Reading

I could never understand people who had many books on the go at the same time. Now I am one of them. I don't know if it's because I have less time to read, or because I have too many books to read, but I can't seem to stick to just one book at a time. I still maintain that reading one book at a time is more focused reading, but it no longer applies to me.

Good Cause To Buy

I picked up this bag today. I needed a new gym bag and the proceeds from this one go toward breast cancer awareness, funding and research. I love it when I am able to justify my purchases...

Friends

I find it hard to make friends. I am shy, introspective, very selectively friendly and find it hard to trust people. Not a great list of characteristics when trying to make friends. What complicates matters even more is that now I have a family. So, if I want to "hang out", I also need to consider whether Pentti will get along with the husband and whether the kids in both families are a good match. Of course I socialize with girlfriends on my own, and there are families we see that not everyone gets along so great. There are families where the kids are awful. Or where Pentti has nothing to talk about with the husband. Or where the parenting styles are so different that it's annoying to hang out. But, those are not families that I go out of my way to hang out with. Every once in awhile, we "find" a family that fits.
Julie is great. Her twin boys are in Matias' class and play nicely with Matias and Joonas. On Friday, the husbands met for the first time when we went out for dinner downtown. It was a hit.
It's nice to have friends:)

One Thousand Gifts

Could you name one thousand gifts in your life? What do you think would happen if you tried? I'm reading this book pictured above, where the author decided to do just that. She wanted to appreciate the moments; she wanted to find joy in the now. So, I've started a list of my own. Every day I am adding things big and small as they happen. Today's highlights included dinner on the deck outside, sunshine glistening on the water in the pool, a morning sauna, and the excited yells of kids playing on the playground on a beautiful sunny day.
This book seems to fit into a theme in my life this year about gratitude and appreciation and slowing down. I don't know why I've been stuck on these ideas, but they just keep coming at me in unexpected ways. The pessimist in me thinks that perhaps something bad is about to happen. But is that any reason to not enjoy the moments now? In fact, if I KNEW something bad was going to happen, wouldn't I try even harder to appreciate every moment?

Spa Utopia

You know those spas you see in movies, where people wear big fluffy robes? Where there are columns and statues and water falls, with soothing music playing in the background while people sit back, sip the complimentary rooibos tea and chat while they wait for whatever treatment they are getting? Well, I went to one of those today. The picture is of the foyer leading to the lounge, complete with waterfall and view of harbour. Ah...it was wonderful. Yes, the place is expensive. But sometimes you are looking for the experience and not just the service. Yes, I probably could have gone to some mall and gotten a facial for a fraction of the price. But it would NOT have been the same. Today was Mother's Day and I wanted to the whole pampering experience. It was SO worth it!!

Daffodils

Who doesn't love daffodils? The spring here has been so rainy and awful that I have needed a lot of bright flowers to cheer me up. The picture is uploaded from my Galaxy Samsung tablet, which takes pictures. Gotta love it!

May's Focus

This month's theme is others/neighbours. I will try to appreciate my neighbours and those around me. I will do this by doing random acts of kindness every day.
I actually have really great neighbours. The older couple immediately next door always bring in our garbage and recycling (unless we get to it first and do theirs as well as our own). With two of the families who live in our "row", I started a rotating potluck. Every couple of months the three families get together at someone's house for a potluck. So far, I've really enjoyed it and highly recommend getting to know your neighbours.
Anyway, I am going to focus on kindness toward my neighbours: literally those who live near me, but also those who are my neighbours in a broader sense. Those with whom I interact in my daily life.
On a side note, the daffodils in the pic were a gift from a friend of mine. She bought herself one of these (fake) plants and thinking that I would like one too, bought one for me as well. Just like that. This is the example that I will follow this month, in things big and small.