Me, looking for my latest to-do list Image courtesy Ivana Tomášková from Pixabay

Hurricane Milton recovery has slowed our progress in prepping our house to sell, but we’re still lumbering along. I’ve had very little time for writing, and any thinking time I have fills up with to-do lists and more to-do lists. But I am still capturing simple pleasures where I can, still reading, still surfing the internet. I’m sooooo looking forward to having a “normal” to-do list rather than a “sell my house and move” to-do list. (And I will strangle my husband if he asks me what I did today one more time.)

I may be living in chaos right now, but here are a few islands of calm and positivity I’ve found online recently. Enjoy!

I’m immersed in home-related decisions so I loved the info in “What Makes a Home Feel Good?”  

I am ABSOLUTELY going to try “Living Inside a Movie…” What a fun way to find and enjoy simple pleasures! (I’m currently living in The Money Pit, but someday I hope to be living in Something’s Gotta Give. What movie are you living in?) 

Click here for a dose of animal cuteness. 

I love stories of ordinary people making life better, like this one. 

Have you heard of a “dopamine menu”? “A dopamine menu is a curated list of pleasurable, healthy habits and activities that naturally elevate your dopamine levels, boosting happiness, motivation, and focus,” according to this article. Jessica McCabe, the creator of the YouTube channel “How To ADHD” and author of How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working With Your Brain (Not Against It) originated the concept. A dopamine menu, like a restaurant menu, can be divided into sections including appetizers (quick ways to boost good feelings), entrees (longer duration activities that might take some planning), and sides (pleasurable activities done along with tasks that are necessary but not enjoyable). Sounds a lot like a more detailed categorization of simple pleasures and everyday adventures! 

Poor sleep definitely affects my mood, and over the past few years I’ve struggled to get a solid night’s rest. I had fallen into some of these “8 Sneaky Habits that Are Destroying Your Sleep.” After making some changes, I’m sleeping better. 

I loved the tips in “How to Start Assuming the Best in People,” from Steven Collis, a law professor at the University of Texas and author of Habits of a Peacemaker: 10 Habits to Change Our Potentially Toxic Conversations into Healthy Dialogues. We’re often too quick to judge people and situations as all good or all bad without allowing for nuance. 

Florida doesn’t have changing leaves in the fall, so I went here for my fall leaf fix. Sigh. 

Have a great weekend!