Hey 👋

Last night, we ventured deeper into the suburbs to Seneca Creek State Park’s Winter Wonderland to see some Christmas lights.

We drove at or below 5 mph, inching forward as the Jeep in front of us stopped to take a picture of every reindeer and reindeer adjacent light. I lost count or interest at 34.

Oliver discovered our sky roof and climbed over the center console to stick his head and brightly blinking Christmas lights hat up and out, gently sobbing as his miniature candy cane tumbled to the pavement below. You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch blasted over the speaker as I pulled him down and, to his delight, produced another, fully intact candy cane.

On our way out, we stopped in the dimly lit parking lot so that Ollie could pee in a bottle. As if on cue, 2 other cars unloaded and dropped trou right there in the parking lot, as though mocking the conveniently crappy porta potties located just a few steps away.

Comedy actually is, all around. Here are a few things I’ve enjoyed this week:

🧠Think: How Zoom Became the Best Web-Conferencing Product in the World in Less Than 10 Years FYI, 20m

Throughout his life, Zoom’s CEO and Founder Eric Yuan consistently went where he saw the biggest opportunities for growth. In less than a decade, Yuan used Zoom’s unmatched agility to commit to the continuous improvement required to be the most loved web conferencing company in the world.

Hiten delivers a comprehensive breakdown of Zoom’s seemingly meteoric rise, replete with detailed product and fundraising timelines. If you like this teardown, checkout some of Hiten’s other work:

❤️Feel: Loyalty Nearly Killed My Beehive Nautilus, 13m

John Knight was in his first year of beekeeping when he encountered a big problem: his queen died. This article examines the fragility and resilience of community in times of change, be it leadership, habitual, cultural or environmental or otherwise.

Short on time? Skim a few lines of 1000 Awesome Things for a smile or 10:

#990 getting the q and u in Scrabble
#981 wearing underwear fresh out of the dryer
#967 illegal naps (to name a few)

🚶🏽‍♀️Do: less. (make a to don’t list) TED, 5m

This time of year, my to do lists look less like a checklist in support of my goals and values and more like the drunkenly regurgitated leftovers from the day before. If your to do lists make you insane, consider what you might need to eliminate (forever) first.

Anna Phalen, Editorial Program Manager at TED, shares 4 items on Wharton Professor and best selling author Adam Grant’s to don’t list:

Helping everyone who asks
Mindlessly engaging with screens
Putting work ahead of family time
Playing online Scrabble

I see you, I love you, let’s have an awesome week.

P.S. on my blog this week: playing library and the let’s get it over with list

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