Simple Things in Life

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Aug 232016
 

As I walked each morning my route from the guesthouse to the yoga villa in Bali, I would pass the same people and greet them with a smile and “Good morning.” In a very short time it became a familiar routine that I greatly looked forward to.

I would pass a small family temple and the residents were often outside washing or chatting alongside the small, dirty channel that flowed with water down the street. As I turned onto the main road, I would pass stores setting up their wares or food for the day to be sold or offerings on the ground for those who had passed. Sometimes there were already customers ready to purchase what was on offer, but still the people would stop and smile to say a brief “Hello”. Old men would be sitting on their ‘stoops’ watching the numerous motor bikes and cars speed by taking in the busy street in front of them. Some would simply stare while others would give me a slight smile and head nod to greet me. By the time I would arrive at the villa, I felt as if I had just walked through a family village and I was a part of it.

(offerings)

(Payogan Temple)

(main road)

(neighbor temple grounds/home)

(my route from drop pin to blue dot)

The truth is that the Payogan area is filled with members of one family. My hosts explained that the guesthouse where my yogini-mates were staying was run by cousins on his wife’s side. Others along the road were probably uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers and the like. Still, strangers still felt a true sense of warmth in their smiles.

Different to Thailand where tourists often feel as if they are only liked for their wallets, the Balinese, or at least the Ubudians, never gave that sense. While it was easy to pick up on their intent by their friendly line of questioning:  “How long are you staying?” “Where are you from?” “Do you already have a plan for your trip?” “Do you need a driver?” 😛 , it always felt genuine somehow. Funnily enough, everyone was willing to be a taxi for the right price!

These small encounters, though brief, really made me stop to consider all that we have to grateful for. Even not having AC, electricity or hot water for the past month has given me a new appreciation for such luxuries that are so easily and readily taken for granted. My hope is that when such luxuries do return to us, that we will still stop to acknowledge warm smiles, kindness and generosity as well as get out into the ‘fresh’ air away from our first world privileges and enjoy the simpler things in life.

~T 😀

30 Days of Gratitude

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 252016
 

Day 30:  What talent or skill do you have that you are grateful for?

When I first thought about the answer to this question, my mind came up with my ability to problem solve. Generally, I am the one who brainstorms ways to get out of a pickle and then takes action to make it happen once deemed the best choice in the moment. This is indeed a great skill to have especially during the past couple of months. However, when I consider the very moment what I am actually grateful for in my skills is that I can speak, read and write (sometimes) in Japanese. Why? Well, for some reason that I shall not question nor complain at all about, I have found tutoring opportunities in Japanese. That’s right, not English, but my second (err third?) language. It will be fairly lucrative if the lessons hold and the fact that I have experience learning the language, speak English well and can teach are highly in my favor to maintain these chances. So, while with all tutoring, nothing is ever for sure nor consistent, I can still say that I am grateful that I have this skill to give us a chance to make a few extra dirhams in our time of ‘need’. 😛

——

Well, today is the last day of the 30-day Gratitude challenge and I must say that the days went quickly. It was excellent for me to focus a bit each day on finding something to be thankful for as there were/are some days when I can easily choose to go the other way in my thinking.

However, the light is drawing closer at the end of our tunnel. We are starting to really see and feel hope for our lives to return to a sense of normal. It has not quite been the summer that we had planned on, but the truth is that if we needed to go through this period of our lives and marriage, now is definitely the time to have done it. There is much to be grateful for each and every day. The more that we focus on these positives the more it comes our way – it seems.

I have realized the importance of the words, tone and attitude I use as well. While I may say something positive, if my tone and attitude are a bit cynical or even a little sarcastic, then it diminishes the uplifting value of the good that is happening. Instead, I want to grow into the ideally graceful, generous and inspirational woman who emits love, compassion and happiness to those around me.

While I, like everyone, have many talents and skills to offer the world, what I truly desire is to offer an example of what it means to live life full of joy, love and contentment with the world doing my part to making it and others better. It may have taken me a while to get to this point of my life, I am here now. My new aspirations in life are to really live fully with these elements emanating from me wherever I go and with whomever I meet. 😀

~T 😀

Waking Up Grateful

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Jul 232016
 

Day 28:  What small thing that happened today are you grateful for?

Well, my day has only just begun as it has been a relatively slow weekend morning start. 🙂 However, I am already grateful for the fact that I woke up on my own – meaning my husband did not wake me up as he usually does – and could get right up. Since getting married I have had to change my morning routine a bit. There is always a compromise and adjustment period when you start to share your days with someone. 😐

Although we are both morning people and tend to wake up early, on the weekends, my honey likes to laze about the bed after making a cup of tea and snuggle whilst reading news on his phone or watching a film on the iPad – all while still in bed. On the other hand, I like to wake up whenever my body is ready, get up and put on some workout clothes, have a cup of tea or coffee and then workout (these days, on the mat, sometimes at the gym) or start the day. So, while I wake up for action, he wakes up for relaxation.

During the week, it is easier to have a compromise since he has to get ready for work, so we can generally do have a limited time lie-in and then we get up and ready. Now that I do not work anymore, I can do my workout once he has gone off to work for the day.

However, on the weekends, my main complaint is that I like to sleep in a bit later – 7:30/8 instead of 5:30/6 – without being woken up. I am easily affected by light, especially tech light. So, if hubby wakes up at the usual 5:30 time, he likes to switch on his phone to read the news or catch up on social media. Inevitably this wakes me up and then I feel a bit grumpy starting off my day as my mind and body are not ready to be in the world yet. 😛 Most of the time, I know this is my issue and so I try to go with it. Still, I do voice my preference that I be allowed to just sleep in.

We have agreed that once we are settled into our new place that the bedroom will be a tech-free zone. This means if he wants to read, he’ll have to get out of bed and go to the already designated TV room to catch up on Internet joys, which should leave me to blissful sleep. 😛 Also, he can get more snuggle time in without any distractions. 😉

In the meantime, I am very grateful for this morning’s chance to wake up “my way”! 😀

~T 😀

_The Shadow of the Wind_ by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

 Literary Escapes  No Responses »
Jul 222016
 

shadow

_The Shadow of the Wind_ by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1 was a book that a student recommended that I read. When she was reading it, I noticed that she was seemingly addicted to it as she was reading it whenever I walked into class or if there was extra time to work on something and she had finished. I noticed just a few days later that she was on to another book so I asked her what she was reading. So, she explained to me this series and said it was one of the most amazing books she had ever read.

Now, I have read a lot of books and while Zafón’s name was not new to me, I had not yet found enough reason to pick up his book. So, with a recommendation like that, how can you not want to go out and give it a go?

I have to say that she was not too far off, though I have read other amazing books throughout my time. Still, this was a page turner and suspenseful. I believe it is considered for young adults, but I could be making that it up. 😛

It has a bit of mystery, a bit of suspense, a bit of history, a bit of love and a lot of story. As it was originally written in Spanish, the translation was done well to allow for the English reader to experience the story fully. I think all age of readers (within reason – there is talk of murder) would enjoy the story fully and no doubt that I will eventually be reading the others in the series. 😀

——

Day 27:  What small thing that you use daily are you grateful for?

Small thing…? Daily…? Hm…It would be a bit of a toss up between my pen and my toothbrush. Yes, that’s right, my toothbrush. Although my pen would be an obvious choice, I have already written enough about my writing preference, so today I will go with the toothbrush. So, I have a regular toothbrush and I have a wonderful electric one – Philips, I think. In the past, I had a Sonicare (still Philips, I guess) electric brush that was awesome, but every year the model series I used would have a different style and start to make the old heads obsolete forcing users to upgrade their models. This kind of thing annoys me (Yes coming from an Apple girl 😛 ). So, after doing some research, I decided on a different series, though still within the Philips family, which has maintained the same heads for a while and I can get replacements in the grocery store if I like. While sometimes I am too lazy to do the full 2minute cycle of the Sonic brush and use the regular one, when I do use the Sonic brush my teeth feel absolutely amazing. The dentist raves about my teeth whenever I go in and the truth is that I hardly ever floss. If I use the Sonic brush every day twice a day for at least a week or two, then it is like I floss every day! Shhhh don’t tell my dentist! 😀 Therefore, I am grateful for my electric toothbrush and am reminded to use it everyday instead of once every couple of days. It does make a difference.

~T 😀

_MaddAddam_ by Margaret Atwood

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Jul 212016
 

madaddam

_MaddAddam_ by Margaret Atwood

The last of the trilogy following_Oryx and Crake_ and _The Year of the Flood_, this one was very disappointing to me. I finished reading it a while ago and am just now trying to remember more than the fact that I was not happy with the ending of this trilogy given how good the first two were. It felt more like Atwood was just trying to come to a quick end of the story line, but if an author gets to this point, then why write it at all?

The dystopic world attempts to be further explained by tracing back to the original Adam One and the narration of Zeb to tell the creation story. While the story tries to end where it began, I struggled to buy into it all. Not sure why, but I felt that there could have been more. Or, maybe that was the intent…dissatisfaction is the theme of the whole trilogy after all….

In any case, if you’ve read the first two, you cannot really not read the last of the series. However, if you have yet to start, I think it would be enough to enjoy fully the first and then leave it at that. 😀

——-

Day 26:  What form of expression are you most grateful for?

This makes me think of Gary Chapman’s _The Five Languages of Love_ book that I read years ago when my first marriage was falling apart. It is an excellent book to read, even if you are not a Christian, as it really helps to understand how and why we get disappointed with our partner’s or friends’ actions when they seem to fall short of our expectations. We have different ways of expressing love and generally do so through our actions to others. However, these expressions are based on our preferred way of expressing, not necessarily on the receiver’s desired way of expressing love.

In my case, I express with the written form and by doing things. Between the two of these, I am most grateful for the written word as a form of expression. Words can be taken in so many ways depending on culture, background, experience and so on. We carry meaning about these words and when spoken so much more can be misconstrued by eyes, body language, tone, facial expressions, etc. However, with the written word, the only way that words can be misunderstood is by the reader. If the reader is in a bad mood or the wrong emotional space, then the words are understood differently. In this way, it is not the author’s fault for the words written, but puts the onus back on the reader to try to interpret and understand based on their understanding of the author OR themselves.

I think writing is a beautiful art that not everyone can master well. Sure, we can all write, just like we can all speak. Yet, to weave words and to use them in a way that can be complexly understood is an art. I dream of mastering this. Whether or not I am ever successful depends on my readers, but I will continue to try and am ever grateful for the written word to express!

~T 😀

Perspectives

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Jul 202016
 

Day 25:  What moment this week are you most grateful for?

Well, the week is not over, but so far this week the moment I am most grateful for was during our day trip. In Oman’s airport, we had Dairy Queen where I introduced M to an Oreo Blizzard. It was a moment when we laughed and I recalled happy memories stopping to get blizzards in my youth. So, amidst all the chaos going on around us, we had a moment of stillness to laugh and be silly.

——

Life brings ups and downs. Sometimes we know how to deal with the downs better than others. When we struggle with the downs it can be overwhelming to the point that we lose sight of any hope of there being ups again. Yet, if we find a way to change our perspectives, to remember the good parts of who we are, to look for solutions instead of seeing only obstacles, to believe in ourselves to get through anything, then we find the strength and confidence to ride the wave.

It is true that our greatest moments and versions of ourselves are revealed in how we deal with the downs in life. It is easy to be whatever we need to be when we are high on life, but who we become in our struggles really defines us.

The past two months have been challenging, though not truly overwhelmingly so. Life has been harder before, but it has been a difficult transition for the adult version of me. The period has not fully ended, but what is shifting is my perspective. When I talk to others who are struggling with their own lives, I realize that I am doing alright in comparison. Or when I see the news and consider the plight of the world, I realize my bubble is not so bad. There are so many positives happening in this ‘challenging’ time. In opening my eyes to them, I find that everything is just fine. I am just fine and we are going to be more than fine if we just ride the wave.

Just as surfers swim toward the swell, it is the crashing down of the wave that gives them the ride, joy and moments of bliss. Ultimately, it is just about the perspective we take that gets us through the days.

~T 😀

 

_Second Honeymoon_ by James Patterson

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Jul 192016
 

honeymoon

_Second Honeymoon_ by James Patterson

In light of yesterday’s adventure, I took along a ‘holiday’ reading for the plane ride. Also, it seems that lately I have been preferring to read paper books for some reason. Since I had bought this one in the last week of work for a discount, I thought it was appropriate as I had planned to read it whilst on holiday and we were jokingly saying that we were going on our “honeymoon”. 😛

It was a one-day start to finish read.

When I first started it, I thought I had read it before, but nothing from my LibraryThing or previous posts or GoodReads was showing up as me having read this book before. So, I continued on anyway realizing that this is a second of a ‘newish’ series for Patterson (duh from the title) and figured I must have read the first one before.

In any case, the intertwining of two serial killer cases and two major characters was a bit new. It was predictable that things would overlap eventually, but otherwise, it was a very easy and entertaining read. There was just enough suspense to keep me going and since the reader was not left to guess who did it I could just engage myself in the characters, which was fairly easy to do.

So, a very nice holiday read overall. 😀

——

Day 24:  What challenge are you grateful for?

Oh yes, who is grateful for challenges? The good thing is that I have accepted that challenges and challenging times are opportunities for growth and expanding of who I am as a person. While I do not like the challenges at the time they are happening, I do reflect back on them to see what I can learn. In truth, I am actually always grateful for the challenges that require me to build my patience level. Current period included. I am not the most patient person in the world. Some people might not believe it, but in general I have a short temper when it comes to trying my patience. It is fully connected to my ego and a sense of deservedness (is that a word?). However, every time a challenge occurs that questions my patience or requires more of my patience I am aware that I am lengthening my limits. Patience is definitely a virtue and the key to controlling situations, responses, emotions and life. When we take the time to see other perspectives or to absorb rather than react, the results often change. So, rather than increasing rage or strife, I want to be an agent for peace and calm, which only comes from patience. Thus, I am grateful for the challenge of being more and more patient! 🙂

~T 😀

_The 4-hour Workweek_ by Timothy Ferriss

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Jul 172016
 

4hr

_The 4-hour Workweek_ by Timothy Ferriss

I mean how can the title of this book not interest you? Who doesn’t want to be able to work only four hours a week and still make a decent living?

Ferriss offers some very tangible and realistic ways to free up time or to use time efficiently to ensure that you have more time for the things that you want to be doing. He also gives good advice on how to make yourself valuable, but also making it possible to keep working while making money.

This along with training of the subconscious mind can really change the working playing field if one wants to make it work. I have already started to take some of his tips such as only emailing at certain times of the day or prioritizing tasks. While I am not yet at the point where I can justify a virtual assistant, I do see where I could potentially use one later when my business starts to kick off.

So, even if you think there is no way that this is an option for your life, I recommend reading Ferriss’s book and seeing what you might take away from it to make your days and life just a little more efficient allowing you more time to do the things you really enjoy. 😀

——

Day 22:  What story are you grateful for?

Story…the first thought that came to mind was to consider a story that my father used to tell around the campfire. What happened to that tradition? Now, I am one of the worst oral storytellers ever – my medium is the written word. However, I have always been in awe of those who can tell a story to entertain people at parties or around a campfire. I remember my dad telling me made up “native American” stories about the signs “Falling Rocks” or about historical events. So…one I am grateful for? Well, that I am not sure. I have honestly never thought to be grateful for a particular story. Thus, I think I am going to be grateful for the art of my father’s oral storytelling skill rather than a particular story since there are so many to choose from and I am not good at remembering just one. 😛

~T 😀

Music

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 162016
 

Day 21:  What song are you most grateful for?

This is one of my favorite songs and whenever I hear it I end up putting it on repeat. The tune is beautiful to me and the lyrics are poetically sweet.

Oftentimes I find that songs in other languages touch my soul more than those in English. I am not sure why.

I was just journaling recently how I have let music go a bit lately as I get a bit disappointed by pop music or new artists who are merely copying old songs and mashing them with new beats or tunes but not really creating new music. In fact, I have just about stopped listening to music at all in the car as I found it can agitate me or affect the amount of road rage I have. So I decided that I didn’t need any external influences while I am trying to stay calm on the roads. However, this carried over to the rest of my day unnecessarily.

I love music – even if it’s not always good. It makes me happy to sing a song or dance around. So sometimes while I am journaling or writing emails I have started to turn on the tunes. Therefore, it is important that I keep music in my life where it can bring joy and smiles.

This one always touches my heart. Hope you enjoy it too. Very grateful to Nelly Furtado for giving me a song.

~T 😀

Letting Go…

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 142016
 

“Therefore, a yogi has to adopt a peculiar and expectant attitude, like a servant awaiting his master. It is a state of relaxed preparedness. He remains poised and ever ready for an event which will occur inevitably in its own time. He accepts that to precipitate that event is not within his control or power, yet it is his destiny that it will occur and he must be ever vigilant in sadhana (meditation). It should not be interpreted as fatalism or laziness, but as a state of surrender and readiness which is to be sustained by constant awareness.” p497 Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Yesterday, I read this passage and thought how it perfectly represents the lesson that I am learning during this period of time in life.

Control has gotten me through my life to this point. When I became an adult and realized that only I was responsible for my present and future, I determined that I would never let anyone or anything have control over me again. For someone or something else in control usually meant nothing good for me. However, always being in control has its pitfalls and there has always been a part of me that would like to be able to let someone else take the reigns for a while.

So, when I got married and discussed the idea of doing something else with my life than teaching English, I knew it was a chance for me to let the reigns loose. In my bliss, I ignored or denied the reality of what this meant! Oh how naive I must have been!! 😛

The truth is that I probably have never really been in control of my life, but instead limited it by having a stable job, salary and steadily building more debt rather than a future nest egg. My delusion of grandeur that my life was trodding perfectly along is now becoming clear of how deluded I was. Likely, part of my frustration now is this realization.

As I work through these changes and transitioning, I am starting to see the light grow brighter on the present day and tomorrow. Now, I am finding myself ready for what the universe holds for me and am tentatively learning to trust that the new future is far better than anything I could have controlled to happen. While the struggle now is temporary and part of growing pains, I am feeling more and more confident that the abundance, joy, wealth and hope of tomorrow will be long-lasting. 🙂

——-

Day 19:  What touch are you grateful for today?

This might be the easiest one of the past 19 days of gratitude. I am ever so grateful for the touch of my husband. The feel of his skin, the softness of his lips, the tenderness of his fingers, the light of his eyes all touch me in so many ways that enliven my spirit and fill my soul with warmth. Even when he is not physically present, I can feel his touch and it brings a smile to my face. I am ever so grateful for the touch of my amazing husband! 😀

~T 😀

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