Okay so when I heard we had outdoor showers at the villa and saw this, I was suitably impressed.
Most of the rooms here have this indoor/outdoor setup, and it’s the most comfortable shower I’ve ever used. I don’t know if it’s the ample sunlight or the fresh air but it feels amazing to step into one of these. Truly an unparalleled experience. I’m going to miss Anguilla a lot!
I would like to never go home please.
I know, I was having second thoughts, and then promptly stopped updating, ha! I decided that laying in bed at night, dawdling on my phone, trying to sound like a blog post until I either finished or fell asleep, was not a good use of my time. So I switched over to what I’m calling a “3 minute journal.” Right now I spend one minute writing down: 1) what I’m grateful for, 2) what to affirm, and 3) what to improve. The point of affirmation is to examine my intentions and reaffirm positive ones. I’ve been with this format for the last few days, and I think I’ll change the affirmation to something more goal/task oriented.
While I value introspection regarding one’s own intentions, I think that I’ll benefit more from setting down a few things to tackle for the next day. I already journal by keeping a “have done” list daily. It’s something I’ve done for years. I find that it motivates me to get more things done so I can add them to my list of accomplished tasks. I prefer it to a “to do” list that can sometimes feel daunting and insurmountable and cause procrastination for me. That said, I suspect jotting down one or two things for the next day can help orient each day.
So that’s where I’m at, onward then!
One thing I struggle with writing here in general, but that has now been highlighted for me as I’m writing everyday, is staying in the tone of as if I’m speaking out loud. I don’t talk much, and it does not come naturally.
That discomfort creates a barrier to the exercise of finding some little thing to have gratitude for everyday. It makes it less likely I’ll succeed. A part of me thinks I have made a mistake in selecting a vehicle for the exercise. If the “out loud” part feels forced and inauthentic, then it’s the wrong fit for the objective? Wouldn’t ‘365 days of gratitude’ be better practiced in meditation or private journaling?
I don’t have an answer, but I don’t have to have one. Today my cat pooped in his carrier on the way home from New York. I spent the morning washing him and his carrier. But I’m grateful he has never done this before in his 14 1/2 years. It’s all about perspective!
We did get vegan dim sum today!
Besides food, I’m also grateful for our pied-á-terre in the city. It’s so nice to have a little foothold of our own and be able to visit any time without dealing with hotel hassle.I also was expressing to the boy how people essentially go on vacation for a view. Whether you’re traveling to a metropolitan city or a nature reserve, people go to spend their time, for the scenery. Everytime we come back to our apartment in NY, and I wake up to our views, I can’t help but feel like I’m on vacation. I’m also cognizant of the fact that many people do travel from afar to walk these very streets and look out on the Hudson.
We’re back to homebase first thing tomorrow morning, ready to hit the work week before it’s off to Anguilla!