There is no winter here. The sun rises early with unassuming warmth then throws daggers from mid-day well into the evening. I have been rising too; diligently beating the sun at its own game. The pace of days are swift and regular, and I am grateful for the routine. In all honesty, I have always been skeptical of the practice of gratitude, although I understood the premise - life is about perspective, skew yours in a brighter direction or at least that's what I think it's about, kindly let me know what you think- I just never thought it could change MY perspective. I felt (/feel) that the right frame of mind had to precede the practice and not the other way round.
Now, some may argue but I do not live under a rock and I too saw the flood of ins and outs for the new year on the internet. I loved them; the concept, with its low stakes style, appealed to my battery saver mode state of mind. I opened up my notes app and began my list. Three items into my Ins list, I thought about my emotional milieu. The previous year was inarguably a net positive, however, as the usual causes of chaos were calmed, new terrors rose. A practiced eye will tell you that emotions are scarcely new by the time you notice them. By the time you gather the courage to name them, they have etched a space in your mind - the contours of which were actually what enabled you to recognize them.
So, as I wrote this list, I thought about these ugly feelings. I thought about all the ways I've been taught to handle them. Gratitude was a resounding theme, and also had a very low barrier to entry. On my screen the black letters came to life against the white background and there it was "2024 Ins.... Gratitude"
It has been over a week now since I started and I have already missed a couple days. lol.
I'm still doing it though and I haven't missed two days in a row (this is a big win). It is too early to tell you my observations, but I am keeping an eye out, until then…
The year has begun with it's foot on my neck, and in the spirit of gratitude I can say I am grateful that there is motion and progression in my life. As for the things I am not grateful for... *coughs in Oyinbare
In other news:
I made this during the week
I started reading The Parisian by Isabella Hammad this month. I am still at the early parts of the book. I think I will enjoy it but it’s taking a moment to kick in.
I have been having the best time watching Family business on Netflix. I have watched a few shows that are not English ever since I watched Money heist. They have been so much fun. I’m looking forward to watching Berlin eventually, at some point.
How was your week? What did you enjoy?
From
~Naomi x
I enjoyed reading this, took me on a whirlwind at one point but overall, it engaged my mind.