Friday again! This week has been significantly cooler than some past ones. That has made running far more tolerable. I went on a few runs with companions this week. My 15-year-old is gearing up for cross country season, so he and I went running on Sunday late afternoon along a nearby trail. This was actually still pretty warm, and we felt it, but we also went Wednesday night and it was almost cool. So much better! He is significantly faster than me (even if the “gearing up” for cross country has started a wee bit later than a coach might recommend…) so he runs ahead, and chooses a time to turn around, comes back to meet me, we turn and run together for a bit and then he takes off and waits for me at the end. On Tuesday morning I ran with a friend around the Haverford College trail and that was also reasonably cool. I’m looking forward to some boardwalk runs as we hit the beach this month.
Also in the category of spending time with bigger kids…I took my older two boys to Talula’s Garden in downtown Philly last night. We sat outside and it was lovely. I had tuna crudo to start, which featured watermelon and jalapenos, and then had the salmon, which had a lot of beets accompanying it. So even though it was all very indulgent I felt healthy. Beets! I never cook those on my own. They are always a lot of work.
Today I’m picking up the 13-year-old and a friend of hers from their camp. Then tomorrow I pick up the 10-year-old from his camp. It has been strange hearing almost nothing from the 10-year-old for two weeks. He wrote one letter but he’s kind of a man of few words. I was told in the letter to send stamps and envelopes (reader: he was sent with half a dozen stamped and addressed envelopes, but I guess he didn’t find them). However, no news is a good development. Last year I was in very close contact with the camp due to some incidents and an illness and none of that transpired so… phew. The 13-year-old had a good time. She was able to call during her free time yesterday and she seemed happy so also…phew.
Content! This week at Before Breakfast I interview productivity expert Carl Pullein. The short episodes cover such topics as “10 minutes a day is like a week off of work.” Little things do add up over time! I also suggest using and teaching the phrase “It’s not my favorite” as a way to answer honestly without yucking someone else’s yum.
At Vanderhacks, my Substack newsletter, I write about “How to move the conversation along,” and the wisdom of choosing to “Be clear.” Behind the paywall I talk about “How to actually finish your to-do list,” and “How to (really) protect your focused work time.” I often do not get as much focused work time as I want, but mapping it out really can help.
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