Hey you guys! It’s 11/11, make a wish! We’re wishing for a week of not having to send any “following up on this” emails and sipping on at least one crispy Diet Coke with pebble ice. 

Song of the day: We’ve been listening to Gracie Abrams’ album Daughter From Hell since it came out, and we think you should too!!

Need to vent? Want advice? Have feedback? We wanna hear from you! And while you’re at it…listen to Are You Mad At Me? wherever you listen to podcasts!

Chapter 36: Life Lessons I've Learned Along the Way

Gabi, here! I turn 36 next week, and holy crap, my younger self could not have imagined what life looks like now (for better and for worse hehe)... but here we are!!

If there's one thing I know, it's that we’ll always be learning as long as we’re living. Sometimes through our own experiences, sometimes by watching the people around us, and sometimes through moments we never saw coming.

In honor of 36 trips around the sun, I put a little list together of some lessons that have stuck with me through the years. Some I wish I'd known sooner, others are reminders I come back to often, but all of them have shaped who I am today.

So, here's to 36 years of figuring it out, continuing to grow, and realizing we all have something we can learn for the rest of our lives.

• Actions always speak louder than words.

• Go to that one last place with your friends; it may just end up being one of the best nights you've had in a while.

• Don't check your email on vacation.

• If you'll think about not doing that one thing forever, you should probably do the one thing.

• Check in on your friends.

• Always ask for what you want.

• And don't settle for something less than what you need.

• Being a single pet parent isn't for the weak.

• You can always move back to the place you moved away from.

• AI won't give you that hug you needed after getting that bad news.

• It's a privilege you're able to move your body in the workout class that you're debating on cancelling.

• But it's also perfectly okay to cancel if you're just really not feeling it today.

• If you’re having a good time with someone, tell them.

• Have more walking 1:1 work meetings.

• Most of our lives aren't how we thought they'd be when we were younger.

• Just because you don't have kids doesn't mean you're not just as busy.

• Send the double text.

• You're probably a lot better at your job than you think you are.

• You didn't miss anything from the dinner you said no to when you felt overwhelmed.

• For all you corporate cuties...It's PR, not ER.

• Always get dessert.

• Get a second opinion.

• Overcommunication will always be better than wondering.

• Effort is one of the most important things in the beginning of a relationship.

• Take the day after you get back from vacation off, too.

• Just because they're perfect on paper doesn't mean they're perfect for you.

• A phone call with an old friend can turn your day around.

Got a Q? We wanna hear it here!

…after you take a 10-minute power nap on your lunch break. 

Save YouthSweets’ Spiced Apple Crème Brûlée right this second and you’ll be the hostess with the mostest at your holiday dinner party. 

A thread on Reddit went viral that reveals the smallest decisions that ended up changing people’s lives forever. 

We’re loving The Unsent Project… a worldwide collection of unsent text messages to first loves. 😭

Thanks so much for reading today! We’ll see you all back here real soon! LYL!

—Rod and Gabi