TADA Not TO DO

This snapshot not only summarizes the dryness of Beijing but my staticky Sunday, literally and figuratively! Everything I touched today set off sparks. I shocked myself and others (and even my computer) so many times that I really just need to give up and go to bed before I set something on fire! 

My metaphorical day also felt pretty staticky from start to finish: I had some TCM (traditional Chinese massage) therapy lined up that I usually really look forward to, but had a hard time being present because my thoughts were on all the things I needed to get done today; I met for three hours with Jimmie, a Chinese friend who is helping me set up my studio for recording a better quality podcast and audio narrations, and I was so proud of all I was learning, but listening and practicing new technology for most of Sunday afternoon was exhausting; after dinner, I had a few hours of English papers to grade; and I just came back from walking Moondog. 

It is definitely time for bed, even though my list has not yet been completely ticked off. Alas! This week, our podcast is on TADAs, not TO DOs, and somehow I lost sight of that today. There is so much I am doing well at, and the TO DO list is never going to disappear, so I think it's time to celebrate with a mug of hot water and a little magazine reading on my FLIPSTER app as I cozy into bed for my Sunday evening sleep. My clothes are picked out for tomorrow and my backpack is packed... 

Wishing you all the happiest of Sundays - and don't try to be TOO productive, unless it brings you joy. Remember to relax. And protect yourself from that darn static!

Sleep, Sleep, Wherefore Art Thou?

I need to recommit to sleeping longer and better. Some of it is as easy as putting my hair up in a high pony tail on top of my head so I don’t get night sweats; fluffing my pillows so my ears are nestled between the down lofts, like a valley between two undulating mountain peaks; insuring my ear plugs are sufficiently squished into my ear orifices, and making sure that is no electronic our outside glow within a mile of my head. I seem to be super-sensitive to any kind of light when my lids are popped into prone position. 

 But that’s just the beginning…I need to be WILLING to crawl into bed and shut off the lamp; I need to invite sleep with an open heart; I need to have an attitude of sleeping being fun, not a high stress long-running movie. These are my greatest challenges. Sleep is one of my biggest bugaboos in life, and something I enjoy much less than most. I have multiple hang-ups about it, and have always found my day life to be much more enjoyable than my night life. I was seeing a sleep therapist for a time and had developed many “sleep hygiene” habits that come naturally to most, but put me in the bottom percentile of the sleep class of life. 

When I found out my insurance was no longer paying for the therapy, I immediately went home, crawled into bed at 4:30 pm and have barely been out of it since! (Online teaching with a background can hide this travesty). My bed is a crumb-laden, free-for-all floating boat that allows me to do most activities I care to partake in, recommended or not. 

 I wish this quote applied to me: “My mother told me to follow my dreams, so I took a nap.”

Back to Routine

I am back at school today for the first time in nearly two months. In between online learning and a two-week holiday break, it feels disconcerting to be in the land of live-wire, masked kids again after having hibernated and hunkered for so long. 

It is estimated that more than 10 million people a day are getting covid here in China, down from 30 million a day a few weeks ago. It barely seems possible that my family here in Beijing have not managed to get it yet. Being at school now, I wonder if it is just a matter of time. Our eldest, in Canada, caught it over the Christmas break, but she is weathering it like a champ. 

Getting up at 5.45 AM this morning was no easy feat, but once in the swing of things, all will be fine. The coffee is already vibrating through my body, preparing me for the adrenaline surge to come. I am a creature of routine, and I do enjoy the vibe of people buzzing around me, especially energetic adolescents! (I know I may be the exception to this rule, but middle school teachers are a special breed.) Oh, and I am delighted to restart my pre-homeroom tai chi exercises with my friend, the school nurse! Even on days when I think I don’t have enough time, I always find myself invigorated after our meditative movements and able to move forward with clarity and purpose. 

 My new start today is simply starting school with a new outlook on how refreshing it is to be with people and be able to impart and receive positive energy. As for the negative stuff? I’m just going to let it bounce off of me. I have no room for that! 

 “Positive thoughts are like positive force which connect with positive energy to start producing positive results in your life.” ― Srinivas Mishra