POST-MEAL WALKS
I’ve been incorporating more post-meal walks and it’s strangely been slowing down my evenings in a weird, but good way. Usually, when I plop on the couch after dinner, we watch some news, I read some blogs, and then I blink and it’s time to go to bed already. But with this post-meal walk thrown in the mix (and I am talking 10-15 minutes around the neighborhood), my evening feels… longer?! A surprising revelation.
WORK FRIENDSHIP
I am really enjoying getting to know one of my co-workers. She’s been here almost as long as I have (which is almost 20 years) but we never really crossed path much before because we worked in different research groups (she’s a biologist, I am a geographer). We shared the same office suite for the last couple of years, but haven’t really gotten to know each other until more recently (during the whole upheaval in our office last year). Turns out, we have a lot in common (she’s a runner! She bakes bread!) and we have similar personalities and after feeling pretty much abandoned by all the people who left our agency, who I used to work with for years, it’s been a breath of fresh air to connect with someone, who decided to stay. We have started to share more personal things and I think we’ve established a (work) friendship.
SUMMER BREAK
I know I mentioned in my last post that I don’t get a summer break in the usual sense, but maybe I can trick my brain into “thinking” that I am also on a summer break. I have to admit, the 5-day-work schedule has been nice. I have more time in the morning and I get home before dinner time is already overdue and it does feel like a little bit of a more leisure schedule. I do miss my Fridays for getting errands out of the way, but I still might keep up this schedule over the summer.
WHATSAPP CIRCLE VIDEOS
I am usually not a voice message or video message kinda girl (I prefer text, always! That’s why I blog!) but I mentioned before that I’ve been sending these little “Instant Video Notes“ back and forth with my cousin from our runs, and it’s so damn delightful. We encourage each other to “keep going” and makes me smile every single time.
PLANNER ACCESSORIES
My current Plum planner, which, by the way, I really enjoy this year, doesn’t have a bookmark, so I finally bought one. Better late than never. I chose the MäksēLife bookmark, which is made from stainless steel and doubles as a stencil. It’s really nice. Do you have a favorite planer accessory?
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
- My oleander, the plant my mom bought me for our patio last fall, is budding and I am so excited for some pretty blossoms.
- Pssst. I don’t want to jinx it, but I’ve been making more time for reading again and it makes me so happy. Maybe changing up my routine recently has something to do with it.
- A dear friend (a bit younger than me, obviously) shared with me that she’s expecting a baby this summer and I am so thrilled for her and her partner.
- I bought a new lid for my insulated coffee mug. The old lid had a very stupid sliding closure, which was ridiculously hard to clean and it become gross really fast. The new lid has a magnetic slider, which pops off easily, and makes cleaning the lid a breeze.
Do you have some happy things to share from this week?
photo credit: @ceryslowe_1 via Unsplash
Birchie
June 13, 2026 at 5:45 pmThe after dinner walk is magic. You’ve adopted one of the best perks of dog ownership without having a dog!
I didn’t know that you could buy replacement coffee cup lids! I did get a cup that had a lid that was very hard to clean so I swapped it with the lid from a cup that I didn’t like as well. The next time that I lose a lid now I know that I can just replace it.
San
June 15, 2026 at 12:19 pmHa, yes! Perk of dog ownership without having a dog. I love that :)
And girl, you’re not alone. I was about to throw out my thermos because I thought it was useless without a lid… but who knew that you can just replace them and that there are, for once, standard sizes.
Melissa
June 13, 2026 at 7:43 pmWe also enjoy a post dinner walk when we do them but it is so easy just to PLOP on the couch. We had coffee cups with a sliding thing that was hard to clean and since we mainly walk with them we ended up taking the closer off because it won’t need it to be sealed. WE have a different type now that has no moving parts and is all glass which I love.
San
June 15, 2026 at 12:20 pmOh, glass lids are the cream of the crop!
K @ TS
June 14, 2026 at 7:12 amIsn’t is amazing how something so small as a new lid for your cup can be a game changer!? I am always so happy by those little things! I am also so glad you’re making a deeper friend at work! Those relationships sometimes take a while to find! I hope that it continues to grow stronger! My best relationships were often my running friends, since you spend a lot of time running and sharing!
San
June 15, 2026 at 12:21 pmYes, a new lid seems like such a small thing but it makes my day so much better :)
I love to hear that you made some great friends through running – I agree, you have a lot of time to talk/share :)
NGS
June 14, 2026 at 6:55 pmYes, I love having a dog so that I always have an excuse to go for a walk. It changes the dynamic of the day!
It is hard to make friends as an adult, isn’t it? I’m glad you’re developing a relationship with someone at work. It can make all the difference on those tough work days!
San
June 15, 2026 at 12:21 pmIt totally does change the dynamic of the day! Who knew? (YOU DID :))
And yes, very hard to make new friends as an adult. I mean, IRL, not online ;)
Lisa's Yarns
June 15, 2026 at 8:55 amMy happy thing was spending time at my parents lake home. We were up there for 3 nights and even though the weather was chilly and windy, we still had a great time. The boys will be back up there in 2 weeks for a full week and we’ll join them at the end of that week for the 4th of July.
I’m glad you are making a new friend at work! Having a friend at work really makes work more enjoyable!
San
June 15, 2026 at 12:22 pmOh how wonderful you got to spend the weekend at the lake house. As you know, these lake house family visits sound magical to me. I wish I had something like that. I am sure the boys had so much fun.
Nicole MacPherson
June 17, 2026 at 12:14 pmI’m so happy about your work friendship!
Lots of nice things going on around here, today I finished weeding the MASSIVE three-week backlog that was in (one) garden. There is a lot more to do in the other gardens but at least the apparent groundcover is now taken care of!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
June 22, 2026 at 4:35 amHow lovely to connect with a new person at work. I am also “working” on a new friendship with a person from my church group. Not sure it is a friendship yet but we try to meet for lunch regularly and start talking about personal things. It is so hard to fin friends as an adult with no kids, right?
Anne
June 28, 2026 at 8:38 amI’m so glad you have a new friend at work, and that you are walking in the evenings. I typically take my mini walk break in the afternoon, and then I walk around the building at the end of the day to make a (literal) transition between my work and non-work time. I wonder if the evening walk serves a similar purpose for you (even though it’s after dinner)? Also, man, it’s hard making friends as an adult. If only we could all apparate and hang out in person somewhere. Sigh.