16 Things I am Doing Today

I’m all about some inspiration in order to complete my 30 posts this month. Today the inspiration comes from Liz at be.love.live. Yesterday she posted a magnificent list on her blog called “16 Things I Am Doing Today”. Well, needless to say, I copied the incentives and, if you need some inspiration as well, I would say play along and post your own list on your blog today, tomorrow or whenever.

Reading: I am currently reading German books. “Paarweise” (translates into “short story cycles”) by Lilian Faschinger, an Austrian author . It’s a book about 8 different short stories on people living in Paris, whose paths cross in one way or another. For example, the American who moves hires a moving van run by an African immigrant who in turn dates someone else’s girlfriend… Just last week I finished a really good book on life during World War II. “Mitte des Lebens” (Mid-life) by German Author Luise Rinser. Although more oriented towards the romantic side of an unfulfilled love story, the horrors of the Nazi era, concentration camps and more are well dispersed throughout the entire book. Both books are in German ( I raided the local library to find them), because sometimes I get tired of reading in English all the time.

Planning: Trying to figure out what the next month will bring. It’s holiday season and as much as I’d like to, I actually have nothing big planned for either of the two upcoming holidays. I’m also looking at a few travel plans next year, although that’s still far away.

Watching: “The Crown” on Netflix. I don’t watch that much TV so I saw the first two episodes last week at the boyfriend’s home for the first time. It’s quite an interesting series. I love history and everything associated with it and especially the time around 1950 is quite interesting to me.

Trying: To think many positive and uplifting thoughts. I’m trying to ban all the negative out of my life and get myself unstuck out of the rut I am currently experiencing. I believe the only way to do so is to just look ahead and try to change things in the current moment.

Cooking: I made waffles for breakfast and that’s about it for today. I am invited to a Friendsgiving later-on. Since I’m not bringing my own food I won’t be cooking for it, but I am contributing with drinks instead. I guess the hosts have been doing quite a bit of cooking and baking today.

Eating: Lots of sweets lately. I should try to focus more on fruits and veggies. A friend of mine completed the no-added-sugar diet, which also sounds appealing to me in order to live a more authentic life.

Drinking: Tons of water. I think I go through more than 2.5 liters a day lately, which is impressive. I drink more in the summer but now when it gets colder I have to force myself to drink more as I tend to forget throughout the day.

Thinking: About life and a direction and what will be next. I’m in need of an uproot or an uplifting challenge – and I have to figure out how to do thing that take me further towards my dreams and a life I want to see myself having.

Pinning: I don’t pin at all. I forgot I even had a Pinterest account. But my one post Power Monday: Here Are Some Quotes For Y’all (Part I) has been pinned in the past and is still being pinned quite a bit. Check it out if you need inspiration.

Crafting: I recently found my Calligraphy collection again, which I bought almost two years ago… I think I might have to finally give it a try, especially since I have the pen and ink. I’ve also crafted a few calendars last year which I think I will craft again for the following year.

Loving: This fall!! Just today I went to the Bronx Botanical Gardens again! I can’t get enough of the goldenness and the colors and the leaves still dropping from the trees. For some reason I always underestimate how long fall takes here and that you can still find great colors almost until December.

Dreaming: Of a better world. And some adventure.

Feeling: Anxious, grateful, unstable and procrastinatory…Perhaps not the best mix all at once. I just feel that this is the time to undo a lot of things and it makes be a bit anxious as to which direction to go. Life in New York tends to feel unstable, it’s just part of what the city has turned me into. And procrastinating… well, I could go on and on.

Listening: To nothing in particular but I am about to start an audio book a friend sent me. It’s called “The Six Pillars of Self Esteem” by Dr. Nathaniel Branden. It is really supposed to take you out of your comfort zone. We will see!

Celebrating: the advent of Thanksgiving. Attending a Friendsgiving tonight, hosted by a Jewish friend, who is also celebrating a belated Rosh Hashanah.

Improving: My outlook onto the world and what I like. I’ve been a bit scatter-brained lately and it’s been hard for me to focus on my passions, such as photography and even writing. I know I am currently writing every single day, but that doesn’t mean that it comes easy to me. I’d like to see me less distracted by things and more focused, especially in my free time, during which I seem to overplan way too many things.