2025-05-02
• no tags • 579 words
... It's the end of April. Wow this month has absolutely flown by.
I definitely can't say it's been perfect, and a lot has changed in my life this month. I'll start with the overview and then go through the specific aspects that I am normally covering.
Since I went to the temple, I have made a few changes in my life, which are still in the process of being picked up fully, and which I think will help me out.
The Hare Krishna temple was lovely, I have to say. The people who live there are all incredible people, and the atmosphere is highly congenial.
I have taken back some rather superficial elements, namely that I will wake up at four in the morning, and that I will sleep on the floor. The latter is just to try to make it easier to do the former, and also to promote somewhat of minimalism. So far, whilst at times earlier I was struggling to get up at four, the issue has largely been that I don't fill the time well. I have plans to read, study, do exercise, meditate in that time, and it doesn't really happen so often.
The superficial change though promotes another change: less use of technology. I have actually blogged a bit less this month, too.
The temple has made me reconsider a few things. The main one, is that I am not sure of the way that I am living my life. I have doubted my job for a while now, and I am not sure whether I want to continue working like I am, or whether I want to, say, go live at the temple and lead a life on the farm there, or whether I want a job that is a bit less demanding, and pays my way without such stress. (Not that, honestly, my job is that stressful - it is demanding, though)
I'm really not so sure.
Guitar has largely fallen by the wayside; I have barely touched it. I've played a fair bit of mandolin, and enjoyed it greatly. Losing my Religion is still not amazingly played, but it's improving. I've added an extra upstroke at little jingle in the chorus, which and generally tried to improve my left hand playing so that I don't get cramps. It's getting better, and I'm happy for that.
I also want to take up the violin a little. I will begin lessons, ... soon.
I've done a fair bit of work at the allotment, which is good. Sowing a few things, etc. Not everything has been golden, and in fact I have realised I am very late in doing it. For instance, I don't have any tomatoes this year, as my seeds didn't germinate. Hey ho.
I'll continue to work on it as much as I can, but I am actually not too attached to it. That doesn't mean I won't be invested.
I had the week at the temple of course, which was truly incredible.
I also had, at the beginning of the month, a show of Turandot I saw at the opera house. Towards the end of the month, I, sitting in the garden of Olave's church at Fenchurch Street, discovered that they do recitals every Wednesday and Thursday. I went there a few times and saw the recitals, great!
I went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama too, to see piano being played. Absolutely exquisite.
A worthwhile month.