Lau's Little List - April 6, 2024
On looking back, looking forward, and being present
Greetings!
In honor of the one-year anniversary of LLL, I am reposting some of my favorite examples of reading, writing, and randomness from the past 52 weeks. Let me know which one is your favorite, and what other bits of reading, writing, and randomness you’ve enjoyed since our last trip around the sun!
To keep the tradition alive, here is one of my favorite past quotes:
Classic Quote of the Week:
“This is the real secret of life — to be fully engaged with what you are doing here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
―Alan Watts
Past Reading that Inspired This All:
Atomic Habits by James Clear. I was gifted this book for Christmas, and I devoured it [editor’s note: that was two Christmases ago now, but I’v reread it several times since!]. If you ever want to understand your existing routines, start new habits, or break old ones, this book can absolutely help you get started today. Each chapter has clever examples, interesting insights, and actionable advice. It quickly became one of my top favorite nonfiction books of all time — there's a reason it has sold over 10 million copies.
Writing I'm Thrilled to Release Soon:
The Borrowed Daughter. That’s right — one year ago, I was promoting the Kindle Vella chapters (“episodes”) of this tale in my second edition of LLL. Next week, it will finally be published! Here’s my original pitch:
This exciting, humorous, and heartfelt story was written with the help of my oldest daughter. At bedtime, we would make up another chapter, and we were both surprised by where the story went each night. This entire Kindle Vella story was published serially, and is now complete. You can read the first few chapters (or "episodes") for free to see if you like it. If you enjoy the first book, the second one is already six episodes deep!
Random Humor That Still Makes Me Laugh:
“What If?” by Randall Munroe. My wife was just telling me her students read a “What If?” in English class: “What if everyone in the world went to one spot and jumped at the same time?” While the kids understood the concept, they didn’t quite get the humor. Their loss. One of my favorite installments remains the Hair Dryer question — it’s so random, yet so captivating! Here’s my description from LLL #1:
If you're anything like me, you've gotten sucked into the quirky humor of Randall Munroe's legendary XKCD webcomic many times, clicking on the "Random" button until your entire lunch break is over. Perhaps less well-known, though, is his "What If?" series, where Munroe takes reader questions and gives scientific yet hilarious answers. In this installment, he explains "What would happen if a hair dryer with continuous power was turned on and put in an airtight 1x1x1 meter box?" You'll learn answers to questions you never knew you had, laughing all the way — and isn't that the best way to learn?
And that's it! Did you like what you saw? Please share Lau’s Little List with anyone who you think would enjoy an extra dose of reading, writing, and randomness in their lives!
I would greatly appreciate any feedback you'd like to provide. Which recommendation was your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of in the next installment? Do you have any other suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.