[This is the 2023/09/27 issue of my newsletter.]

Good morning. Good evening. Good afternoon!
How have you been this week?

Two topics today.
1. How do you feel about —?
2. Four things that I did this week that took me far less time than I thought, which brought me far more satisfaction than expected

1. How do you feel about —?
It could be something that happened at work, at home, at school, on the train, on the phone with a parent, in the locker room of your yoga studio, or in a group chat.

That person is this, this person would not, the situation is such, everyone says this but, so this happened, then they did this again.

Do you ever find these thoughts running through your mind and not leaving you alone? Do you ever catch yourself feverishly repeating what happened to a friend or a family member? I certainly do. It is exhausting. What I like to do (when I remember to do so) is to stop and ask myself this.

“How do I feel about it?”
“How do I feel about this person?”

Coming back to me calms me down. It gives me back a sense of agency that’s always there that sometimes gets lost. Asking how I feel about something or someone gives me useful information. And I feel cared for when I ask myself that, you know?

2. Four things that I did this week that took me far less time than I thought, which brought me far more satisfaction than expected

I don’t know why I put them off for so long. Well, that’s not true. I know why. I thought it would take too long. I was wrong.

1) Wiped down a sticky shelf board and the jars and bottles of spices and condiments
Actual time: 8 minutes, estimated time: 45 minutes

2) Repotted my fig tree (after which the entire apartment smelled sweet for 2 days while the tree was doing its bio-magic)
Actual time: 13 minutes, estimated time: 2 hours

3) Threw out a botched veggie dish (what a single rotten sweet bell pepper can do)
Actual time: 0.25 minutes or 15 seconds, estimated time: 4 days

4) Find the answer I was looking for in the printed instructions of something
Actual time: 5 minutes, estimated time: no comment

Sigh. So, so good for me.

What’s your plan for the weekend?

Mine looks like this. 0 write letters to the people I like, 1 get some work done, 2 be with a swarm of dragonflies then read at a cafe, 3 prep the apartment for cool weather, 4 listen to a new (to me) podcast

I know you take superb care of yourself, but still. Take great care.
Ayuko

today’s special

something new: boredom
This morning I realized I was feeling bored for the first time in my life. I savored the sensation of boredom (it’s different than restlessness, isn’t it?) until it went away. I am delighted, emotional, and deeply grateful.

something read: Lissa Rankin’s “The Fear Cure: Cultivating Courage as Medicine for the Body, Mind, and Soul” and  “Mind Over Medicine” a little bit of both