No one possesses the truth
But everyone has the right to be understood
We wander our imaginary paradise
Where our belief is in everything good
Love and life sometimes prove
That our truths are often out of time
Things are not as simple as they seem
And I’ve read this many a time
Mangled from a Milan Kundera quote
The people with the most potential are the ones who know they have a lot to learn.
Adam Grant
Gratitude Journal
I am so happy and grateful for taking the time yesterday to do 15,000 steps yesterday. My hips and legs, ankles and feet are feeling it this morning!
I feel an urge to go buy some cheap diaries. Austin Kleon, inspiring yet again, writes a quote he enjoys each day into one of his diaries. I guess I’ve been doing something similar already, with writing a poem each day and often directly quoting things I read. Still, I have the urge to buy more cool things to write on! A trip to B2S tomorrow!
Leaving school yesterday, there was an accident on the bridge over the river, which, of course, messed everything up, traffic-wise. I got to enjoy listening to the No Means No Thing podcast for a bit longer so that was a bonus. I got to Bruno’s late and we shot off to the same walking track as last week and walked around until the sun set and the blur lights of Bangkok Hospital shone out in the distance, below the hills.
I can tell Bruno is thinking about things quite deeply as he comes up with quite philosophical questions, connected with our places and our time in life. An enjoyable exercise to press mind and body (him with a fractured foot no less!) and breathe deep the cleaner air around the quiet areas of woods, fields and water. Even saw a squirrel – my first in Thailand!
I ended up walking 15,000 steps and today my feet, hips and calves are feeling it. I thought I would sleep well after that walk but I got back to thinking about new cool things to do with the students until I remembered one of the articles I read about putting noisy thoughts on a TV in another room and just letting them chatter away in there instead. It ended up working though I woke up again before my alarm clock and spent a while tossing and turning, hoping to get back into a deep sleep again. I briefly contemplated not getting up with my alarm but pushed through and as soon as I stood in the bathroom, despite the aching body, I felt pretty great.
Oh – Bruno said to me something that surprised me. He said he thought I was a good listener. I don’t really consider myself to be but I think he meant more in the context that I try not to judge and try to consider what people say and don’t just jump in and say something is right or wrong. I hope I do that, so it was nice to hear that from someone. I have tried to make an effort to speak less and listen more when possible.
What do you like about being your age?
I sure like the wisdom that comes with age. My definition of wisdom, of course. With experience comes learning. It’s kinda weird to consider that as a teenager, people thought that I was mature but I think that mostly manifested on the outside. The inside was a troubled little boy searching for a happiness that didn’t seem to exist, jealous of those immature on the outside yet happy inside.
I chose not to fit in because it bored me. I made life difficult for myself but now that those difficulties have passed, I have learned so much about myself.
I don’t usually think about my age when I think about myself. I guess when you discover someone’s age, you can find a convenient box that you can expect them to be in. I guess many people feel the same about themselves – that their age doesn’t put them in any box.
It seems to me, though, that I don’t act as if I’m 54 years old, as people think I am much younger. Just like other people I know who are younger than me appear to act much older. I put that down to the expected norms of age to close-mindedness, perhaps contentment and an attitude of not having anything else to learn. My mind is still open.
Although I seemingly have strong opinions, I am not so confident in them that they can’t be changed and that it’s ok if they do change after new experiences. I think I don’t like or dislike my age. It’s out of my control.
1994ever 