Union’s We’re Going To Need More Wine, and The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi.
- I also did something I haven’t done since pre-pandemic: I hosted friends in Chicago!! One of my best friends had her baby shower here and all the friends who flew in for it stayed the whole weekend to frolic around the city. It was amazing. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole weekend!
- I started listening to music more. Okay, this one sounds funny, but stick with me for a second. I listened to this podcast episode all about fun and why some of us seem to have so much trouble letting go. Music was one of the suggestions mentioned as an easy way to have more fun throughout the day. As someone who gravitates toward audiobooks, podcasts or news when looking for something to listen to, I find myself often forgetting about music as an option. But inspired by this podcast, I started peppering in some tunes into my usual rotation. It absolutely boosts my mood, especially when doing tasks like cleaning the kitchen!
- Sadly, it was not a great month of running for me. Earlier this month, I experienced some sharp pain in my left knee while running. I ended up going to the doctor and getting an MRI, which thankfully confirmed that everything looks fine. However, I haven’t been able to run since (the pain kicks in a few minutes in). I’m hoping July is a comeback month for me in terms of running because I miss it so much!
- One of the items on my 21 in 2021 list is to do a solo adventure once a month, and this month, I took myself out to dinner at a restaurant I’ve been dying to try! I brought a book, worked on my newsletter and bit, and enjoyed sitting outside on a beautiful summer night.
- If you are looking for a great rosé wine for the summer, try the brand Summer Water! I mean, the name alone is brilliant. And true to its name, it’s perfect for summer! Confidently can say it’s my favorite dry and crisp rosé of the moment.
- So excited Chicago’s summer outdoor festivals are back! I went to my first street festival since 2019 (Old Town Art Fair!) and it was so fun to stroll the street and bask in one of my favorite parts of a Chicago summer.
- In June, I purchased this set of inexpensive sunglasses from Amazon, and I love them! Think they are great for summer.
- I had a few “pinch me” moments in June where things really felt back to normal. One example was on a random Tuesday after work. I left my apartment to run up the street to Target and as soon as I got outside, I marveled at just how many people were out and about. Without masks, it really felt like pre-COVID-19 times. I felt silly standing there at the end of my street just smiling to myself, but it was a great feeling.
On My Monday Radar
Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:
- As mentioned above, People We Meet on Vacation was one of my favorite books from June, so I loved listening to this podcast interview with the book’s author. I always love hearing authors talk about this book, and I really enjoyed this conversation with Emily Henry where I was able to learn more about the inspiration behind the book and her writing process.
- I’m so glad I saved reading the book Malibu Rising for my vacation – it was amazing! I couldn’t put this book down and I didn’t want it to end! I think I could read anything by the author (Taylor Jenkins Reid): I loved her book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Malibu Rising reminded me a lot of it with the glamour and complex characters and juicy storylines. There’s even a few fun cameos from her other books (love when authors do that!). The book moves back and forth between the past and the present, following four siblings of a famous performer on the day of their annual summer party. Like Evelyn Hugo, the book ends up being more serious than you expect, but I highly recommend for a summer read.
- Continuing with the theme of books I read while off work last week… I also finished The Soulmate Equation. And while the book had a slow start for me, it did end up being really cute. I thought the concept of the book was really innovative as it centers around a new DNA-based dating app. On a whim, single mom Jess Davis takes the test and discovers her results show an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: the company’s founder. Jess can’t wrap her head around this number because she already knows the founder and would say he is very much not a match (much less, a soulmate). Overall, it’s a cute, witty romance novel that explores the delicate balance between fate and choice.
- Have you watched the movie In the Heights? I watched with my mom last week and really enjoyed it. I have not seen the Broadway version that the movie is based off of, but I was captivated by the movie’s music and the inspiring – and heartbreaking – storylines. Of course, I loved the Hamilton cameos too! I also enjoyed listening to this podcast interview with Adam Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda and his dad (Luis Miranda) about the inspiration behind the play-turned-movie.
That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this!
Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan
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