Active April: There Will Be Mud
I just had a short walk around the common near where I live, trying out a few paths that are "off the beaten track"; sometimes I found dead ends, but I'd spot a few things that were new, or which I'd overlooked.
I expected a lot of mud after the recent heavy rain, and was correct, and made sure I went out as soon as I could when the clouds started to gather, just in case.
I must pass by this stream a lot, but have never paid it much heed.
I spotted a few birdboxes like this one, which looked new.
I think I was in an introverted mood; I often am when I'm just trying to keep to myself and not attract too much attention. At one point I was basically:
But about five minutes later, I was exchanging a quick hello with a man who was coming the other way with his dog.
I took up a few of the suggestions I got from the 30 day mental health challenge, so this morning I tried a book of "brain training puzzles" to occupy my mind while I waited for trains (just as well, as the one I was aiming for first thing was delayed). This one was based on Wordle, which I'm still doing daily, just using logic and clues to guess what the correct word is (basically process of elimination by what letters you are told aren't in the word).
I also realised how easy it is to think that I've achieved nothing in the past week, so I've written a list of successes and "personal victories":
1. Got most of my survey work done
Yes, I got out of the office while I could, and worked very hard at getting things done, and I'm nearly finished with this task now. The work I've done will all be eventually compiled into an Excel file, and used for a report, all about how many shops we have in the small area where I work. Please don't ask any complicated technical questions.
2. Attended a social that I planned to go to
I really enjoyed the Bellzzz gig, and was glad I took the trouble to go out on Friday night, and get to mix with others.
3. Caught up (even briefly) with people I don't get to see enough of
I bemoaned my failure to engage with one person on Friday, but I managed better with other people; even got a "good to see you again" off one person. Now that we're just accepting Coronavirus as something that happens, I'm enjoying any chance to connect, but won't take it for granted.
4. Did a good job as door monitor this morning
I was "door monitor" at church this morning, which meant hanging around at the back of the church, looking out for latecomers. I was nervous, but things went well.
I was a little worried when the other people helping with welcoming were late, but things went okay. This one guy came dashing in looking out of breath and saying that his bus had been delayed. I felt sorry for him because he seemed so anxious, so I gave him a reassuring pat on the back. Feels I'm becoming less touch-phobic than I used to be, not sure if it was a coffee high putting me in more of a "huggy" mood, or the fact that I'm (as mentioned before) always so thankful that I get to see others again that I'm just enjoying any kind of social bonding. I've even found myself occasionally side hugging friends while I show them pictures on my phone/camera.
I'm just enjoying a bit of time to myself at home now, and thinking about what I need to do before work tomorrow (I can once again see a big pile of dirty dishes as I type this).
On Strava, the collective distance for the Around the World in 30 Days Challenge is 67.3 million miles, no thanks to me as I've not logged any activities today!
I expected a lot of mud after the recent heavy rain, and was correct, and made sure I went out as soon as I could when the clouds started to gather, just in case.
I must pass by this stream a lot, but have never paid it much heed.
I spotted a few birdboxes like this one, which looked new.
I think I was in an introverted mood; I often am when I'm just trying to keep to myself and not attract too much attention. At one point I was basically:
But about five minutes later, I was exchanging a quick hello with a man who was coming the other way with his dog.
I took up a few of the suggestions I got from the 30 day mental health challenge, so this morning I tried a book of "brain training puzzles" to occupy my mind while I waited for trains (just as well, as the one I was aiming for first thing was delayed). This one was based on Wordle, which I'm still doing daily, just using logic and clues to guess what the correct word is (basically process of elimination by what letters you are told aren't in the word).
I also realised how easy it is to think that I've achieved nothing in the past week, so I've written a list of successes and "personal victories":
1. Got most of my survey work done
Yes, I got out of the office while I could, and worked very hard at getting things done, and I'm nearly finished with this task now. The work I've done will all be eventually compiled into an Excel file, and used for a report, all about how many shops we have in the small area where I work. Please don't ask any complicated technical questions.
2. Attended a social that I planned to go to
I really enjoyed the Bellzzz gig, and was glad I took the trouble to go out on Friday night, and get to mix with others.
3. Caught up (even briefly) with people I don't get to see enough of
I bemoaned my failure to engage with one person on Friday, but I managed better with other people; even got a "good to see you again" off one person. Now that we're just accepting Coronavirus as something that happens, I'm enjoying any chance to connect, but won't take it for granted.
4. Did a good job as door monitor this morning
I was "door monitor" at church this morning, which meant hanging around at the back of the church, looking out for latecomers. I was nervous, but things went well.
I was a little worried when the other people helping with welcoming were late, but things went okay. This one guy came dashing in looking out of breath and saying that his bus had been delayed. I felt sorry for him because he seemed so anxious, so I gave him a reassuring pat on the back. Feels I'm becoming less touch-phobic than I used to be, not sure if it was a coffee high putting me in more of a "huggy" mood, or the fact that I'm (as mentioned before) always so thankful that I get to see others again that I'm just enjoying any kind of social bonding. I've even found myself occasionally side hugging friends while I show them pictures on my phone/camera.
I'm just enjoying a bit of time to myself at home now, and thinking about what I need to do before work tomorrow (I can once again see a big pile of dirty dishes as I type this).
On Strava, the collective distance for the Around the World in 30 Days Challenge is 67.3 million miles, no thanks to me as I've not logged any activities today!