April Commonplace
COMMONPLACE
"A good life is one in which things do not go perfectly, but you find a way to have a good day regardless." — James Clear
"One of my hopes is to age into a better mindset. The general trend seems to become less open minded, less resilient, less capable of handling change with ease and flexibility as the years roll by. I hope to grow in the opposite direction. How can my mindset be better today than it was yesterday?" — James Clear
"When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity." — Linda Naiman, Author and Creativity Consultant
"If you do not know which port you are seeking, no wind is favorable." — Seneca
"Challenge yourself when life is easy, so you'll be ready when life is hard." — James Clear
"So much of what we believe is the residue of someone else's thinking. Pause and question things for a moment. Is this really how it has to be? Is this really what you want?" — James Clear
"It's not a race. You are not ahead. You are not behind. You are here. Enjoy it and make the most of it." — James Clear
"Champions behave like champions before they're champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners." — NFL Coach Bill Walsh
"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
BOOK REPORT
AUDIOBOOK: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book is our Book Club selection for April. In the past, this author’s books have been very popular, so I am curious to hear what they say about this one. It tells the story of a woman training to become an astronaut during the early days of the Space Shuttle program. It gives us a glimpse into the preparation for a space flight as well as the relationships that form during the process. It is a love story, but also a story of several forms of discrimination and the toll they take on the program’s development. I enjoyed the book and was particularly interested due to the timing of the recent major crewed space mission, NASA's Artemis II, which launched on April 1, 2026. The 10-day mission was the first crewed flight around the Moon since 1972, with four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft testing systems to pave the way for future lunar landings.
BOOK: Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides
I’ve made a concerted effort to learn more about the events in the Pacific Theater of World War II, and this book recommendation from my niece was the perfect addition to my TBR list. It tells an account of the daring January 1945 rescue of over 500 American and Allied Prisoners of War (POWs) from a Japanese camp in Cabanatuan, Philippines. The book chronicles 121 U.S. Rangers and Filipino guerrillas who trekked behind enemy lines to save survivors of the Bataan Death March. It was not an easy read, but it truly helped in my understanding of the severe conditions in that part of the world.
TV: Trust Me: The False Prophet on Netflix
If you watched Keep Sweet and Obey on Netflix, you MUST watch this limited series to understand the aftermath of those events. In this story, a woman earns the trust of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) and films a documentary that is eventually used to convict a false prophet. The filmed events and encounters are so outlandish that it was difficult to remember they were true stories.
PODCAST: The Preventionist - NYT Podcasts
It’s been a while since I listened to a good podcast, but my first listen to this story caught my interest, and I had to commit the time. I’ve been a big fan of Serial Productions, and Season 15 was no exception. The Preventionist tells the story of families who have lost custody of their children due to the opinion of an ER physician who specializes in child abuse cases. This doctor claims to err on the side of prevention of further alleged abuse, but in the meantime, families lose custody of their children and spend years trying to get it back. This story is a nightmare for every good parent out there who seeks medical care for their child, only to be falsely accused of abuse.
BOOK: The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
This is the Book Club selection for May, and I loved it. Although it was set outside of my usual WWII timeframe, this “based on a true story” historical fiction caught my attention from the beginning. As a big fan of Downton Abbey, I immediately followed up on the book with the PBS Masterpiece Theater movie starring Elizabeth McGovern.
