“Like attracts like. Just be who you are, calm and clear and bright. Automatically, as we shine who we are, asking ourselves every minute is this what I really want to do, doing it only when we answer yes, automatically that turns away those who have nothing to learn from who we are, and attracts those who do, and from whom we have to learn, as well.” ― Richard Bach
Thanks for the memories, Facebook. I posted that five years ago, and it hasn’t worked yet. However, Illusions is still one of my all-time favorite books.
Speaking of memories, today is my mother’s birthday.
It was also five years ago that we shut down our office on Yongsan Garrison in Seoul and completed the move to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek.
Here’s one more blast from the past:
I’ve been in a contemplative mood lately. I’m not sure if this is a sign that I’m on the verge of acceptance of the way things are, or maybe it’s a surrender of what I’d hoped for and dreamed about. As empty and as shallow as my life feels sometimes, it is really not as bad as all that. I’ve had recent opportunities to dive back into a relationship, and I’ve balked. Seems it is easier to complain about what you don’t have than to give up the freedom the life I’m currently living brings. I’ll figure it out eventually.
I was playing a random “made for you” playlist on Spotify. And this song I’d never heard before came on and seemed to confirm my thinking.
I've been drifting on the sea of heartbreak Tryin' to get myself ashore For so long, for so long Listenin' to the strangest stories Wondering where it all went wrong For so long, for so long But hold on hold on hold on To what you've got So hold on hold on hold on To what you've got I've been dreaming of a new tomorrow And walkin' in the morning sun For so long, for so long There's no time for revolution I've got to be travellin' on Here so long, for so long But hold on hold on hold on To what you've got So hold on hold on hold on To what you've got
Anyway, it’s all good.
Speaking of good, that’s an apt description of the Wednesday Walkers group hike yesterday. Don’t believe me? Well, the pictures don’t lie:
I keep forgetting things. This just now happened:
Anyway, this is what I woke up to this morning:
I just need to focus more on the good, ignore the bad, and don’t screw the ugly!
Was that an overcooked bread pizza? I probably would’ve eaten that despite the intense suntan. Be sure to set an alarm (with your cell phone or whatever) when baking stuff. My oven, which is a few years old now, sometimes doesn’t turn off despite the fact that it has a built-in wind-up timer. It ticks down to almost zero, then does nothing. As a result, I have to use my smartphone to make sure I pull things out of the oven on time.
The trails you walk share this with the bike paths I walk: every kilometer or so, the character of the trail becomes completely different. I like the variety. I imagine you do, too.
Yeah, it was a frozen French bread pizza. Supposed to be baked for 25 minutes; I started blogging and forgot all about it until an hour later. It appeared inedible to me–maybe the pepperoni could be salvaged, but the bread was blackened. Yeah, my oven timer doesn’t work, and neither does my brain, apparently. Good tip on using my phone alarm; I’ll definitely do that next time.
Yes, the trails offer “spice of life” variety, but I do like new paths periodically. With three group walks a week, that’s getting hard to find without a long Jeepney ride out of town.