Spring Has Sprung

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Apr 122024
 

It’s that time of year again. Flowers are blooming. Sun is shining most days with a slightly cool breeze. Days are cool in morning and evening, but comfortably warm midday. Eyes are itching and watering. Nose is tickling leading to sneezing and sniffles. And, a lovely layer of pollen lands on everything that stops for a short period outside. πŸ€ͺ

Sarcasm aside, I do love this time of year. It’s nice to sit in the warmth of the sunlight and get some Vitamin D soaked up naturally. Still, I am balancing my time in and outside. The good thing is that I have plenty to keep me busy on the computer. The bad thing is that I sometimes feel guilty for sitting in a cool, darker room when it looks so lovely on the other side of the window.

In any case, like with most things, it’s all a passing of time. Therefore, I am making the most of the season while it lasts.

Views from our garden

All is well from this past week. I have a nagging sense that I am not living up to my ability to dig deep into thoughts when it comes to writing or my poetry. Of course, the poems can be added to later so it’s enough for me to write out the ideas of them for now. However, something is just on the edge of my mind that I think will open up a new perspective on how to manage the more spontaneous lifestyle that we lead a bit better for a schedule-proned/dependent person like me. It’s just not yet in full formation, but it’s coming – I can feel it.

In the meantime, I am enjoying the days, spring colors, and lots of activity! Happy Friday! (OH, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to my mama!!! πŸŽ‰β€οΈ)

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Finally Spring!

 Going Mental  1 Response »
Apr 262023
 

It was a late winter and the colder temps have lingered much longer than we either expected or wanted. Both M and I are sun seekers. β˜€οΈ We thrive in warmer temperatures and sunny climates. While I prefer the temperate warmth, M enjoys the more sweaty ones. πŸ˜… So, we agreed that we will not be spending another mid-winter period here because the cold and rainy days do not suit us. However, we are still left with a delay in the spring weather this year.

Thankfully, I think that we are nearly to the point when Mother Nature flips the switch to begin heating up the outside so that we can bat away the bugs and sit by the pool working on our tans. It has been a bit grey and wet today, but we enjoyed a beautiful mild weekend. The wisteria tree was in the town of Todi, not too far from us, where we met some new friends for lunch. So, with the various spring blooms coming out in their full colorful glory, we stop to enjoy and sigh relief that the cold is on its way out.

Another plus is that while my ankle is on the mend, I am not feeling as if I am missing anything yet since early spring pollen flurries usually keep me indoors anyway. By the time all of that passes and the temperatures are suitable, I shall be fully walking πŸšΆπŸ½β€β™€οΈon my own two feet! 🀞🏽

So… finally SPRING!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Happy Spring Equinox 2023

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Mar 212023
 

For many years, I had no real interest in the cycles of the seasons. When Japanese people and Japanophiles would say “I love that Japan has four seasons”, I would roll my eyes πŸ™„ with disdain at such a clichΓ© and trivial statement.

With the forced time to sit still with my thoughts, I have discovered that perhaps I was being a bit too dismissive, or dare I say immature and arrogant 😬, about what these people may have meant in their words. To be fair, I may be attributing too much credit to them now in my moment of softness. πŸ€ͺ

Still, today, during my brief meditation (trying to build myself back into the routine of it), I listened to the birds singing, our pups squealing and barking as they ran in the playground of our woodlands, and felt the warmth of the spring sun warm my face as I centered on my breath and the healing of my ankle. In the listening, I heard a whisper of appreciation in the consistency of the seasons.

Often, I can control my pain tolerance by impressing upon my mind that all things are temporary. Pain cannot last forever if we maintain a strong and healthy body. Illnesses come and go. Even people can be passing through our lives. In accepting the fleeting reality of life, we learn to appreciate the current moment. This is one of the main teachings of mindfulness meditation. It is also somehow one of the most difficult concepts to embrace with regularity and efficacy.

It was in this awareness of the coming of spring that I acknowledged the passing of winter. The past two days were chilly and grey, which affected my mood. Being aware of its effect, I did my best to stay upbeat, but it was difficult. Luckily, I could hide away in my room, take naps and escape with my crime TV shows. Then, today, the sun returned lifting my mood in celebration for the Spring Equinox.

In Japan, today is a national holiday. It is one of the few countries that celebrates “nature” as a reason to break up the regular routine of life. While other places might have a period of spring fairs or celebrations, they are not days off.

So, perhaps there is something to appreciating four distinct seasons. Or, perhaps, the main point is to appreciate that somewhere like Japan takes time to notice and celebrate them. Most importantly, though, we can learn to appreciate, notice, and celebrate as individuals no matter where we are.

Therefore, today, I feel positive with warmth as the spring season begins.

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Feverishly Sprung

 Going Mental  1 Response »
Mar 122021
 

So, the last time I wrote was nearly a month ago; or rather about three weeks already…. My great intentions of writing more for myself have gotten sucked up into magazine work as we are building it up in different ways, work to pay for the magazine, and getting settled into the actual reason that we decided to move to southern France in the first place – the sun and fun!

First, an update: I was denied my application to the silent meditation retreat. I suppose that there are quite a few applicants built up from a year of COVID and numerous other factors. Perhaps it is a sign that it’s not the right time now, or even ever. We shall see. I could apply for the next one, but as our place of residence has become a point of discussion, I think that the saying that “all things work out for a reason” is true in this case.

As for other things going on:

  • Work has been work – not really busy per se, but enough to pay the bills that need paying.
  • The Universal Asian – is growing and expanding into paid online events in collaboration with others in the TUA community, but this means a lot of backend work on my part with the much appreciated help of a small handful of people (whom I do pay).
  • Socializing – By magic, luck, etc. I have met a wonderful group of ladies that have formulated our social circle. Every weekend is basically spent one someone’s for a meal, drinks, and the men play petanque / boule aka “old man game”. During the week, I’ve been meeting the ladies at least once a week. Before, it was lunch or a chat, but this week we started a yoga class. So, for the first time in about three years, I’m back at the front of the mats and it felt great.
  • Enjoying Spring! – At last, the weather is starting to shift. Flowers are in bloom, people are out on Market Days, the sun is shining and warm most days; in other words, allergy season has arrived! πŸ˜›

So, all is well overall. While I feel somewhat stressed on the inside, from the outside I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Therefore, this means that I just need to breathe, pause, smell the flowers (before I sneeze), and enjoy the moments as they are…. for now, anyway! πŸ˜€

~T πŸ˜€

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