Reflecting on Q1
Even when the world is on fire, good things can happen
It’s the last day of March — the end of Q1 — and my mind is deep in seasonal transition mode. Whenever I get to the end of a business quarter I think about how I was anchored to an academic calendar for 24 years (from grade school through graduate school), then the calendar year as an adult, then both in parallel as a parent (summer camp planning in Boston is its own anxiety sport). Add New England weather — it snowed twice after the first day of spring — and the calendar confusion is real.
Q1 involved a lot of energy out, growth, and trusting the universe. I’m not ready to go into the depths of it all yet, but I imagine everyone is living some version of transition right now. What I keep returning to, with genuine delight and gratitude each and every time, is this: even when the world is on fire, good things happen.
Here’s what kept me grounded in Q1, in case it sparks something for you.
What Kept Me Grounded in Q1
Jon. Full stop. He’s the funniest, coolest, most emotionally fluent and thoughtful person I know — he supports and challenges me in equal measure. Q1 required a real flex for us. Also, we experienced five days as empty nesters during February school vacation, which was a fascinating glimpse of what life looks like in the future.
Watching my kids find their edges. What I want most for Laurel and Violet is for them to be good humans and find purpose, contentment, and good friendships. Against the backdrop of our nation’s dumpster fire, their light and enthusiasm creates wild cognitive dissonance — and fills me with hope. Seeing Violet shine as a Fate in Hadestown was a massive mood boost. Q1 has been an exciting waiting game for Laurel, who applied to medical school and has several amazing offers, with more decisions pending.
Investing in my work. Beyond supporting my beloved current clients, I’ve been doing intentional work to architect what the next 10–15 years looks like for my strategic advisory practice. It’s been meaningful and occasionally anxiety-provoking — which tells me I’m pointed in the right direction.
Low-key planning. My planning routine is simple yet effective: eyes on the big milestones while tending to myself as a whole person across five core buckets.
How I’m Staying Human
Anchoring into relationships that feel reciprocal and uncomplicated. For me, uncomplicated means easy because of aligned values, communication style, and perspective. I’m staying close to the people who just get it.
Giving people their flowers. I’m a big believer in seeing, noticing, and then actually saying something. I usually do this with people I know, but yesterday I wrote an email to Senator Andy Kim. I’ve been following his work for a while, and listening to him talk about his values-driven, human-centered approach to politics — and about his journey caring for his father, who has Alzheimer’s — moved me to reach out to thank him for his work and for giving me hope.
Tackling household projects. I finally cleaned out my office closet so it’s functional, and got our food storage organized. The satisfaction of home projects is real and I am here for it.
Buzzing around the kitchen. Cooking and baking are a source of healing and purpose for me. I also made a fresh batch of bee balm oil infused salve (with bee balm harvested from my witch garden last fall) to send as thank-you gifts — a small, tactile act of care that feels meaningful to give.
Reorienting toward the garden. This past weekend I went back through my garden notes and plugged spring action items into my to-do app. The big experiment this season: attempting to grow plants from seed, which I set up on Sunday. We shall see!
As a personal mood boost, I spun through my Google Photos (read about my daily digital decluttering practice) to pull a few Q1 images that made me smile. See captions for details.
