More Present to it ALL
Aaahhhhnd relax
How did Luke Skywalker know what Darth Vader had got him for Christmas?*
Day 2
Wake at Dawn
Sleep until 7:30
Listen to the waves lap the shore
Interview Ciclo.jp for the SF Legends Interview Series
Have a coaching session
Pick up kid from school
Open the Virtual Writer’s Salon for my clients
Tell them I will be swimming and please can they do the check-out
Spend hours in the sea with the kid scooting around on the Unicorn
Sea a stingray in the shallows
Dinner together
Fireworks
Fall asleep early
Wake up
Hot bath
Go to bed before midnight
Writer’s salon goal achievement in process
The silencing of the external chatter is almost immediate. Instead of scrolling - I’m writing. Instead of scrolling between clients or tasks, I’m sitting quietly, or watching a quick YouTube clip, or doing the dishes or making a snack or a cuppa, or wiping down the table. And for those of you who just had a frisson of AHHHHHHH GOTCHA - still on the socials with your Youtube! You are doing your self-designed break wrong; congratulations you are right. I am a garbage person.
I’ve also noticed, now almost 4 weeks in that there are some aspects of adulting that I am doing far more effectively at home. Most notably - I have a lot of ice. I am remembering to refill my ice making machine that is built into my fridge. My MO is to continually forget, run out of ice and be scooping around for skanky chips at the back of the ice maker. Now not only is my ice machine brimming with crystal nuggets of coolness, it’s also clean. And it is incredibly satisfying to dig my scoop deep into the frozen diamond mountain.
Day 3
Amazing night’s sleep
Wake at dawn
Up at 7:30
8:30 Run a group coaching call for my one-year coaching members
Wash dishes
Jump in sea
Client at 10:30
Spend day with BFF shadowing her at work
Go to Kamakura - take photos; nowhere to post them - they are just for me
Lunch in Kamakura enjoy the view with friend
Feel like should be posting updates about Kamakura
Notice I’m doing that
Chuckle
Enjoy friend’s company
No scrolling so just sit with her talking or not
Drive around coast to Enoshima
Early, so stop into shopping area where Bill’s is
Take no photos of anything - just enjoy mooching around the goods
Go to Enoshima
Take selfies together
Post them nowhere
Back home - stop in Zushi to do shopping
Buy food
I cook
We eat together at the table with the food I cook
I post about this nowhere (until now Nancy Drew)
We just hang out and eat
I hang out with myself, quietly
I can see clearly now…
Day 4
Get up early and help tidy the flat
Listen to the sea and the rain
Decide not to swim and opt for a lift to my friend’s place up the road
Join friend
Sit in camp chairs looking out of the window of her newly purchased beach flat
Look at the horizon and watch the sea
Have a kampai and realise that we are living the dream
Embrace and smile and realise that it gets no better than this
No status to update - completely present
Take photos of the view to remember the occasion
Look at phone zero times
Talk deeply and frankly
Have lunch together
Talk to family
Come home late, feeling recharged, less hectic and genuinely connected
Sincere gratitude for good friends, deep friendship and telling the truth
Also for being fully present
Also for calmness and the horizon and the sea and building a life that supports and delights you
For analogue and lifts and great friendships that allow you to do you and allows them to do them
And joy
Living the flippin dream
*He could feel his presence (sounds like presents)
I am on a complete social media break until the end of July. Keep in touch though through email, Whatsapp and Line. Also sign up for Sarah Furuya Coaching communications here.
Look - no phone!