It was a bumpy, bumpy week full of ups and downs, work and play, reading and writing. I’ve got two books to share, a letter-writing prompt for your notebook and some fascinating mind-body research to ponder. Here’s hoping your weekend is everything you need it to be!

What I'm Reading:

Both of these books went straight to my reading heart. Get ready. 

Early this week, I finished The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. And oh, what a book it was. I really had to take my time with it. There were characters to meet, unexpected surprises to process, plot twists to deal with and a whole lot of ‘what just happened here?’ that I needed to grapple with. In fact, as soon as I finished the last page, I went right back to the beginning and started again. I read it again, but this time, with a pen in hand to track it all so I could make better sense of the lessons I knew I needed to learn. This book is powerful, thought-provoking AND fun, a timely book we all need to read.

I also read Letters From Cuba by Ruth Behar. Her previous book, Lucky Broken Girl, is one of my favorite books of all time and now, I’m adding this book to the top of my favorites stack, too. Written completely in letter format, Behar tells Esther’s story of leaving Poland to be with her father in Cuba as they work to bring the rest of the family to safety as World War II approaches. Written from one sister to another, these heartfelt and touching letters give readers a glimpse of the kindness, love and happiness that accompanied pain, fear and heartbreak during this period of history. I now have an alternative view of an entire country, of what truly makes a family a family and of the human experience of this time because of this beautiful book. 

What I'm Writing:

Whenever I read a book in letter form, like Letters From Cuba, I’m always inspired to write my own. I found added inspiration from John David Anderson’s letters to his younger-writing-self on the Nerdy Book Club and did the same. I wrote to the 5 year old me, the 15 year old me and the 30 year old me. I even snuck in another letter to the future version of me, too. Give this a try in your notebook, too!

What I'm Learning:

I learned some pretty mind-blowing information this week: psychoneuroimmunology or PIN. There is an entire body of research out there not only touting the mind-body connection, but the mind-physical-health-joy connection. I’m knee-deep in this research this week and am learning SO MUCH. Here are just a few nuggets to ponder today:

  • The mind-body connection plays a determining role in the state of our physical health. 
  • The way we think and act can actually maximize the way our body heals (or doesn’t!). 
  • The mind-body feedback loop can actually decrease inflammation in the body.

If you’ve been reading my weekly posts, you know I’m on a personal mission to recover my health and wellness and this pocket of science seems pretty promising. Since reading and writing already have many documented benefits to mental and physical health, I’m starting to explore the role they might play in PIN, too. Mind-blowing.

What I'm Loving:

Ready for a manifestation trick, a to-do list hack and a new bookish shop? Here you go!