FELDENKRAIS - I favour it!

 

Dear You, 

it might not be the best idea to start writing a post every day at a time when we prepare for the Christmas festivities...

 

Above you see something I do very diligently: 

almost every day I do my Feldenkrais exercises. I have 4 CDs, (back, legs and feet, neck and face, posture) and each one I choose takes roughly about 1 hour.

I do that because since a year (or more) some little pains nag in my back, or my knee, or my neck. 

And Feldenkrais really, really helps! 

As I don't have much free time at the moment, I gave up the 30 minutes of meditation, because, as I do that at midday on my bed meditation often turned into a "power"nap :-) - and though I set the alarm on my cellphone, I often came back to this world feeling a bit grumpy. 

So I substituted it (at the moment) by the Feldenkrais exercises - and feel fit and glow with satisfaction. 

And my body and soul are happy.  

ORGANIZING (Martha Stewart) and SERENITY (Zen Magic, Shunmyo Masuno)

 

A big title for this little post.
Always dashing between two antipodes - that's me.
I admire Martha Stewart, and at the same time she unnerves me, as perfection often does.
The Zen-Priest Shunmyo Masuno spreads calm and serenity - though when I imagine how the Zen-monks really live, I shudder.

(I cannot find the English version of his book: I translate the German subtitle to: "How to tidy up and gain a pure heart through/by it"  Tasker: Please help me: through or by?). 

So: I'm muddling through, not by, and pick those pearls of wisdom that appeal to me. Sometimes I will quote a few. 

I have a new plan: 

As an eager diary-writer (hand-written diaries) I will try here to write a different version online. Daily finger exercises. 

If my name were Martha, I would promise: Every day. 

If I were Shunmyo, I would say: Wu Wei. 

Being Britta, I say: I try to give my best. 

First Sunday in Advent...

 

... and a present from Google! 

I can post photos! Hurrah! 

Seems that somewhere I has refused too let Google read all my mails, snoop in all my photos and send me billions of advertisements... How could I?!? 

Now I throw caution to the wind and just write, well knowing what I do. 

It is rule no. 17:

"Flip the Freebie...and Look for the Hidden Price Tag" 

from a wise little book that I will quote when I found author and correct title. I love it! 

You see: my Advent wreath is sophisticated Scandinavian design. 

The twigs I found on a street of the Bavarian wood, and - if you still have very good eyesight - you see 3 little fir cones in the middle of the wreath. 

I wish you a beautiful Sunday! 

Smoking on trains

 Talking with the triplets (I know it should be "to" but I am on even terms with them) I often discover things from my (very near) past that don't exist anymore and give rise to huge astonishment (to ALL of us). 

Take smoking: 

The children often play "train journey" with me - each of them has grabbed one of my posh little trolleys (two in soft silver pink, one in grey-black -- and the one triplet with a remarkable tendency to luxury and elegance always grabs the stylishly understated grey-black one!), sit on my sofa and present their tickets. 

I am ticket collector and locomotive driver in one person, and - as everywhere in the world staff isn't easy to get - also serve a hot chocolate in the on-board restaurant. 

Well, to come back to the "Once upon a time"- bit: 

I told them that in my youth people smoked in trains. 

I remember that sometimes when one could only get a seat in a smoking compartment after a journey the clothes in my suitcase stank of smoke (some of these compartments were only separated by a curtain, if I remember it right). 

Both, the triplets and I, were very astonished that smoking was allowed in trains, or at breakfast tables in a hotel, or in private households where a guest would politely ask if it is alright to smoke and then didn't even wait for the answer... 

PS: I have a vague feeling that it should be "smoking on trains" - would that be better? 

- Thank you, Tasker - I corrected it from "in" to "on". 

Work-Life-Balance

 I "won" a whole sunny Sunday: 

Google's User Helpdesk (if this is still the right word) doesn't work on Sunday. 

Hahaha: so not only Germany has a problem with "Generation Z", whom most older people insinuate that they will only work on four days a week - (they told us so), because that is better for their work-life-balance (but with the same full payment as before). If it weren't so dreadful and sad we would recommend a look at the VW - people who want to work but might lose their jobs, horrible. 

Google wants a work-life-balance too! 

Totally energised I had decided to resolve the "no-photos-on-my-blog"-problem - today - but: see above. 

So I'll take a long walk, and wish you a beautiful day too! 

It's Not That I Don't Want To

 I haven't written for a long time because I have a problem with Google: these days I cannot show you my photos, because I need more cloud. I am willing to pay - but that is really difficult this time, and I lose interest, hanging for hours in telephone waiting lines. 

I have the feeling that many of you are also a bit tired of posting - or have good reasons not to because of trolls or hate comments. 

I love to write - but I love to add my photos too. 

Maybe I try to write without them, maybe I stop. Though I would miss you - I love your blogs, and I love your comments - sometimes I have the feeling that with some of you I am friends. 

And two of you I have met in real life: Tom Stephenson in Bath, and Susan Scheid in America. And those beautiful towels by Joanne Noragon are such a special gift! 

Let me ponder a while... 

"Don't cross the bridge...

 ... before you reach it." 

These wise words are very often given to me as advice from my dear friend Christine. 

You see: I am impatient. I am a scheduler, I like to make plans. Worry about them. 

Today I got a beautiful example for that vice: how often had I discussed with friends and family whether I should renew my one-year-season ticket for the German railroad - the special offer "BahnCard100" for pensioners and retirees. 

I enjoyed its possibilities: with this ticket I can as often as I want take every train in Germany, on the spur of a moment, going as far in Germany as I want. For one year, "without paying" anymore. 

The only fly in the ointment was the price: 3880 Euros (= 3.319 Pound Sterling) - a special offer for us oldies. 

Quite a lot, I think. But I bought it. Although being at least 3 weeks a month together with the triplets so I had only one week a month - in which I travelled to Berlin, mostly, and sometimes to Munich. 

Mid-September I have to renew this Card. 

             OR NOT. 

As I said: I crossed that bridge often in my head. 

Yesterday I saw: no need for that. 

They do not offer this "special offer" anymore. (One can still buy the regular one - 2.class in the train - for 4.550 Euro. (3.894Pound Sterling)

No need to cross a bridge. I won't. I will buy the tickets I need, every time, and that's it. 

Sigh... It was so comfortable... But...