I was up early this morning to take my son to nursery. After I'd cleaned our teeth and got us dressed and he had (almost) finished playing with a pair of plastic plates from his toy kitchen, we stepped outside to be greeted by a beautiful deep red glow hitting the underside of the clouds from the sun laying just below the horizon to the South-East. To the North-West, the almost full moon, now waning, glowed against the rich blue-grey sky. I pointed it out to him, and he returned a smile. I made the two-mile drive to his nursery in silence, looking at the leafless winter trees poking out from the frozen fields along the way. After returning home alone listening to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, I sat on the concrete ledge that runs along our driveway and watched the sun rise in a blaze of glory over the hill ridge, maybe a kilometre away. The stone was cold, but I didn't mind. I had a thick parka on, and I couldn't have felt any colder than the band of horses that were sl...
Yesterday (Fri 10) was a great day despite a rough start. Ansel had a morning meltdown that lasted the whole way to nursey. (I had to calm him down in the foyer before he could go in—a first). It was a crisp, bright morning, so I took a walk around the village to clear my head (which worked). Hammered out a six-email sequence for PP by mid-afternoon and found time (and motivation) to lift some weights and go for a run to end the day. I’m not sure if my natural energy level caused me to be so motivated, active, and productive, or if it was the other way around, but I could feel my body was flooded with endorphins… and I had a sense of accomplishment and wellbeing that lasted all day. Reminded me of the high I used to feel after yoga class. Plus it turned out Ansel had soon settled down and had a great day at nursery. And he was so sweet and fun in the evening, getting me to play PJ Masks with him (and being chill about Zen being with his mum). Note to self: things can turn around f...
I've never been a gamer. Even as a kid, it felt like too much effort for little reward. Clicking all those buttons, making all those decisions, reacting quickly (never my strong suit) again and again. But I've always kinda enjoyed watching other people play them. Immersing yourself in a world and a story and letting it wash over you is relaxing. And letting it happen without all the aforementioned effort makes watching games unfold far more relaxing than actually playing them (and isn't the ultimate purpose of a computer game to relax and have fun, after all?). So, in my youth, I'd watch my friends play their PlayStation games. And I'd reluctantly join in briefly now and again before quickly getting frustrated or overwhelmed and handing the controller back to its rightful owner. And, in later years (my thirties, I guess), I'd sometimes zone out to a Twitch stream late at night until I was ready to sleep. But, on a whim, I recently bought a handheld retro gami...