Shout out to Vanessa Flowers for buying me coffee this past week! ☕️Vanessa is an amazing social media strategist and community organizer. She is the founder of Flower Girls Meet, a community that brings professional women together to enjoy authentic conversations about the workplace, mental health, and what it means to be a woman today. --There is absolutely nothing that can dampen my mood for at least the next few days after seeing this tweet the other night (thx Cali!). It is such an incredible honor to be included on this list (thx Meredith for the wonderful comments!) and have #jesspicks recognized alongside many newsletters that inspire me.Thank you for reading and sharing and replying and for all of the support. I couldn’t do what I do every week without you, and it would be tough to keep going. So I’m sending so much gratitude and virtual hugs your way. 💖It’s such a spot of good news as we acknowledge the pandemic anniversary. And there is a lot of hope out there and fear, nervousness, and anxiety about the “after.” What does life after the pandemic look like?I, for one, can’t wrap my head around the amount of going I did pre-pandemic. Like how did I do ALL of those things? And I’m in no hurry to get back to that life, at all. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to going to the theater again and concerts (when it’s safe), but I would love not to be as busy as before. So that’s something I want to let simmer while the world slowly reopens.The call to rest is loud in my world. And I started by taking a couple of days off work. Even scheduling that on my calendar changed my mood so much. Spending time in the sun this week has been glorious and a great way to recharge my batteries. I’m also experimenting with a new musical meditation (more in the #loves section) and feeling good about that. All in all, I’m trying to bring more ease into my life.I read this in Mara Glazel’s newsletter, and it seems like the perfect sentiment to end on: “Even if it feels impossible, you get to choose to carve out moments to breathe, ground, look at yourself in the mirror with love in your eyes, and prioritize whatever makes you feel whole. That ONE MINUTE of care is infinitely better than nothing. That it doesn’t have to be perfect in order to feel really, really good.”How can you take one minute to care for yourself today?On to the picks! P.S. ICYMI, I’m doing a free workshop about getting better at promoting yourself and celebrating your accomplishments next Thursday. Details here.P.P.S. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead tomorrow morning! 😉