Looking Back to Get Ahead
Weekend Reads v. 7.2.2026
Are you someone who keeps a journal? I flirted with journals off and on when I was younger, though mine seemed to veer into the art of wallowing in self-indulgence. Besides, if I’m being honest, I was ultimately mostly interested in the acquiring-luxurious-paper-goods aspect of journaling. But some friends of mine have been devoted to documenting their days and thoughts in small notebooks in their nightstands, and these collections of thoughts have served them as a helpful record.
It’s times like last month that I wish I’d kept a journal. To be able to look back over one’s life can be a powerful elixir to discouragement in times of trouble and turmoil.
In lieu of personal journals, I’ve been reading quite a bit of history lately. This history lesson comes packaged in the form of a study on the Old Testament, and boy is there a lot of turmoil and change in that collection of works. Empires rise up in power only to be dismantled so that they can give way to a newer, more powerful empire. People are good and true until one day they aren’t. Culture is deafening, which causes people to second-guess their gut instinct. Life is harsh and beautiful all at the same time. Injustice is rampant, but so are hope and kindness.
Sounds a lot like today, huh? It’s a good thing we humans weather storms pretty well.
The other thing I would gain from a collection of my own journals is the reminder that I am resilient. I have rebuilt my life several times – not because of destruction or failure but because I made the choice to try new things and to move to places unknown to me. I survived and sometimes thrived in all of this change. The rhythms and people I thought would be permanent in my life have rarely been a mainstay. Instead, people have come and gone, seasons have started and ended, and I’ve been moving right along all this time.
This is true for you, too, I suspect. There are versions of yourself that you likely look back on with pride. The time you rented your first apartment without roommates. The day you started that dream job. Those long nights you studied for an exam after you decided to go back to school. That weekend you drove a moving truck to a new state to start what would become the most brilliant chapter of your life. That decision to make a major change in your child’s life without knowing how it would turn out. The time you left a bad situation without knowing if there was a safety net under you. The time you stood up to a bully and said, “no more.” I suspect there are so many moments from your life that make you quite proud of yourself.
If it’s true that we can be our own harshest critics, let it also be true that we can be our own greatest champions.
These success stories of people who left white collar jobs for jobs in a trade really struck a chord with me. Especially this story of Candance Robinson who is about my age and left an office job to go back to school and become a cardiovascular sonographer.
“Candace Robinson told herself she wouldn’t stay long at the bank where she worked. Then, 10 years passed. She made a decent living, even if the job wasn’t a passion.
As she saw more co-workers get laid off, many of them as they approached 50, she took stock of what her job had become. “It’s just problem-solving, slinging emails,” she said.
She makes about the same as in her corporate job—less than six-figures—but says she would have taken a pay cut.
“It’s actually dealing with life and death,” she says, “but it is so much less stressful than when I was just dealing with emails.” (Source)
Brands are refusing to scale, and it’s working.
What portion of the calendar is the safest bet when you’re planning a big event like, say, a wedding? Turns out, it’s September, according to this article in the Washington Post.
“The driest month in the 48 contiguous states is September, based on averages going back to 1990 — roughly our modern climate era. Specifically, the days when the largest share of the country doesn’t see a drop of rain (or snow) are Sept. 26 to Oct. 1. That may not shock your socks off. Until we remind you that, in another recent column, we found that the most common birthdays in America are Sept. 24 and 25.” (Source)
I won’t ever think of pigeons the same way again after reading this essay.
Reporting back to you on a Christmas gift that was a big success. Each year Santa visits my parents house (and it is glorious!) via a tremendous amount of help from my mom. This past Christmas, my husband received C.S. Lewis’ trilogy of space novels. They.are.fantastic. You can purchase each book separately or all bundled together in one paperback.
How bakers survive early winter mornings.
Did Jeff Bezos break the Washington Post?
Still laughing about this letter a former U.S. president sent about his dog that “looks like a blimp, a nice friendly appealing blimp, but a blimp.”
Zoomers are the status-seeking generation, and the internet is definitely to blame.
Tips on dressing for winter without feeling like a giant blog. (Brooches! Sweaters as scarves!)
If I ever go on safari, it will most certainly be with Singita. I’ve followed this company that offers thoughtful hospitality and meaningful experiences in its 10 lodges and 9 villas across five African countries for 5+ years now. Mind you, I’ve never even stepped foot on the continent of Africa let alone stayed at one of Singita’s properties. I was hooked on their storytelling. It’s that good. The latest edition of their digital magazine just dropped, so you can see exactly what I’m talking about.
A thoughtful essay on how vision is cheap and easy while implementation is expensive and difficult when you’re building something new. The author offers lessons on how one can stay resilient.
Interesting insights into the workings of three bestseller lists. Why are books rated so highly by one list and not by another?
Don’t get me wrong, I love the comfort food that comes with cold weather. But I also love salad, particularly the way salad makes me feel immediately nourished. Thinking this classic chopped salad might just hold up against the comfort foods of winter.
What status will look like in 2026. In short, looking rich is very easy. Feeling rich, not so much.
A perfect gift for your left-handed friends.
It’s freezing and windy where I am. How about you? Here’s to a delightful weekend no matter the forecast.
And a note that there is an Amazon Affiliate Link lurking in this post. If you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.
Take good care of yourself!