this was a good week (with a bonus film friday)

My dad.

I'm not going to lie:  this was a challenging week -- one where I would normally be tempted to just skip doing my This Was A Good Week post.  But honestly, I think it's during times like this that making note of what was good about this week is even more important -- I've said before, I think the process of noting the good every day is one of the keys to living an overall joyful life.  Besides, in addition to gathering evidence of joy, I think the practice is also significant in building resilience for the tough times.  And so, in the spirit of this, here are some moments of beauty during this week that made me smile:

•  I took a roll of film to my developer this week.  I had shot a few frames with my Hasselblad and promptly forgot about it, and so when I realized earlier this week that I still had a half-exposed roll in the camera, I used it up quickly and took it in.  When I got it back yesterday, I realized the roll contained portraits that I'd taken of my family a few months ago in my parents' backyard.  It was a very happy surprise.

My mom.

•  Speaking of family, my sister sent me the link to this article, "A Message for My Beloved Children Who Insist Their Lives Are Really, Really Hard."  Oh how I laughed and laughed, remembering how my mom and dad used to do this to us ... and then realized that I do it to Alex all. the. time.  Circle of life, man.

•  Farrah shared this raw description of her daily grind -- and I found it deeply comforting this week.

•  Gabrielle installed these awesome swings in her back garden for her family, and now I need to find a tree.

My Marcus.

•  I love these images released by the Metropolitan Museum of Art  -- and you can use them on your non-commercial website!  Some of them are just stunning.

•  I'm also digging this photo project -- images that poke fun at stereotypes.  It warms the cockles of my beauty-of-different heart.

•  Xanthe never disappoints:  I love this stop-motion video of day from her recent family camping trip.  Gorgeous.

My Alex.

•  Alex did her final required bit of homework for the year this week.  I think we're both relieved.

•  I found this 365 day project -- "imperfect and unedited" daily writing for a year -- and I'm riveted.

•  And finally, today's the start of a long weekend here in the States, and we have a lot of good friend-and-family time planned.   So looking forward to it.

On that note, I'm going to take that extra day off, so I'll be back in the saddle on Tuesday.  Also, for those of you who might be graduating something over the next couple of weeks, here's a little bonus for you:  the commencement speech Ellen DeGeneres delivered at Tulane University in New Orleans, in 2009.   I don't remember a single commencement speaker from any graduation I've ever been a part of, but I'm pretty sure I would've remembered this 10-minute gem.

Enjoy, friends.   And have a great weekend -- have fun, and stay safe.