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| Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay |
It's been a couple of years since I last blogged. Sadly, I lost the person closest to my heart and a lot of my regular routines got disrupted as I adapted to the new reality. 🥲 It’s always sad to lose a loved one, but the gratitude for having had the chance to experience life with someone who has deeply touched our lives and shaped us should precede any sorrow. Admittedly though, our sorrow is often due to selfish reasons since we miss their physical presence.
But though they may not be physically present with us, they strongly remain in us and help serve as our moral compass. They are like an additional layer in our conscience - they remind us of the right values every time we are faced with difficult choices to make. Hopefully, we are able to do the right things (so they don’t turn in their grave).😅
Anyway over the last year, I’ve started picking up the pieces and reshaping my routines, so here’s going back to my usual Year in Retrospect.
Background: I started doing this "year in retrospect" exercise in the year 2015. Why? Because at the end of each year, we tend to rant that a year has passed by so quickly. But if you look back and reflect, surely, you must have done something throughout the year. Now whether you consider these activities productive, good, fun or meaningful is another thing. But for me, that's entirely up to you - your own rules, your own metrics, your own definition of enjoyment and your own criteria of what's worth your time with the 365 days we've been given in a year. :) As my motto goes - life is never too short if we live it well. :)
Here's my 2023 in retrospect (and in random order):
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| Image by StockSnap from Pixabay |
Discerning Mindset. Don’t believe everything you read online - regardless from whom the info comes from. Always do your own research (preferably checking out 2 sides of the coin), reflect if there’s any underlying motivation (e.g. is there a party who gets an unfair advantage), and assess if there’s something off about it (e.g. why are options being limited and pushed when there are other equally sound solutions). Question everything. Think for yourself. And trust your instinct.
Unlearning some Health principles. After reading some books, online articles and online comments on various posts, here’s what I embraced:
- Good fat is healthy, the real culprits are sugar and seed oils. I still do eat some carbs when it cannot be avoided (e.g. when it is served or given) or when I just miss some carbs (like ramen! I am only human. Haha…). But at least, I am now more conscious of my carb consumption.
- Intermittent fasting (IF). If you know me (and I probably mentioned this a lot in old posts) - I don’t like to get hungry, that’s why Good Friday is my most dreaded day because it’s fasting day. Skipping a meal or getting hungry is really a sacrifice for me. This is so embarrassing (especially to God) - like on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, though I would fast the whole day, I usually wait at the strike of midnight to feast. This somehow defeats the purpose of fasting because it’s just delayed gratification. 🙊 Anyway, when I was researching about IF, I read a lot of comments that when they removed carbs in their diet, they never experienced hunger pangs and they even had clarity of mind. So I tried it - and guess what, it is true! I was super amazed. No growling sounds coming from my tummy too. So now, I rarely have breakfast unless it cannot be avoided (e.g. breakfast meetups because it’s much more enjoyable if you all eat). For a 24-hour fast, I can do it too if I eat at least 400grams to 500 grams of meat! Haha.. 😅 Given that fasting is no longer a sacrifice for me, I had moved on to harder sacrifices. Btw, fasting is mentioned about 77x in the Bible - in both the Old and New Testaments (though the word “fasting” has been removed in newer versions of the Bible).
- When you’re sick, address the root cause e.g. high in blood sugar? Cut carb consumption. Use logic to fix your body. Don’t just blindly take medicines. Find a doctor that would help you address the root cause - the goal should be to get you off medication. If your doctor reassures you that there’s no need to worry because there are meds you can take, it’s time to consider changing your doctor.
- Going back to healing properties of God-given food. Though some medicines help relieve symptoms, the downside is there are always side effects too. Medicines can treat the target disease, but it could also hit or disrupt another organ or part of the body (e.g. antibiotics disrupt gut health). If we just properly take care of our body - it is self-healing. I’ve bookmarked a lot of recipes but so far, one that I tried and is effective (when I had sore throat, cold and light fever) is a recipe for natural antibiotic. Nothing to lose since ingredients are all natural foods (lemon juice, garlic, onions, jalapeno peppers, ginger, horseradish root, apple cider vinegar and honey - ferment it for 4 weeks). To check out the recipe, click here.
- Enjoying morning sun - at least 30 minutes a day☀️ (and I don’t put any sunblock lotion anymore)
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| Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay |
- Walking barefoot (on grass or sand) 🦶👣 - though I can only do this during the weekends outside the city since there are limitations to do it in city parks. Lucky are those who have gardens or live by the beach or by the mountains. You have easy access to the healing properties of grounding.
- Spend time more outdoors.☀️ When I work remotely and I don’t have virtual meetings, I try do it in cafes al fresco where I enjoy natural light and fresh air. When I am home in the province, I set up my WFH station in my mom’s garden and go barefoot.
- No more fruit shakes as it can cause spike in blood sugar - it’s always best to consume them as whole fruit from what I read. But there are still some fresh fruit juice I can still enjoy (that require a blender) - lemon juice, calamansi juice and fresh coconut juice. :)
- Walking daily in the park. 🌴🌳🌴🌳I actually have a treadmill which I got during the pandemic, but nothing beats walking in the park surrounded by beautiful big trees and plants, and oxygen-rich.
Getting out of my comfort zone.
When I like something, let’s say a restaurant or dish, I tend to just keep on going there and ordering the same dish. So something I did differently this year (inspired by a friend who dined in almost all the restaurants in our area), I explored new restaurants, and for the old restaurants I frequented, I ordered new dishes and guess what? I discovered new favorites!
Image by 3888952 from Pixabay
- I was so used to just walking to my office for more than a decade and only drove during weekends. Because of this and also due to sneaky traffic enforcers around the metro, I don’t like to drive outside the places I am familiar with. But last year, I started to drive to unfamiliar places since I had to go to some wakes and thankfully, I survived (prayed non-stop too in the car! Haha…). So now, I explore different routes and try to remember them so I don’t get too dependent on Waze. Pre-GPS, hats off to drivers around the metro - they knew how to get around including the side streets. Amazing brainpower. Which makes us realize - technology, though very convenient, has made our brains weaker.
Travels. I haven’t traveled overseas yet since the pandemic. But slowly, last year, I opened myself to local trips. Went to Boracay and Davao with friends. It’s been more than 3 years that I haven’t been to one I realized how I missed the beach. I’ve always enjoyed and feel energized when I am in the beach - even just walking along the shore, or sitting on the sand and enjoying the sea breeze.
Musicals. It’s my first time to go back to watching musicals too since the pandemic. I was able to catch Tick, Tick, Boom, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bawat Bonggang Buhay and Hamilton.
My new repertoire of prayers. The Holy Rosary, then prayer for the poor souls, and several Memorares for all the people and petitions I promised to pray and for those who have pressing needs but don’t have anyone to help them pray. The Memorare, when said 9 times straight, is also considered an expedited novena. 🙏
My new repertoire of prayers. The Holy Rosary, then prayer for the poor souls, and several Memorares for all the people and petitions I promised to pray and for those who have pressing needs but don’t have anyone to help them pray. The Memorare, when said 9 times straight, is also considered an expedited novena. 🙏
That's about it for my 2023 highlights - my own metrics, my own definition of enjoyment and my own criteria of what's worth my time in the 365 days of 2023.
Happy new year!
