The Long Way Around – 5th June 2024

There are things you should and shouldn’t do
No matter what you want
Then there are things you don’t want to do
That you don’t wish to flaunt

On the other side of our innocence
Character is constructed
No longer sailing through green lights
The way ahead obstructed

Things are one way until they’re not
Are you willing to accept?
The challenges being laid down for you
Are creating self-respect

Those broken shards poking at your feet
Makes the path ahead seem longer
But taking responsibility for your life
Makes the foundations stronger

Inspired, borrowed and paraphrased from this post at Spinning Visions

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Today I’m feeling:

Flat and down.  I have no classes today as the kids will study online and no one has asked us farang teachers to do that.  I still had to come to school to sign in though and now sitting at House, reading and writing.

I’m reading about resilience as I plan to teach about it in the future and I’m doing my best to keep myself up but the uncertainty at home has me rattled.  I know that I have to do some things to improve the situation.  

Reading about resilience this morning made me consider that I am very good at the world view, dealing with big generalities but not so good at the one-on-one and personal.  I need to make some changes.

Today I’m grateful for:

There being no kids at school today, just a few kicking around doing various sports, allowing me free time, in the morning to read and write and in the afternoon to run around sorting things out (see below).

The best thing about today was:

Getting both our bike and car tax sorted out quickly and easily today.  Different to last year, we got up to the drive-through booth and I handed both sets of paperwork and the lady there didn’t say we had to do one and leave and come back to do the other like last time but she did say that we had to pay cash (not scan) for the motorbike one.  Neither of us had any cash so I told Amy I would come back and do it later.

Anyway, after doing the car tax and paying off my four speeding fines the lady then proceeded to do the motorbike one and said we could scan!  What was that about?  Well, never mind – we got it all done, quick and easy.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

As we were driving to the transport office I got a call from FedEx about the shipment of records from Taiwan and found out the customs tax on them is 3500 baht!

Thinking that I maybe had a bunch of other speeding tickets to pay, maybe up to 10 I was seeing my money disappear rapidly.  I only got paid yesterday and already more than 10,000 has gone already!

Anyway, what can I do?  If I don’t pay they will get sent back and I’d lose a shit ton more money.  I don’t think I’ll be doing much vinyl anymore.

Something I learned today?

I read up about Charon’s Obol and wrote a poem that references it.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

I messaged for a little while with Aida and she told me about how her mum has been beating her since she was little.

She said that her dad left before she was born and I’m guessing that her mum has a lot of unresolved issues.  I don’t get how parents can beat their children though.  It’s wrong.

How do I feel about the year so far?

The year is the year, things have happened, mostly good, some bad and stressful.  

Right now I’m not feeling particularly positive but I feel certain that is just my brain focusing on the negative more than all the good things that are in my life.  

And the past is the past.  What next, what now?