GRATITUDE: Surprised to have spontaneously woken up at 5:12 this morning, but grateful for it to be Saturday and allowed myself to sleep in till just past 7.

FOCUS: 156 days till Japan!!!!

INSPIRATION: おかげさまで　

Reminder to do a morning brunch date with Eric someday at Backhaus.

GRATITUDE: Thankful for the extra little bit of sleep from 5:20-6 this morning and the slight flexibility of Friday schedule. Skipped yoga, but still got in the upper body exercises and a nice walk through San Mateo Park neighborhood to drop off books to a friend.

FOCUS: Feeling the need to purge and clean the shelves of unnecessary things. Also feeling validation for starting this 1 hour earlier morning routine after listening to I think it’s chapter 6 of “Think Like a Monk”. Wish I had the actual book to mark the very simple meditations and breathing exercises he lays out to practice.

INSPIRATION: I’m glad I switched books and gave up on the one that wasn’t inspiring me last week regardless of already having been many hours into it. A good reminder that sometimes you just need to pivot when things aren’t providing the expected results or what you may need in a particular moment.

GRATITUDE: Found a small sliver of alley this morning…reminded me of a time when I was enamored by interstitial spaces and the in between. I guess I find myself metaphorically in one of those spaces now…in between weak and strong.

FOCUS: Trying to transition to becoming a yoga/strength train/run/walk first thing in the morning before taking care of anything else for anyone else. I am definitely not feeling as weak and feeble and incapacitated like I did one year ago. I’m trying. I feel like if I can push through and stay consistent it may actually be possible to work through the tightness/pain and that there is hope of making it go away altogether. It’s definitely different than before and I’ve felt it changing over the last few months, movement and stretching has been the key.

INSPIRATION: Felt compelled to try and make some egg bites after having them at Starbucks a few weeks ago. No dairy and not all the extra preservative junk but I think I overcooked them or the silicone bottoms got too hot on the cookie sheet. Good first attempt, will try again.

GRATITUDE: Thankful for my legs and body this morning getting me through a 1-1/2 mile jog in the drizzle before a spontaneous coffee date with Erin and Julissa at Maison Alyzee.

FOCUS: Spent much time exploring what lay outside of Osaka, mainly Koyasan.

INSPIRATION: The new rowing machine arrived today. Feeling motivated to put it together and put it to use this weekend!

GRATITUDE: Neglected a few other high priority items on my list today to sit down and try to start some serious Japan planning…grateful for the ability to do this but also increasingly nervous about how little I know…

FOCUS: Waking up at 5:20am is not easy, but I can do it. Notes for some structure in this new stretch/strength routine-

Monday: Yoga/Lower body/Walk

Tuesday: Yoga/Upper body/Walk

Wednesday: Yoga/Run

Thursday: Yoga/Lower body/Walk

Friday: Yoga/Upper body/Walk

Saturday: Yoga/Run/Jumprope

Sunday: Rest

It may sound like a lot on paper, but I’m aiming for just 20 min max yoga/strength routines with low intensities for now until I can build up a better baseline. After looking at this, probably should do some dedicated core but if conscious I can choose this with the yoga. Will need to see how 7 minute workouts can be incorporated or not lost altogether.

INSPIRATION: Learned about a place called Okunoin at Koyasan/Mount Koya. Not only is it the sacred place where one of the original shingon Buddhist founder is laid to rest but the entire cemetery is straight out of something from Kubo and the Two Strings. Read it was also possible to stay at the temple and participate in eating a Buddhist meal…

Possible idea for changes/additions to daily journaling.

GRATITUDE: Somehow managed to get out of bed at 5:30 and do 20 min yoga, pivot to coffee/lunch/breakfast duties, get a strength workout in, all before my usual morning walk. Definitely felt more productive than usual before the 10 o’clock hour.

FOCUS: Need to better break down these small strength workouts better to allow for separate lower, upper, and core body workouts so I don’t burnout, yet also focus on all the different parts of the body. Also need to determine which day of the week is best suited for a morning run…I think Wednesdays…

INSPIRATION: Not feeling super inspired by Adam Grant’s audiobook Originals (despite feeling the pressure to actually complete more books this year) and so I’ve switched over to Jay Shetty’s Think Like a Monk.

11 Lessons to be gleened from this book:

• Find and follow your inner voice
• Remove negative and toxic thoughts and habits
• Heal your past and be present
• Uncover your true passion and purpose
• Create effective morning and evening routines
• Stop overthinking and increase focus
• Put aside your ego to clear the path
• Develop a powertul gratitude practice
• Understand chemistry and compatibility
• Meditate daily
• Find calm in chaos

GRATITUDE: Morning walk to get Jasper a breakfast bagel followed by coffee, cocoa and tea at Starbucks. Quiet serene morning on the streets.

FOCUS: Started the day with a protein packed breakfast after a quick workout. Looking forward to tomorrow and going on my 2 mile loop as it’s been awhile since everyone’s been home for vacation. Going to bed early today in order to try and get up at 5:30 tomorrow…this is the year of strength…I can get up and show up for myself every morning.

INSPIRATION:

GRATITUDE: A great day hanging out with Eric and Jasper seeing the Takeshi Murakami Monsterized exhibit at the Asian Art Museum. Jasper found a great pizza place called Outta Sight afterwards before we dodged the rain for some hot beverages and dessert. Thankful Juniper is so forgiving that I failed to help make her lunch for her yurt Adventure Program today.

FOCUS: I need to get rid of and purge something today. Update-Sorted through socks and a few extra sweatshirts I don’t use, cleaned up small hallway desk, set aside a few books.

INSPIRATION: Reminded by going to the Pixlcat Cafe after lunch that I’ve always wanted to make some kind of mochi dessert.

GRATITUDE: Spent the morning at Tom’s, where he was able to share his art work and studio space with Eric, Jasper, and Juniper. I was reminded the power of shared experience and how it can truly enhance our feeling of belonging, connectedness and sense of meaning. This is something to strive for everyday.

FOCUS: If I could see every interaction that I have with a person as an opportunity for connection what would that look like???

INSPIRATION:

Japanese – つぎはもっとがんばってください

English – Please do your best next time.