just dropped my parents at the airport

and by "just," i mean a few hours ago.

Stella Pass (Passo Stella). Dolomites, Northern Italy / South Tyrol

I just dropped my parents off at the airport. I’m back in pajamas, in bed, with organized piles of work around me. I just scrub-cleaned my DIY whiteboard that I pressed with adhesive tape to the wardrobe door. Whenever I have whiteboards, I always keep whatever I write on it on too long.

I don’t like the temporary nature of whiteboards. But I like to see what I have to do or what I’m thinking about. So I erased what was up there before — a checklist tracking what needs to be done that isn’t as relevant anymore. I wrote what needs to be done now. Until my head emptied. And instead of continuing to write, I stopped.¹ Then color-coded things. So not everything looked like a priority.

Because I just hopped off of a 10-day holiday driving my parents around Italy, a piece of Austria, ALL OF LICHENSTEIN, and Switzerland (the long way across).

I enjoyed it so much. But one of the skills I’ve lost since committing to living in Europe is the ability to go on long road trips where I’m at the wheel.

Thank god it’s hard to rescind a US passport or I’d be at risk for losing mine. 🤭

Jokes aside, I’m tired. And happy. And looking forward to getting back to work. Because the sooner I get back to work, the sooner I can launch this baby. And the sooner I launch this baby, the sooner I’ll have the mental space to get back to my book. Even though I didn’t think about my book over the past few weeks, I miss her. Maybe it was spending so much time with my parents? It’s the second trip we’ve been on together this year. I constantly think about this graph of how much time you spend with the people in your life and how little time I have left with my parents.²

(I’m sorry if I’m making you cry as you read this, Mom.)

How We Spend Our Time charts by Sahil Bloom - click on the image to read the full thread on Twitter/X or read his full article, here.

I feel lucky and fortunate that I’m not married anymore because if I was married. Or more accurately—when I was married, I didn’t travel with my parents. And if I was still married to my ex-husband, I doubt I’d go on as many trips with my parents.³

That’s one benefit of being divorced.

This makes me think about how my relationship with my parents and also my sister and her family changed after my divorce.

That’s a bigger story/thought/essay to explore later.

So before I go too deep, and overcomplicate this little thought I wanted to share with you, I’ll close. And share some tabs I have open in my phone 👇

Tabs open on my phone

Anyone use Motion or another AI planning tool? I have the sales page for Motion open on my phone after Instagram fed me an ad for it. I have a lot of work I need to get done and I’m tired of being the one to prioritize it — I’m ready for someone (or some-thing) to tell me what to do for a bit. Maybe an AI bot can help? Maybe you use/used/tried one and have thoughts to share with me??

215 of my books are still organized by color in my apartment with my subletter. But maybe I’ll re-organize my books based on mood instead? What are your thoughts on this?

Did you know that Michaelangelo HAD A DAY JOB as an architect? After going on a walking tour of Florence with Eliza, I learned SO MUCH that was left out of 7th grade social studies. Like how the Medici family were more than just benefactors of the arts. It makes me think about what was left out of our education when I was a kid.

The next trip I’m going on is a day trip to Basel for the I Never Read, Art Book Fair. The fair runs June 12 - 15, 2024, during Art Basel. I. Am. Stoked. (Can someone remind me to bring a big bag on wheels?)

Cocktail of the Week

This photo has gotten a lot of love on Instagram, so I’m sharing it here so it’s easier for you to download it.

Aperol Spritz vs. Select Spritz (aka Venizian Spritz) vs. Campari Spritz

Hot tip: save it as the wallpaper on your phone so it’s handy the next time you find yourself at happy hour or apéro time and don’t remember which one to order.

You’re welcome.

More soon,

1. Plus I was out of space.

2. in the context of things

3. also because I’d still be living in the US and quality time with the ‘rents would happen more frequently but maybe in less quality.