Happy October!
I ended September dressed like a storm chaser. I wore a poncho last weekend (bright blue, for those interested in fashion), and this Friday, I was one of the unfortunate souls to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back home when the city canceled all train service due to flooding. I am grateful for my fitness level. Thank God I can walk for miles like a little wet rat.
You know how much I have been looking forward to October book releases. (If you missed it, find it here). I did read some magnificent books this month. Some in progress include Burning the Boats, 5 Practices of Highly Resilient People, Anne of Green Gables and A Memoir on the Craft of Writing (by Stephen King; THIS ONE SURPRISED ME. DON’T SLEEP ON IT).
The most transformative book of the month was Good Boundaries and Goodbyes by Lysa Terkeurst. A true gem. One of those books that is therapy in a book.
I had serendipity on my mind. It came to me randomly, and then, while doing the Arena coaching call, Erwin McManus started speaking about it. Left me with chills. We were on the same wave length.
Speaking of Erwin– his message Leverage: I Appeal to Caesar was for me. I think it has been his best of 2023, so far. Including it, and some of my favorite quotes from it, below.
I made some pão de queijo, continued through my book course, and slept so well with the cool air coming in through the window.
Lastly, just yesterday, I saw the most breathtaking view of the Empire State Building. It’s light shimmering in the night. I saw an old familiar place I used to frequent years ago, while in law school. It was magical.
The autumn darkness brings sparkle. I hope it is a cozy and sparkling start to the season for you. Thank you for being here.
Post of the month: Everything Can Change
Quotes
“You have to eliminate the options. You can’t become a settler; you have to become a pioneer. You have to decide you are going to go all the way through, no matter what it cost you– no matter what it takes.” Erwin R. McManus
“The divine does not allow our pain or dark nights to have the final say. Don’t rush the process. It takes time returning to yourself.” Vibrate Higher Daily
“Every time I have followed God to the edge, the people in the center didn’t like where I was going. I started this community so that you would be fearless as you follow Jesus. So that you would live a life that other people would not understand. So that you would know you have permission to be unique, to be courageous, to be creative. And that is how God created you.” Erwin R. McManus
“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” Jack London, March 1903
“We have to quit with this comfort-zone behaviorism and get back to our innermost needs.” Wim Hof
“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul…” Peggy Toney Horton
“I want you to be the intersection of the sacred and the secular. I want you to be the person who appeals to Caesar, and people cannot figure you out. I want you to be the person who does what you do so great and so extraordinary, and with so much brilliance, creativity and genius that people come up to you and go, ‘What in God’s name got into you?’ And you can say, ‘You are exactly right; it’s that God got into me, and I cannot help but elevate to the highest level.'” Erwin R. McManus
“Don’t you love New York in the fall? it makes me want to buy school supplies.” You’ve Got Mail (1998)
“Adults inform. Children explain.” Jim Cress
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
“If you’re my friend, I want to lose time with you, to spend a whole day, to get bored together to the point of laughter.” Garance Dore
“Wisdom comes with winters.” Oscar Wilde
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” Oscar Wilde
“Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. It’s a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite sublime plan.” Serendipity (2001)
“I am part of everything that I have read.” Theodore Roosevelt
“People spend a lot of time talking about other people’s bodies, gossiping about other people’s relationships, critiquing other people’s business, etc. Keep your eyes on your own paper. Work on your body. Nurture your relationships. Improve your business. We all have plenty to improve.” James Clear
“I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does.” Anne of Green Gables
“You cannot trust a person desperate for validation.” @Jessicaalixhesser
“The wars will end and the leaders will shake hands, and that old woman will remain waiting for her martyred son, and that girl will wait for her beloved husband, and the children will wait for their heoric father, I do not know who sold the homeland but I do know who paid the price.” Mhmoud Darwish, I think any war-torn country feels this deeply.
“Life with my parents and the other family members was natural and pleasant. Mutual support happened spontaneously and guaranteed the survival of people as well as of material and spiritual values. Until a few years ago, those bonds were so strong in the rural culture that they safeguarded ideals. The willingness to make sacrifices for others, to be able to wait for a reward, the devotion to work; for me, these are everlasting values. The joy of working together and sharing what was being produced turned work into a joyful liturgy, not a punishment. We all knew what was being done in the fields, in the garden, in the pastures, at home; planting, cultivating, raising children and helping parents. There was no wealth, but we were happy. And it makes me think: having enough is itself a form of wealth.” Brunello Cucinelli
“But we can’t enable bad behavior in ourselves and others and call it love. We can’t tolerate destructive patterns and call it love. And we can’t pride ourselves on being loyal and longsuffering in our relationships when it’s really perpetuating violations of what God says love is. Please hear me clearly say, the purpose of this book isn’t to quickly call out issues in others without looking honestly at ourselves as well. We need to examine our motivations and our mindsets.” Lysa Terkeurst
“Books hold most of the secrets of the world, most of the thoughts that men and women have had. And when you are reading a book, you and the author are alone together—just the two of you. A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people—people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” E.B. White
Articles and Stuff
7 Tips for Dealing with Toxic People
Uptown Girls Fashion Has Stayed With Us– A Truly Iconic Film
10 Things to Add to Your Autumn Morning Routine
24 Leadership Principles From The Greatest Business, Military, Political and Sports Leaders
People who Intrigue Me
Stephen King
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L.M. Montgomery
GABRIELA YARELIZ 