Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.

And you get to join in if you feel like it.

I’m back!

Back in PDX.

Not traveling again for… oh, a week and a half.

But mainly: back here. And it is lovely. Missed you guys.

The hard stuff

Adjusting. I am not always good at this.

Transitions. Blah.

And it’s cold and I do not know where the flannel sheets are and merp.

That is the sound of me being too uncomfortable to whine. It’s like a mini-whine.

Doing a thing to make it all better and then regretting it.

Selma and I escaped the crazed leaf-blowers on our street to hide out in a favorite cafe and do some writing.

Picture me being all oh look I’m taking care of myself instead of just crying under the bed, what a very good thing.

But then our lovely refuge had inexplicably turned into HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) hell.

Loud and bleeping and jangly. Full of people. And all of them on their phones and in a hurry. Jumping, dodging, yelling, leaping. You think I exaggerate but no.

It was like a private circus of everything I hate.

The week of Appointments of Doom.

Not really.

But kind of.

Dentist. Pirate CPA. Old bank. New bank.

Plus I had to miss the amazing call that Pam Slim did for my Kitchen Table program. Not fair!

The usual conundrum.

Navigating that fine line between…

On the one hand: being okay with the fact that some people will not take initiative to get the help they say they want, no matter how much they’ve paid to get it and regardless of what you’re doing to support them in the process.

And on the other hand: establishing — in all aspects of your life — the kind of internal and external culture where people really understand that they need to take responsibility for their own experience.

And so they can do or not do as they like, knowing that it’s their trajectory and their stuff.

But they can’t put their not-getting-what-they-think-they-want on you.

Every time I think I’ve figured this one out completely, we’re in for a new round of it. Very interesting.

The good stuff

None of the hard was as horrible as it could have been.

The visit with our pirate CPA was quite heartening. It is a joy to have him on our ship.

He is wise and trustworthy and a total sweetheart, and that is such a reminder of how I want our company to be.

The dentist appointment was less torturous than what I had been dreading. Plus they gave me lemon lip balm.

And when I needed a moment, they gave me a moment. But they really gave me a moment. They turned out the lights and left me alone for about five minutes. Thank you.

Being home.

Home-cooked meals and freshly baked sourdough bread, courtesy of my gentleman friend and the Hoppy House yeasties.

Sitting with Selma on the couch in the kitchen (yes, it is a very good place for a couch) and catching up on the New Yorker, and listening to the rain and being happy.

Early to bed = heaven.

I think I was asleep by 8:30 almost every night this week.

Nine hours a night of glorrrrrrrrrious, uninterrupted sleep.

Spaciousness.

Got rid of a bunch of (mostly symbolic) things this week.

Including the bathing suit from KaDeWe that I bought recklessly with the very last of everything I had. It still looks good but it is made of regret and pain and fear, and I do not want it in my life anymore.

So all that clearing out was lovely. And I did some rearranging at the Playground (which will have its own website soon), and yay.

Finally got around to announcing the Sacramento workshop.

Which I’d meant to do for weeks but completely slipped my mind about fourteen different times.

It filled completely in under two days, and now I don’t have to feel like an idiot for forgetting to tell people about it.

(You can get on a waiting list in case someone cancels, but given the rows of !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the orders, I kind of doubt that’s going to happen.)

Coming up next will be a day of wish-navigating in Portland. I will explain what that is soon. Assume for now that it will be both ridiculous and amazing.

Stuff I’m reading, appreciating, think you would like.

First I have to tell you that Laura finally opened her shop and is having a sale and this is the last day for it.

Ohmygod. The slippers. I cannot wait until mine arrive. And the pictures and the gorgeous. LOVE. She’s @saltylaura on Twitter.

Then Amy started making permission slips. Literally. I mean, they’re slips. Like this one named Dorothy. I may have to marry her. She’s @barefootphoenix on Twitter.

And Walt! He is a stand up guy. And he’s biggifying. At his own perfect pace. I love this.

Also I can’t decide what picture I will choose if I win the contest so I’ll probably have to end up getting all of them. That’s @walterhawn.

Everything Maryann is saying. Read it. Twice. It’s like she really truly gets all the things I’m trying to teach in my life. Like this:

You can’t biggify without your body being a partner.

Also I will love her forever for the phrase: “I was off getting biggified, as one does”. Hilarious. She’s @maryanndevine.

And if you write recommendation letters or might ever need one written for you, please read this.

And … playing live at the meme beach house it’s the Fake Band of the Week!

My brother and I have this thing where we come up with ridiculous band names and then say in this really pretentious, knowing tone, “Oh, well, you know, it’s just one guy.”

This week?

The Red Wig Of Chickening.

Because the wig deserves its own band. And yes, they opened for Grease Scallions once. But it’s really just one guy.

And some of the lovely presents that arrived this week.

I have been avoiding the post office.

But. We got a giant rainbow hammock from @herchuckness (hooray!) and a bunch of books.

And a silly hat and a sock monkey. So life is good.

And an announcement!

We just had two people who had to duck out of the Great Ducking Out! But they are giving their seats as stowawayship scholarships (they pay for you to go now, you pay for someone else to go next year).

One is for the Thanksgiving Day itself. Come now without paying. Pay the tuition ($90) within a year so the next person gets to do it.

The other is for the full Rally. It’s this Tuesday evening through Friday morning. Same deal. You come now. You pay the $300 within a year.

I know the page says the program is full (because it was), but email the First Mate if you want one of these.

That’s it for me …

And yes yes yes, of course you can join in my Friday ritual right here in the comments bit if you feel like it.

Yeah? Anything hard and/or good happen in your week?

And, as always, have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious day and a restful weekend-ing.

And a happy week to come. Shabbat shalom.

Also: yes. Merp and the yeasties. Just one guy.