Yesterday I wrote some reflections on April. Today I’m looking forward to (the rest of) May.
Anyone with school-aged kids knows this month tends to fill up. There are 5 weekends in May this year, which is kind of nice. Stuff gets spread out a little bit! But it’s still a lot.
On deck: My 16-year-old will hopefully get his driver’s license very soon, so that will be a highlight and it will be a help in terms of household logistics. I already have him on the driving schedule for the next week. This weekend we’re doing an early Mother’s Day brunch with the 7 of us, since the 18-year-old will be gone on the 10th, as will my husband (he’ll be with his mom). I’m also going to a derby-themed party that is a fundraiser. I bought a fascinator. Sadly, it will be about 50 degrees, but hey.
My 14-year-old has both the confirmation expo and her actual confirmation at church over the next month. The 11-year-old is doing a lock-in and step-up ceremony for joining the youth group.
Big Time will launch May 5! I’m hosting a virtual launch party that evening for people who pre-order. There will be some special guests, trivia, and give-aways. You can pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Books-a-Million, Hudson, or through your local independent retailer. Just fill out this form and you’ll get the link for the virtual launch.
I’ve got a trip into NYC the next week (staying overnight) and I’m trying to get lots of things planned in. I elected not to stay at one of my favorite hotels right by Central Park as the rates were, um, eye-watering (I guess it is peak season in NYC) but I found a nice place in midtown that was really well-reviewed and hopefully it will match its reviews.
I’ll be singing in a concert on May 16th featuring Bach’s Easter Oratorio and a Zelenka mass — I had not heard of his music before, but apparently Bach was a fan.
I’ll be going to my 25th college reunion in late May. I live close enough that I may be mostly coming back and forth but it will be fun to catch up with people, including some I haven’t seen in a while (life gets busy, but my life is feeling slightly more spacious in these post-baby years so I’m hoping this can be a nudge to re-establish these things).
I hope to make real progress on writing The Golden Hours. My goal is to have a workable draft of two chapters by the end of the month (to follow the writing schedule I’ve created) and that seems doable.
There will also be various kid things (though at least some of that is happening in June too given that our school year doesn’t end until then). It will be a full month but a good month, and since I currently have less travel than I did in, say, March it should be good for doing walks/runs/and little adventures. Hoping your May is looking good as well!
This week’s content: Over at Before Breakfast I interviewed the one and only Tom Rath about his new book What’s the Point? Please check that out. It was a fun conversation and we packed a lot into 25 minutes.
My short episodes included one called “Let time do its job” — patience can truly be a superpower in a distracted world. I also suggested that people “Know what you’re into” in order to make leisure time more meaningful.
At Vanderhacks, my Substack newsletter, I talked about “Is it a hobby or a necessity?” Certain tasks are required in life, but sometimes they can be done in a simpler way than they are. I suggested people “List low-energy intentions” in order to have some go-to ideas that are more satisfying than collapsing on the couch. I also suggested we “Keep it in perspective” — even big things tend to look quite reasonable when you look at time from a broader vantage point.
Behind the paywall I talked about “How I forced myself to network” — it turns out that there are ways to build business relationships that feel authentic. I also wrote about how to “Cultivate a summer vibe (even during your 9-to-5).”
Also, please check out an Inc article about time featuring my work!
And the fabulous Christine Koh has a post with a tip from me in her Edit Your Life newsletter today. Please check that out!
