Tag: gratitude

Tune for the wind god – 9th March 2020

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Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have a lot of free time and not feel under pressure.

“How do I know that the wind should blow? It’s blowing!” She adds “I realised that it’s insane to oppose it. When I argue with reality, I lose – but only 100% of the time.”

Byron Katie

To-do list

  • Just Dance ✅
  • Again, yes again – think before writing and speaking ✅
  • Start grading if you can ✅
  • Meditate (Inner Engineering) ✅
  • Sort more CDs ✅

Watched the first Swans game of the year (not sure we’ll be in any contention this year – we have good players but not a good team for some reason) and taught Ellen, so the day has flown by.

Feeling good and positive again – maybe because I’ve been laughing at myself playing Just Dance in the morning. Going to do it again tomorrow.

12 Jun 2024 – The Swans finished 16th out of 18 this year. One of the only years they have not played finals in the last couple of decades. It was a time of rebuilding and if memory serves me correctly they made the Grand Final a couple of years later.

We got that attitude! – 8th March 2020

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I am so happy and grateful to have so many options available to keep me entertained.

What we believe means nothing. How we act is what it’s all about.

Eckhart Tolle

To-do list

  • Just Dance in the morning ✅
  • More CD sorting
  • Record another TCRAH ✅
  • Meditate ✅
  • Think before writing and speaking ✅

Well, doing Just Dance in the morning definitely had a positive effect, made Amy laugh and gave us some exercise. It was a good start to the day. We’ll do it again tomorrow.

I spent most of the day in my room whilst Amy was happily drinking inside – she got the dancing mood later in the evening but then got a little teary as she was thinking about our cats, 2 of whom are approaching the end of their lives. We really love them and it will be sad when they go. But we can go at any time.

I’m feeling more in control of my emotions currently, perhaps because I’m not surrounded by the gossip and chatter at school. It’s very tempting just to quit doing it but I feel I should just keep pushing myself and improve myself. I can’t keep making the same mistakes and expect things to change.

We got that attitude! – 6th March 2020

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Kim Chi playing with her new collars.

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for my cats because they bring joy to our lives.

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they never sit in.

Greek proverb

To-do list

  • Call Hayden ½
  • Meditate for 30 mins
  • Record another TCRAH (two if possible!) ✅
  • Finish 1994ever entry and schedule ✅
  • Follow up with Benjii about CDs

A lazy day watching movies, eating and drinking. I feel very happy and satisfied yet a little empty.

We got that attitude! – 5th March 2020

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I am so happy and grateful for my lounge where I can lay and read or listen to music or even sleep.

How does it help…to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?

Marcus Aurelius

To-do list

  • Stretch and exercise when you wake ½
  • Meditate before looking at the computer ✅
  • More CD sorting ✅
  • Clear emails ✅
  • Figure out script for files ✅

Quite happy with today. Spent a lot of the day reading Lu Xun’s ‘Medicine’ for a Chinese student studying about translations. It was interesting and put me in a good mood. Helped by figuring out the script I wanted on my computer.

Almost at the end of the first week at home. I would like to and ride around a bit but it doesn’t matter too much. When I’m away from school I start to feel more like myself again. Still practising, still improving.

We got that attitude! – 4th March 2020

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I am so happy and grateful to be surrounded by all this music. It’s a wonderful collection of my life.

Remember: what gets attention is not always important. And what is important rarely gets attention.

Mark Manson

To-do list

  • Record new TCRAH ✅
  • Clear emails
  • Read more entries for 1994ever
  • More CD organising (complete in 2 weeks?) ✅
  • Complete Coursera course ½

Another lazy yet satisfying day. Tomorrow I want to do some kind of exercise and meditation in the morning. Being at home, unable to go anywhere is an interesting challenge. I feel like this is a great opportunity to get some things done but also that none of it really matters if it does get done or not so there’s no real pressure. I know that if I do a little each day then tasks will get completed.

Which one are you today? – 3rd March 2020

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Picture of some flying insect building its home on one of our trees. Not for long!

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for this time to enjoy my life. I can sit in my room in silence and feel content.

Idleness can be useful; it allows us the space to explore and soothe our troubled soul.

School of Life

To-do list

  • Record and upload TCRAH ½
  • Close tabs on Chrome ½
  • Read and write (writing is awkward) ½
  • Don’t start anything new ✅
  • More CD organising ✅

Lazy day. I did a bunch of preparation and bits and pieces. I could quite happily stay at home all the time. What do I really need to be doing? Tomorrow will be the same so I’m glad of that.

5th June 2024 – Whilst I’m still happy at home, the long periods of time spent at home after this point due to COVID-19 definitely made me reevaluate this thought!

We got that attitude! – 29th February 2020

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I am so happy and grateful for Epit taking the time and effort to drive me around KL and to take care of me on this visit.

Regrets are only regrets if you haven’t learned something from them.

To-do list

  • Talk with Talib and Thiban about plans ✅
  • Talk with Sikin about tapes ✅
  • Stay positive – enjoy the friendships of the living ✅
  • Savour the tahlil and Kimi’s memory ✅

Everyone here is so lovely and friendly. I really like it and I love to visit but it is strange not to see Kimi. I keep imagining he will suddenly appear.

Sikin seems to be doing ok but I’m not sure when she’s by herself. Epit and Aelin’s kids are fun and I hope they have enjoyed having me around.

Tonight I just found out that I won’t be able to go back to school due to the virus and a new law enacted that stops people who have been in Malaysia from going out for 14 days on return. This is kind of good news though I’m guessing I won’t be getting paid. Hopefully, I can treat it like a bonus holiday and I still have the online teaching to do.

We got that attitude! – 28th February 2020

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I am so happy and grateful to be able to afford to fly to visit my friends.

Hanlon’s Razor – never attribute to malice what be attributed to stupidity.

To-do list

  • Follow usual morning routine ✅
  • Wear make everywhere ✅
  • Meditate ✅
  • Find out about SIM card ✅
  • Enjoy time with Epit and his kids ✅

It was a terrible start to the day as Amy and I fought over money and my travelling. I was so upset I wanted to cancel my plans and not go to KL. I don’t feel like Amy’s frustrations are really about money or me travelling but more connected with her feelings about Thailand.

I want to suggest to her that she goes back to Australia later in the year and work there for three months and see how she feels. Something has to change.

My plan now is to try and enjoy 12 months more of teaching in the school and if I can’t get on with it then I will stop and just teach at home and online. I think Amy can go back to Australia and work if she really feels like money is going to be a big problem. It doesn’t have to be for six months at a time but that’s up to her.

Another possibility is that she really gets behind teaching at home. I feel like she hasn’t really invested herself into it to make it a viable income yet.

The other thing we should do is to sell the house. I’m sick of always having to think about money and if it is spoiling our happiness even when we live in a beautiful home then we can live anywhere. It doesn’t matter. So long as I can have a space to call my own and a happy Amy then that’s what I want.

I’ve got a question to ask you, and then you can ask it of me – 27th February 2020

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Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for my psychiatrist who prescribes me my medicine. Can I live without it?

Forgiveness is choosing to not let negative events of the past define how you feel about someone or something in the present.

Mark Manson

To-do list

  • Finish Chinese drawing.
  • Eye-gaze practice – so difficult! ½
  • Stay calm. Talk less. ½
  • Staple exam papers. ✅
  • Focus on colours today ½

Stayed calm but talked quite a bit with Said and George.

Occasionally focused on colours and tried to remember about eye gazing. It’s really uncomfortable though!

I stayed calm during a difficult lesson this morning but some of the smarter kids had a great idea to go outside and finish the lesson and it worked out really well.

My other lesson was fine and I spent a couple of hours talking with George. I really look up to his way of thinking and want to push myself to end up like that too. I found myself interrupting him in conversation sometimes though and must try not to do that, and to really listen to what he is saying rather than just waiting to say the thing I want to say.

I felt a bit rejuvenated after that though not having any proper lunch made me tired as I got home. I did, however, feel some relief at it being the end of the working week for me.

Tomorrow I will use the time on the plane to read and meditate.