This week, my parents, Kyle and I drove to Whitefish, Montana to try to get my Mom a break from her endless quarantine.  The smoke here is not nearly as bad as it was in Spokane, and we had high hopes to do some hiking, boating, and relaxing.  But it’s 8:00AM on Friday, and Kyle is on a conference call, I’m writing this post waiting for a client meeting, and my Dad is taking phone calls from clients with child custody issues.

Work from home 2020 seems to mean always working.

One of the few positives of COVID has been that we’re finally being honest with our loved ones about our struggles.  It’s easier because the pain is shared, but it’s still important.

This article from the Washington Post discusses the impact of “toxic positivity” on our mental health.  While we could all use a dose of good cheer, the article takes on those times when you don’t feel like you can express your real emotions because you’re expected to wear a smile.

“It’s a problem when people are forced to seem or be positive in situations where it’s not natural or when there’s a problem that legitimately needs to be addressed that can’t be addressed if you don’t deal with the fact that there is distress or need,” one of the experts argues.

This has certainly true in my profession.  My clients can’t see a stressed out lawyer (that doesn’t imbue confidence).  And putting on a brave face sometimes makes client calls and meetings even more exhausting.  But it’s important, so I buck up and put on the ‘everything is fine’ face.  The key is not to fall into the trap of wearing it all the time, just when it’s necessary.

How are you coping?  Do you feel like people expect you to be fine or are those in your life more comfortable with seeing your real emotions than they might have been in the past?  COVID, politics, etc. are all really exhausting right now, and while compartmentalizing your emotions is sometimes necessary, letting them show sometimes is too.

In our increasingly tech-controlled world, charging cables abound.  I must own 20 items that all have their own charger.  But the one that drives me crazy is my bedroom phone charging cable.  We use the 6ft charging cables because our outlets are in odd places, and I often find myself shoving it under the bed or hiding it in a drawer to keep it out of the way.

This Smartish Cable Organizer is magnetic so your phone cable never slides off the nightstand or slips off the side of your desk.  It holds everything perfectly in place.  I bought one for my husband and one for myself, which should keep our cables off the floor in perpetuity.

I know 9/11 is a difficult subject to talk about for many of us.   But this documentary about the Manhattan Boat Lift is worth your time.  During the boat lift, tug boats, party boats, ferry boats and private boat owners brought 500,000 people trapped on the southern tip of Manhattan to safety.

This is the most uplifting story that I have seen in a long time. Don’t watch it until you grab a tissue.

Even though my salon is open, appointments are a bit hard to come by.  This Olaplex bond rebuilding treatment heals split ends and moisturizes parched hair.  I love it.  One application buys me at least two extra weeks between cuts before my ends become unbearable.  I definitely recommend it.

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