This week I’m trialing a new part-time role – maintaining and managing a few houses in London for a landlord. Not a paid job, but one where I’ll get accommodation in London and all my bills covered. I’ve already learned a bunch of super useful DIY skills these few days. Six months or a year of this and I’ll be able to renovate an entire house. If all goes well, I’ll move in by January.
I was surprised to find this role online. Most I saw were for childcare or caring for the elderly. Some of the locationswere incredible.
For 2020 I want to focus on writing. The work I’ll do for accommodation will be very physical. Lots of movement, Lots of DIY stuff. Painting, fixing sinks, cleaning, and cycling around on errands. It’s an excellent contrast to the writing. I’ve set myself a goal of two essays a month.
After completing my first essayI got a nice dopamine hit. That’s the enemy of consistency though. Feel satisfied, then don’t write anymore. I want to write two essays per month so I can 1) improve my writing and thus 2) improve my thinking. The world is getting so complex. A good intention is not enough. It needs to be combined with wisdom. Writing s one way to accelerate that.
An essay, like the French essayer – to try, to attempt. So we can say an essay is a short piece attempting to explore a subject or answer a question.
Last few days I’ve also been reflecting on:
- William Blake. I went to an exhibition at Tate Britainwith Daniela this week. Several of my Buddhist teachers have quoted many times from Blake, but I’ve never read his work outside of that. It was a real feast of imagery. Evocative. Transcendent. Rebellious.
- Mao. My grandparents on both sides are Chinese. Both left China around the time Mao came into power. I don’t know all of the details, but today I listened to a podcast about Mao. This guy was responsible for 45 million deaths, not long after World War 2 ended.
- Ketosis. I’ve been a bit more diligent with what I eat – avoiding high carb stuff, and so yesterday I noticed my pee smelt of ketones. Mental clarity feels great when I’m in ketosis.
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