Blog

What’s a simple pleasure in life that brings you joy?

How can you build a regular fitness routine?

Well you start by signing up for 3 months of daily training with a personal trainer and then you’re so used to waking up at 5:00 in the morning on weekdays that you have nothing else to do when it’s that early and dark and you keep waking up that early and you keep going to the gym. Good job!

What’s a classic book that you think is overrated?

I remember reading Jane Eyre and wondering why it had so much hype. Unfortunately, I haven’t found much reward in the likes of such classic romantic books, with examples like The Age of Innocence and Pride and Prejudice. I’m still trying to read them, hoping someday to learn to appreciate them.

What is the best concert you have been to?

Coldplay did a concert in Auburn Hills Michigan some time ago. I got to go for free as I was supporting UNICEF for the band so I got an amazing seat and a meal, plus I rocked out with a new roommate who was from Punjabi and felt a special connection to some of their later songs while I felt childhood throwbacks.

What’s a moment you wish you could freeze and live in forever?

Freeze and live in forever? I am not so sure, but there have been very distinct times that felt like a montage which slowed down and reflected my past up to that time. One was in the Ghibli museum in Japan, another was during a Coldplay concert. They are not distinctly loud or quiet moments. One was just eating a dish in Italy and feeling like it was amazing in a way I couldn’t describe, or that slow-pace feeling that occurs when staying with friends at their homes in  France & Germany. I also get it sometimes walking in ancient shopping areas in the small towns of Japan.

Have you ever been camping?

Yes, camping at campgrounds and backpacking where I’d pitch a tent in the backwoods, on a sand dune, and sometimes on a slope. I like to travel with my mandolin and play some music with folks I meet on the trails. I wrote a song about the Manistee River Trail (big love) and North Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. My last trip was Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior a couple years ago.

Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently

I think I would have bought a home back when I was renting for years and they were cheaper, but that always is the case. I would have quit my job sooner, even knowing the challenge of a career change through personal experience. I wish I had set stronger boundaries on what I would put up with in a job before it affected my physical and mental well-being so badly. Life lessons that adjust former self governing rules like”tough it out”. Alas, sometimes we need a strong push to move.

What makes you nervous?

I was reading through everyone’s answer to this prompt and y’all are an anxious bunch! I can include myself a bit as I’ve had many waves of nerves and anxiety from a big career change three weeks ago. I know from everything I’ve read that this is normal, so I try to give myself grace when I have times I just feel overwhelmed and mentally or physically done.

Day by day and week by week I will get a little more stable, and I look forward to a time some months from now when I’m in a more peaceful place and anxiety is replaced by confidence in the new routine. Poor body has had a lot going on lately.

I hope you folks out there show yourself some love and take your own steps towards a peaceful place.

How do you unwind after a demanding day?

Apparently today after gardening for 3 hours with a new client and a full day’s work before that in real estate, I thought it would be a great idea to bake banana bread walnut muffins, make Japanese pickles, and cook rice so I can have ochazuke tomorrow for lunch. Now it’s 11:00 at night and I’m like, hmm, wind down time? I have no idea where that energy came from after a long and physical Tuesday.