Less expecting, more accepting
Breathe in, and let go
I read this phrase aloud, and felt a slight lifting of heaviness from my mind, as I acknowledged that the expectations I bring to any situation, are because of the lens I put on. But you are not me, and I am not you. If we could accept each other as-is (while not being 败类s), wouldn't we have a slightly easier time living in this world? (Image c/o @wetheurban)
Gratitude this month
When I am able to find some pockets of quiet in my head (and really, our thoughts fly around so fast because we have become too used to multi-tasking and thinking of the future without realising we are living in the 'now'), I am reminded not to take waking up, body mobility, and living my every day for granted.
My dad had a health scare earlier this month while I was away for work, and thankfully all scans showed he's doing really good for an over-70 male; it took a short stay at the hospital to finally get the diagnosis that he was suffering from inner ear imbalance, and after monitoring, the neurologist and physiologist provided him with some head and upper body exercises to 'adjust' the tiny calcium "stones" (found inside our inner ear canals that help us keep our balance) which were displaced in his right inner ear. I sent around an update sharing this on IG (which could definitely be oversharing from some people's POV but I feel shared information is community power), and I was surprised at the number of messages from friends whose elderly parents, and even themselves, had experienced such vertigo moments. They too had to remind themselves not to do sudden head movements, and to move slowly.
(Pensive Boddhisatva, Korea’s National Treasure No.78)
Reminder (again) to live in the present
I have to confess, I am always actively pulling myself back from thinking 3-5 different things to chime in on the current conversation when sometimes, people just want to be heard. One way I know how to control my incessant urge to contribute, is to just not speak. But then I think I end up coming across as moody, halp. Cannot win.
A Sunday school student recently introduced me to Plum Village's Mindfulness apps, and there's even a Mindfulness Bell plug-in for Chrome where you can toggle it every 30, 45 or 60 minutes. A sonorous Pomodoro timer; one that reminds us to take a short pause from the screen, and "come back to our breathing". (Tiny warning: I tried using it, and had a gong ring three times while I was recording an audio transcript at work, so be aware when you turn this plug-in on, lol)
What are ways you try to remain present?
(On the grounds of Gyeongju's Bulguksa, designated Historic and Scenic Site No. 1 in South Korea.)
Thought of the before-I-press-'send' moment
Capsule wardrobes aren't really a 'thing' to work towards. Some forget we're already capsule wardrobe-ing when we travel. But my capsule wardrobe format comes from the fact that I only wear the same handful of outfits across 1.5 weeks before going back to the same choice again. Black top, colourful pants, done.
Wishing you a kind and beautiful April soon :)
Medhā