GRATITUDE: First time spent downstairs in the garden in a long time. All this rain has the chard and kale looking great! Transplanted a lot of the chard to the first bed…removed tomato cages to prep for putting compost in there this weekend. Hoping for nice sunny days while the soil is still damp. Backyard needs some major cleanup…

FOCUS: I should begin my indoor seed plantings as soon as possible. I wonder if my dandelion/chicory will come back from seed…

INSPIRATION: Started listening to Haruki Murakami’s “Kafka on the Shore” yesterday. Many passages that have me wishing I could hold the book and make marks on phrases and sections I find moving…

GRATITUDE: Grateful today for friendships that formed and have persisted despite TheShopFWP no longer existing. It makes me reflect on the different chapters/seasons of my personal life and how friendships have come and gone.

FOCUS: Must do Japanese lesson tomorrow…homework is due Sunday and I’ve been procrastinating all week long…

INSPIRATION: Had this thought today to put together a soundtrack of my life…you know one that has all the songs which trigger a specific memory or moment in time. I’ll list the ones that quickly flashed into my head though I know there are many, many more:

Love song (The Cure)

Crash (Dave Matthews)

These Arms of Mine (Otis Redding)

Hand in My Pocket (Alanis Morisette)

Wild World (Cat Stevens)

Scream (Imarobot)

Champagne Supernova (Oasis)

Hollywood (Madonna)

Hotel California (The Eagles)

If I Ever Feel Better (Phoenix)

Honest Mistake (The Bravery)

Time is Running Out (Muse)

Nightswimming (REM)

The Sea (Morcheeba)

GRATITUDE: For the time alone at home today (and the rain which kept me from running) that forced me to sit in front of my computer and go down the rabbit hole of purging emails and trying to figure out what the heck files are in my Google drive. It’s still something to reckon with but it’s back to some sense of manageable. Also started 2023 taxes…yippee.

FOCUS: Need to figure out a system of what’s in my iCloud versus Google drives…discuss with Eric where best to keep our shared folders/files etc.

INSPIRATION:

GRATITUDE: For the sorer than usual muscles especially in my right gluteus medius/piriformis (the sight of which I believe is the root of my pelvic imbalance and where my back pain has been compensating/causing the nerve impingement and chronic pain these last couple years). I’ve drastically noticed the changes of discomfort/comfort over the last few months. It’s hard to tell if it’s finally the nutritional supplements, starting the consistent 7 minute workout this past year (definitely doing jumping jacks and squats has made a difference), a mindset reframe about getting older and what it means to be strong. Whatever the case, I’m really thankful for having started some kind of yoga practice when we lived in NYC. I remember being so intimidated and frightened of even trying it back then, grateful for that small hole in the wall place just down the street from our Greenpoint apartment on Guernsey. It’s probably the first time I started to understand that doing something solely for myself was okay. It was also the beginning of awareness towards my physical body and listening to the clues/imbalances that I had even then. Today’s body is so different and this tightness and pain that I have in my right back/hip/glute/leg/hamstring…these never existed way back then. But when I look back to a year ago and how I could barely sit up after trimming my own toenails or how leaning over the sink to wash my face was so hard, I’m so thankful for a body that can heal. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to relax again fully in child’s pose like I used to…but for now it’s still a lot of conscious work.

FOCUS: Forgot to mention I believe my soreness (in where I likely need it most) was from the 10 minute row session I did yesterday. It didn’t seem too intense at the time, but today my body is saying do more of that…this is where your muscles are weak. More rowing lies ahead I guess!

INSPIRATION:

GRATITUDE: For a day to include both Eric and the kids with Japan trip planning. So glad it seems I’ve gotten the thumbs up for most of the accommodations I’ve picked out. Jasper is working hard to understand the subway. Good to get Eric’s insight on Naoshima and the art islands excursion. So much still to study and learn to distill all the details of trains, passes, food, and more! Exciting to be planning but also tiring and stressful a bit.

FOCUS: にほん！

INSPIRATION:

GRATITUDE: So happy and full. Realizing I was missing out on my connections with other people/friends I really like and care about outside my family has been a big revelation. In the end, all we have are our memories of how we felt after a certain meeting or encounter…and if that feeling is positive and good, why not strive for more of that?

FOCUS: How can I spend more time with those who I want in my life?

INSPIRATION: Me in pigeon pose at 5:45 this morning trying to remind myself that discomfort equals goodness and growth…then later seeing this as a reminder.

GRATITUDE: For time in the day (most of the day) to learn Lesson 1 of my Japanese 2 class in order to mostly finish this week’s homework assignment. Of course I spent almost all week looking for places to stay in Japan and trying to figure out neighborhoods, booking potentials, etc. that I completely neglected the lesson. Grateful for a crazy afternoon running around between orthodontist appointment for Jasper and hip hop for Juniper. At least we were able to try out a new to us sushi place in San Carlos!

FOCUS: Tomorrow I see Samantha Hoang…it’s been so long but I’m excited to catch up and put some more chips into my “connecting with others” bucket. Surprising her with a quick visit from Nikkie too!

INSPIRATION: Listened to an interview with Dan Buettner discussing longevity in the Blue Zones and he said that in Okinawa there is a saying that is Confucian –