I only had two days of “on” this week – but boy oh boy they are jam packed. When did that happen? Why is that happening? Are we sliding imperceptibly toward resuming a facet of life in full? Are we pushing the envelope out of desperation? Are we better understanding how to color within the lines but in a more active way?

Who knows at this point. All I do know is that I’m feeling pretty energized by this increase in activity, this interaction with others, feeling needed, purposeful.

So for whatever reason, I’ll take this.

And now for some things to ponder, do, and read as you head in to the weekend…

1) I can actually feel my skin tightening. Spending 90% of my day in doors with heated air blowing constantly is no match for any amount of water consumed or lotion applied (fava beans not withstanding). I saw this ad in a magazine for Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel and I was willing (read desperate) to take a flyer on it. I’ve used this for only a short time but yep, it’s working. I don’t feel like my whole body is one giant itch. And it smells a lot like Big Red gum ❤ – if you know, you know. Use suggestion – a little goes a long way – the instructions say to apply less than you would lotion. The first couple of times I applied liberally out of desperation for relief – and now I get it as to why less is more. Also, I recommend applying at night – preferably before your face wash/teeth brush routine to give it some time to absorb.

2) Part of living a full life is taking leaps of faith. Like moving your family across the country in the middle of a pandemic and leaving behind your professional network and job opportunity. Hypothetically. Or not. This article resonated with me. While I did not lose my job – I feel like I lost my job prospects, my professional footing, my career trajectory — my identity.

3) There is still a smidge of winter left and I’m tired of the same clothes. I don’t want to really invest in anything, but I do want to freshen things up a bit. A $20 sweater in a rainbow of color options? Yes, please!

4) I found this bit of good news on Grace Atwood’s site, The Stripe. Old Capitol Books, a Black-owned bookstore in California has a fantastic mail order book curation program — a veritable choose your own adventure of book care packages! I can’t wait to get mine!

 5) Who doesn’t love Stanley Tucci?! Who doesn’t love Italy? Now that we’ve established our collective reverence for both, tuck in with a glass of wine, cheese plate, and tune in to CNN’s Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci streaming on Hulu.