Tag Archives: Feng Shui

A change is as good as a rest

12 Sunday Feb 2023

Posted by in Art, Health, philosophy, therapy, Warm fuzzy

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I no longer have a corner office.

Card table home office desk with office chair and houseplants in the background

I have the guidance of a local Feng Shui consultant to thank for this. In addition to rearranging furniture to face this year’s auspicious directions, this exercise provided me with the opportunity to apply project management skills, and creative patience with space management in our humble home. Since completing a college program in December, I can reclaim some space and rest my overworked brain.

I also got in some major dusting, sweeping and archeological retrieval of cat toys. Although it is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, it’s always the Year of the Cat around here.

The home office desk layout now faces a large window which provides natural lighting for video conference calls and training sessions on the days I can work from home. We can soon put away the DayLight Lamp that provides light therapy and motivation now that brighter mornings help us emerge from the darkness.

Christmas Cactus house plants on kitchen counter

One can hope that the recommended location for the Christmas Cactus plants will give them the opportunity to bloom now that they are not spending half the day in glaring sunlight in which the others thrive.

Some of us need to stay out of the bright lights and noise while quietly performing our work. We can thrive with weekly check-ins and words of encouragement.

I love our rental home that supports the need for shelter, comfort and creativity. I have a home. That is one of the things to be thankful for as we suffer the news about people worldwide being displaced by territorial, political conflict and natural disasters. Some world events break my heart and trust in mankind.

Thanks for dropping by. Take care of yourself and each other.

T

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What was I thinking?!

03 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in Health, libraries, pets, writing

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On New Year’s Day, I made a list of goals and priorities.

This has become an annual event along with reviewing accomplishments from the previous year.

Some 2018 items were general categories like health, relationships, career and financial well-being. Some items were specific like getting my drivers license.

Just before the Lunar New Year I caught the flu; I lost a week of work, socializing and getting out for provisions. My youngest adult child dropped off necessities from the grocery store. My closest friend brought me lozenges and herbal tea.

I had time to rest, wallow in self-pity, watch trashy Netflix shows and reflect.

Black cat in front of TV

Cat on Lap watching trashy Netflix shows with me

I used some of the recent recommendations from the Year of the Dog Feng Shui workshop to rearrange my living space, to revisit my personal space and time. According to our instructor, this coming year would be a good one for career and education.

black cat in front of documents and tablet

Cat on lap helping with Lunar New Year cleanse preparations

It could have been the haze of the flu lifting but I had a vision of where I would like to be in five years, let alone one. I revisited and embraced information about an early love, the love of libraries. I registered for a college program as a part-time student.

Coming out from under the winter funk, I felt motivated to move my body more and soon put some goals into action. I pushed myself to the end of April, as I studied for the written test for the drivers license.

Black cat in front of screens

Cat on Lap helping me study for the written test

I passed the test and earned my G1. Yippee!

In early May, I started attending night classes for two courses in a college program. By late June I was wondering “What was I thinking?!”. The stress of work demands and school assignments was starting to peak.

I felt a great relief by last weekend after delivering a successful presentation in one class and completing the midterm exam in another.

Now enjoying a wisely planned vacation week, I can relax and muster up enough energy to get me through the next six weeks of school (plus that work thing and weekend volunteer shifts…)

I am continuing with my morning walks because my physical and spiritual health are important to me.

I am planning to take driving lessons this fall and winter so I can pass the road test by next spring. I look forward to being independently mobile for future travel.

I think I’ll only take one night class this fall though!

We’re half-way through the year. Whew!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like the black cat’s appearances, you can see more of him and the Fat Tabby at this blog. If you like my writing style, you might enjoy reading my novel from 2011.

What’s your opinion of setting annual goals? Lifelong learning?

T

 

The cleanse

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Health, Mythology, reading, therapy, writing

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Do you cringe when people say they’re going on “a cleanse”? 

And when did it become a noun?

One dictionary reference defines the verb cleanse “to rid (a person, place or thing) of something seen as unpleasant, unwanted, or defiling.”

During a whirlwind weekend of cooking, laundry and other domestic duties, I also performed some volunteer work and Feng Shui’d my bedroom.  With help from one of the young folk, I moved furniture around then I swept, dusted and sorted through boxes.

Is it okay to call those clumps under furniture “dust bunnies” if they consist mostly of cat fur? 

According to the Year of the Sheep workshop instructor, I needed to move my bed back to an “auspicious direction” with my head facing East.  Last year it was West.  That’s okay.  Some change is good.  I’m willing to explore a 5,000 year-old tradition about balancing energy and maintaining harmony in one’s space and lifestyle.

I’m also on a two-month “cleanse” to re-assess the need for boxes of books and other things I’ve kept, clothes shrinking in my closet and unnecessary thoughts cluttering my mind.

tabby cat in closet

Tabby cat in my closet

My little writing desk will stay in the same spot. Some things don’t need to change –  mostly for practical and sentimental reasons.

desk and books

Thanks for dropping by. Permit me to lead you to The Year of the Rabbit domain for a sampling of my fiction writing. If you decide to purchase a copy of the novel, it won’t collect dust.

T