January 25, 2021

BOSLadies, This week, all I've been thinking about is the inauguration. Before Wednesday, the count down was accompanied by cautious hope and anxiety. From the ceremony on has felt like one long exhale and the releasing of tension in every part of my body where it had been held. The first two of our Weekly Three are from that day and my commentary is minimal - such things stand on their own. The only piece of housekeeping that I will share this week is the reminder that our book for February is Defined by Design: The Surprising Power of Hidden Gender, Age, and Body Bias in Everyday Products and Places. The Weekly Three 1. Something about Madame Vice President (!!!): Watch the swearing in of Kamala Harris and her first address as Vice President. She is exuberant.

2. Something about the inaugural poet: I've watched Amanda Gorman perform her piece maybe eight times now and still get goose bumps. If you've yet to watch in its entirety, do it here and read about past inaugural poets Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Alexander.

3. Something from Olympic runner Alexi Pappas about goals from her new memoir Bravey:

"It's called the Rule of Thirds. When you're chasing a big goal, you're supposed to feel good a third of the time, okay a third of the time, and crappy a third of the time. If the ratio is off and you feel good all of the time, then you're not pushing yourself enough. Likewise, if you feel bad all the time, then you might be fatigued and need to dial things back. Learning the Rule of Thirds was life-changing for me, not only as an athlete but also as a creative, because it made me believe in the days that didn't feel great. In fact, I relished them, knowing that even those days were an important part of the process. The hard days just meant that I was chasing a dream." Thank you for your time, Amber