Creative Meanderings

This week was a break from the gym as I really felt like I needed to see how much the yoga does for me in the week. So, here’s my activity this week.

Mar 5 (Sunday)

• Wellness yoga session
• Casual yoga practice 

Mar 6 (Monday)

• Casual yoga practice

Mar 7 (Tuesday)

• 5.9km Walk (1km run) on Corniche with MRTTAD ladies
• Wellness yoga session

Mar 8 (Wednesday)

• 1hr yoga sessions x2
• 1hr yoga session private client

Mar 9 (Thursday)

• Rest day!

Mar 10 (Friday)

• Wellness yoga session

Mar 11 (Saturday)

• 1hr yoga session private client x2

Back when I first started my life as a ‘lady of leisure’ I joined up with the American Women’s Network. Now, I was a bit hesitant then as I had had a less than ideal interaction with them when I first arrived in the UAE over 8 years ago.

However, I really enjoyed the vibe of the Coffee Mornings and the few people I met. After joining a couple of activities – book club, golf – I decided to attend a luncheon to see how I might get involved with helping out in the group since volunteering is a good way to stay active within my varied availability. Although I just attended the luncheon to see what I could do by expressing my interest in computer work or things done behind the scenes, I found myself soon becoming more involved than expected.

Before I knew it I was tasked with helping with the webpage since the existing webmaster had recently gone back to work and could no longer keep up. Once I took a look at the site, I suggested moving the site to a blog format and increasing their social media presence. This was looked at favorably and by the beginning of the year, I was working on a new site.

Just after the new year, I became the sole webmaster since I was offering to make some big changes to the site.

After a few days worth of work and addressing some other technical matters, the new site has been completed, gmails created and the Board members trained. 

Everyone seems happy, which makes me happy. Check it out here.

~T 😀

I was starting to feel a bit busy with two yoga sessions nearly every day plus at least one lesson a day. My days are starting to round out to a 2/2:30pm start with a finish between 6-8pm depending on the day. It’s a nice balance really, though takes a bit of getting used to. 

For the first time in a few weeks I made it back out to the MRTTAD ladies group. It was good to catch up and chat with friends. Plus, I am trying to get my running back up even though I do a lot of yoga now….

So I was happy with this and for having ran a full kilometer rather than cheating with a partial walk in there. Next week I’ll see if I can push myself to go a little further with the running. 

It helped that the weather was absolutely perfect with sunshine and a cool breeze. Most parts of the world would call it a “spring” breeze but it’s a bit warmer than that. However, given the onslaught of grey skies lately, this sunshine is very welcomed. 

Also, since I worked hard yesterday on the computer getting a bit ahead of myself, I decided to treat myself to a couple of hours by the pool soaking up some much needed vitamin D and relaxation. 

I think I am preparing mentally for my upcoming holidays in Japan. I am soooooo excited for it, but hardly believe it is true. Maybe once I am on the plane I can sigh relief for a reprieve from life here for just over two weeks!! Woot woot!

Until then, I am practicing while I can here in the desert learning how to gear up for gearing down. 

~T 😀

I was listening to My Favorite Murder podcast this week and was entertained at their opening dialog about things they ‘hate’. One example was when someone leaves a bowl of cereal in the sink without rinsing or putting water into the bowl therefore cementing the bits of cereal onto the side of the bowl, which takes work to get off at the time of washing. 

This conversation took me back to the days when M and I first started to spend our days and nights together full time thus bringing in a teenager into my life. Although we all generally got along, one of the biggest challenges I came across was adapting to two people who either left dirty bowls in the sink or put them directly into the dishwasher without rinsing them – leaving me to scrape off the dried/cemented bits off the sides of the bowls. 

After a number of days quietly trying to convince myself it was no big deal, I finally decided to draw boundaries and send a group message requesting that they rinse out their bowls stating that “dishwashers don’t scrub”; thus indirectly (though not subtly) claiming it was me who does it and no longer wanted to do it. 

Although not a big deal, it does lead me to think about how we make concessions for the little things that bother us when it is not necessary. We are so conditioned to say “It’s such a small thing, there’s no need to be upset about it.” Or, “Is it really worth saying something about it?” Well, the truth is YES, it is always worth it and, true, there is no need to be upset. Still, we are within our rights to express positive solutions to avoid situations where even the small things might bother us. 

We often find that large explosions, that seemingly come out of nowhere, in response to things are a result of numerous small things that may have bothered us and we never said anything to acknowledge or address them. 

Therefore, I think that we should always make note of even the smallest things to be truthful to ourselves, to others and to ensure that we do not wait for a large explosion to happen.

So, for the love of God, just put some water in it! 😛

~T 😀

A recent topic of conversation lately has been on my need for a bit more intellectual stimulation in some form.

While I am absolutely loving my yoga classes and clients, I am only getting physical stimulation from the exercise or trying to help people get their bodies a bit more supple. However, the intellectual challenge of project building or problem solving is not quite there.

Although I have considered getting more involved in the planning and carrying out of retreats, which may give me both the intellectual and physical aspect, I am not sure that is exactly what I am looking for.

The truth is that I miss to some degree drinking coffee discussing academics, students, research and the like. I absolutely do not miss the teaching of the population I was interacting with day in and day out, but I do miss some of the work that I was doing outside of the classroom. How can I engage in that kind of work for pay remotely??? 🤔

At the moment, I am trying harder to tap into my creative writing side, which requires intellectual exercise. Perhaps this will be enough for me once I get into a regular rhythm and routine with it. It is just important to remember that this is a new phase in my life and even though it may seem as if a lot of time has passed, it really hasn’t as I continue to adjust and get used to a new way of using my brain. 😅

~T 😀