🌞 “Hey, we like you here, come back soon.”
“Hey, you’re back!” Sammi—the barista who always greets me with a grin—spots me before I reach the counter.
I’m home, really: a sun‑lit café in Lisbon, laptop open at my favourite window table.
Between June the Shiba dozing in a sun‑patch and the hiss of warm cup of latte, my mind finally exhales.
Ten days ago I landed close to midnight—new Airbnb, new streets, same solopreneur checklist. But from this corner, and from the balcony that frames each night’s pink and lilac sunset, I feel grounded.
From the balcony’s perfect angle I see the lighthouse winking beyond the city and the sky rehearsing its nightly spectacle.
Sparrows fly after departing jets—some passengers bound from dreams to home, others from stagnation to freedom.
Lisbon leans in again, whispering,
You belong here, stay as long as you need.
✨ Spark to Carry Forward
The night before the holiday my Airbnb hosts strummed guitar beneath a lilac 10 p.m. sky. I couldn’t decode the Portuguese lyrics, yet each chord told my racing mind, slow down—be here.
“Aww, Lydia, you’re back! I miss you”—Emma squeezed my hand when I was excitedly talking about why I love this newsletter, she always wears a hat, but nothing shades the light in her sapphire eyes.
We trade stories in the gentle afternoon breeze, AI and life, startup and romantic encounters. An extra iced latte blowing my caffeine budget—and I think, isn’t that delightful? People who are excited to see you in their life.
Lisbon specializes in this feeling. Smiles come pre‑loaded with “Don’t worry about the language,” and every “Where have you been?” lands like a welcome‑back banner.
It echoes something storyteller Matthew Dicks shared on this week’s Escape 9 to 5 recording—words I keep replaying:
“that’s a good feeling to come away thinking, I belong there.”
💌 Gift for Your Pocket
Stop copy‑pasting for life. I show you how to marry Notion + ChatGPT in three clicks, so a task that once took five tabs now takes 12 seconds
👉 Watch here
🧠 Magic Prompt of the Week
Ask ChatGPT:
“I’m in Campo de Ourique today, need a ceramic bowl, here’s my schedule — how should I plan my day?”
Result: an automatic table accompany the daily schedule with walking distant estimate on your itinerary in 30 seconds. Your new Executive Assistant, minus the salary.
🎙️ Podcast Teaser
Escape 9 to 5 • Ep. 24 (drops 15 July)
Master storyteller Matthew Dicks returns: turning boring pitches into compelling stories, and how he lets AI break writer’s block.
✍️ Prompt for Your Week Ahead
“What’s one thing I’ve missed on my calendar that I should be aware of?”
P.S. Matthew’s belief that “every day holds a story” has me jotting Homework for Life notes again. Try it tonight, what’s the 5 second change in your tiny moment of the day?
Our days are worth holding on to.
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