Hi friends,

 

It’s the last week of my 9th month of pregnancy with my third child (week 39, for those familiar with weeks) and my last week at work before I start my maternity leave.

 

During this week, I will be handing over a few tasks and decluttering my office desk, cupboard, and shared folders for easy access for my boss and colleagues. A few baby-related things remain to be done this week as well. 

 

I started feeling better last week after I made the progress I wanted in my to-do lists by running errands directly after work because I found it hard to go out in the evenings.

 

How did I realize I was feeling better?

 

I started noticing beauty in things again, like gorgeous orange flowers in the street and a cute dog with sunglasses sticking his head out of his owner’s car. I also played and enjoyed songs I love.

 

Every night before bed, I read about labor in a book called Your No Guilt Pregnancy and discover things I did not know before about this miraculous process. I am grateful for this book, which was once recommended by the author of Period Power, which I talked about in one of the top episodes of my podcast.

 

I said last week that I wanted to focus less on decluttering, but I did not slow down even a bit; it feels great to see some spaces clearing up for the first time and my kids, especially my boy, rediscovering some of his toys and letting go of many others. Nesting hormones and having my in-laws’ helper around have been so helpful. 

 

I realized that the nesting phase is about recognizing I would spend lots of time indoors, so I want to feel better about the space I will be inhabiting and to make it welcoming for the new resident arriving soon. Also, I will have less time to dedicate to this space again in the near future, so this is my chance. Plus, I want to feel good about people coming over when the baby is here.

 

I am proud of the progress I have made. My kids’ rooms have never looked better. I also changed a few things around the house, like my bed cover, the cushions of the living room, and the plants on the balcony, with the help of the helper of my in-laws. The washing machine has been running nonstop, too.

 

I predict that I will send you the next Sunday Spark while still waiting for the baby and that I will meet him the week after. What do you think? Do you agree?

 

The funny thing happening these days is that all my online and offline conversations go like this:

بالسلامة

الله يسلمك

So I thank you in advance for your kind wishes:

الله يسلمكم🙏

Snapshot from my week: Got 48 of those to make my balcony prettier.

 

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️ a newsletter listing 3 sparks that I thought were worth starting your week with: 

 

1. 🎙️ I have listened to this podcast interview over a few days, and I listened to part of it with my 10-year-old, who enjoyed learning about focus: Dr. Cal Newport: How to Enhance Focus and Improve Productivity. Dr. Huberman's scientific podcast, newsletter, and Instagram are worth your attention, too.

 

2.  🏡 One day I am going to do like Cal Newport: Dispatch from a Writing Shed.

 

3. 💬 This week's quote:

 

“Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate practice demands…. Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. That is what makes it “deliberate,” as distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting of tennis balls that most people engage in.”

 

-Cal Newport, So Good They Can't Ignore You

 

( Readwise helped me find this quote. It is my favorite app to recall favorite passages in books and articles I read and now they have a new product, Reader, which will make you forget about all the other read-it-later apps)

 

 

 

 

 

See you next Sunday First name / my dear friend

 

* Note: To the best of my ability, I am trying to share content by authors who have not disappointed me, and they are hard to come by! Please let me know if any author I share about was disrespectful to Palestine.