⛅9️⃣ It's all good (and it's always going to be)
Also stretching, Quora, hiking the Appalachian, and WWII stories
Dear reader and subscriber,
Work on a Sunday? Pfffft I love this crap. Just a heads up and some quick announcements, the coffee company I co-manage now offers free shipping on orders over $40 (took us a bit to lower costs to get to this point - shipping is a pain in the you-know-what right now), and we’ve got a new single-origin that’s pretty fire 🔥🔥, at least until our stash runs out.
Enjoy your weekly dose of thrills, snuggles, and happiness.
Let’s do it, yo.
1. It’s all good (and it’s always going to be). At many points in your life, you’ve said, “Ah, I don’t know how I’m going to do this.” If you’re having trouble believing me, start by thinking about your journey through grade school. As a child (if you were like me), you were nervous before every new grade you started. “5th grade is going to be way harder than 4th.” “6th grade is going to suck!” etc etc.
As an adult, think about new jobs, new relationships, new responsibilities (pets, kids, houses), crises such as coping with the death of a loved one, or surviving a major financial f*ck up. Yet here you are today, reading this, being all alive and shit.
Every day, you experience new challenges, things you don’t think you can handle but inevitably do. Sometimes, these lead to new norms in life. You become a pet owner, a father, a step-father, spouse, friend, colleague, whatever. You’ve done it time and time again, and yet here you are, continually doubting and second-guessing yourself, at least that’s how I feel pretty much every day.
But you know what? It’s all good. It’s always going to be good. Because as long as you’re breathing, you’ve got fight left in you. And because you’ve made it this far, you can make it a whole lot further. Not sure if you needed to hear this today or not, but you got this.
2. Never take your health for granted. I wrote the above because I injured my back this week and I turn into a weenie whenever my health’s not in perfect condition. I’m writing this while laying down and wondering when I’ll be able to get back into the gym again. I’ve been doing plenty of research and reflecting, and I’ve realized that I need to do way more stretching than I currently do, so that’s pretty much all I’ll be doing for the next few weeks.
When was the last time you stretched? Got a shitty experience of your own, or any good routines or tips? Would love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to the email to weigh in if you’d like. Trust me, I’d appreciate it.
3. Only the best of Quora. Answered these questions this past week. Listed in order from my most to least favorite.
What’s the easiest way to handle someone with a bad attitude?
What sucks about being your age?
How do people who have many things to do efficiently manage their time?
Should I manage my life, or is it better to go with the flow?
What are some tips to have better conversations that flow easily?
4. Chasing dreams. Shout-out to one of my best friends and co-slinger of coffee, Justin, for packing his shit up and prepping to hit the Appalachian Trail next month, pursuing a lifelong goal of his. It’s never too late to go after something important to you.
5. Weekly Book Recommendation. I’ve recommended this book about a billion times before but never to you via this newsletter, so I had to do it. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan is the best book I’ve ever read. I legit thought it was pure fiction until about 75% of the way through. Turns out it’s a TRUE story about a young hero in Nazi-occupied Italy during the worst of WWII. Fun fact: my handle on video games these days, Pino, comes from the main character - Pino Lella.
That’s all for this week’s newsletter. Hope you enjoyed it!
Best,
Jason Gutierrez