A fortune cookie anecdote, a slightly silly motivator, and a more serious one.

I am not a fan of twee clichés, so with apologies to those who like this expression… I was at a Chinese restaurant (for those in the area, Chen’s Garden in Manchester was started by a cook who learned from Mary Chung in Cambridge) with Dr. Wife. Clearing the table, the server cracked, ”Teamwork makes the dream work!” I had never heard that expression before, and it struck me as a hilariously perfect example of that kind of cliché nonsense. Then we got our cookies… and what did mine say? You get one guess. The server swore she had nothing to do with it.

A motivational quote that has stood me in good stead for a long time: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” Hunter S. Thompson is someone to take inspiration from in very small, carefully selected doses… but especially when circumstances are what I guess we call “the new normal.”

More seriously, I frequently think about the Ukrainian salute, Героям слава! (Heroyam slava—Glory to the heroes!) Not only in the context of their current fight, but for everyone who has struggled or worked for what’s right in the face of challenging odds.

Lately, I keep being reminded of Qui-Gon Jinn's words: 'Always remember, your focus determines your reality.'