Re-Introductions and a week in the life

Saying hello, why I've been gone, and a glimpse of what I've been up to

Hey there! 

It’s been a hot, hot second and it’s great to see you again! I hope you’ve been well and the world is treating you kindly. 

If you haven’t met me, I’m Saagar and I’m a 27 year old living in New York. I used to run this newsletter in 2021 and had a lot of fun doing it. Life and a lack of a daily practice got the better of me & I fell off with it. Over the last two years, I spent a lot of time thinking about this platform and thinking about what restarting would look like it and… here we are. 

A lot has changed in the last 2 to 3 years and I think in time, I’d like to explore some of those changes. In the meantime, I wanted to initially come back on here and talk about why I was restarting this page in the first place. 

In short, I do not necessarily have a good answer but in the long run, I hope to use the platform as an avenue to explore ideas out-loud and have an avenue for my writing. Over the last month, I’ve been working on writing as a daily practice and I think with some refinement, a lot of it would be good to share in a public space. 

Unlike last time, I’m going into this with low expectations and will probably publish whenever I feel like at first with the hopes of building up enough of a content backlog to publish twice a week. 

Lately, I’ve been writing about some work-related lessons and learnings, some thoughts I’ve had from my personal life alongside some pieces that are just explored as a stream of consciousness. 

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback as time goes on & if there’s something you’d like to see me write about, please tell me! Till then, enjoy this little weekly recap! 

How I’ve been feeling: 

The last few weeks have been interesting and challenging as I go through some transitions and changes in my personal life. It’s been a culmination of things that were previously building and have finally come to fruition – if that’s the word you would use. Now, I’m in a stage where I’m dealing with the fallout and it has taught me some invaluable life lessons that I probably won’t get into here but I’m doing okay all in all. 

What I’ve been reading: 

I’ve been on my fiction grind lately and finished up the first two books in the Empryean series earlier this month. I’ve finished the two books of the ACOTAR series and GOSH THE ENDING. It’s been really refreshing to dive back into fiction and let my mind explore new worlds & ideas. 

Coffee of the moment: 

This bag of coffee from Prodigal Coffee called Las Perlitas.

It’s my favourite kind of coffee and is full of vibrant acidity paired with tropical fruit while still being a washed coffee. I’ve liked brewing it on the Hario Switch or as a pourover. 

Favourite improvement to my life of late: 

I’ve been using a meal prep service for the last few weeks that has really helped me eat more consistently and save a bunch of time. I’m using CookUnity at the moment and while the portions are on the smaller side, I have gotten used to them and find their food to taste really great. It’s helped a ton for lunches and has even saved me some money by reducing the amount of takeout or eating out I do. It comes out to about $10 to $12 a meal so do what you will with that information. 

A big thought that’s been on my mind and why? 

I’ve been thinking a lot about this Money with Katie article recently and how the same concept or parallel can be drawn for multiple intersections of money and our day to day lives.

The premise of the article is that the ability to pay for something is a privilege but does not inherently imply goodness. Yes, you make choose to take certain actions that are good but often times, it’s more a reflection of wealth than anything else. It does not mean you didn’t do a good thing but rather it is not worth defining someone’s goodness by the ability or inability to pay for something. 

On the same line of thinking, I also came across this Ben Carlson piece that contained some of his more recent thoughts on money. He writes “Most people aren’t bad with money, they just don’t make enough.” While there are exceptions to this, I find this to be largely true and would think about it in the same light. 

Something cool in my life: 

I recently met one of my favourite podcasters, Katie from Money with Katie, and it was a great experience. She couldn’t have been nicer and it was great to meet someone in my relative peer-group who has managed to do something so incredible with her platform. I left it feeling inspired and creatively rejuvenated. 

Something for your ears:

Here’s a playlist I made for Raina last year. It covers some of my favourite rock, soul, and blues across multiple decades.