April 2016 Progress Report

I’m not exactly sure where April 2016 went. I’m feeling really tired, a little unmotivated, and very unproductive. I don’t even have any decent pictures from April – must lift my game!

Virtue	March	April	Notes
beauty: body Weight ≤61kg by 11 July	🙁 65.0 kg	🙂 64.3 kg	All good at my hospital check in. My doctor offered the hearteningly disheartening news that even if you cut your food by half for a month, you won’t lose more than 2kg. I’m not sure I could cut my food in half for a day let alone a month, so it seems that like everything else worth doing, you have to do it a little bit at a time.
beauty: presence build a practical and workable wardrobe that reflects who I am	🙁	😐	Still struggling with my hair, but at least my teeth have been professionally cleaned. What to wear to keep warm is becoming more of an issue. My investigations into shoe fit are proving productive.
beauty: home sparse yet comfortable happy home that reflects our authentic selves	🙂	🙂	Had a big clean out and got rid of some of those plastic containers that multiply in dark cupboards when you aren’t looking. And we had some good weather so I was able to get the bulk of the bedding washed and stored for winter. And the kitchen has had a thorough clean thanks to rodent invasion (see below). You can be assured that I thought a lot about kitchen ergonomics while I was cleaning.
beauty: garden lush and abundant garden providing habitats, weather protection and a mystical threshold	🙁	🙂	The garden mostly survived summer, but it’s time to start preparing it for winter, and planning what to plant come spring.
friendship: creatures get the dogs well and healthy develop habitats to support native species	😐	😐	The winter rodent plague has commenced. After last year, they seem to understand the non-lethal traps and turn up again a couple of days later. We have blocked one avenue of access, but they have found another.There is clearly a reason why they are used in scientific laboratories for psychological experimentation. And there is a building once tenanted by a pharmaceutical company within a few kilometres that has recently shut down… And it’s been a big month for pretty girl with her annual course of arthritis injections and an ear infection.
friendship: friends maintain and improve relationships with international and e- friends make new friends (especially local)	🙁	🙁	A busy month with imaginary email friends and a birthday celebration with Katy. I was supposed to catch up with some ex-work friends but had to bail at the last minute. Hopefully, we can get together in May. Sadly I lost another Aunt this month, leaving my mother as the sole survivor of her family’s generation – I can’t believe how many we have lost in the last six months. I knew this Aunt as an upright pillar of the community, and I enjoyed plying her with alcohol and making her a little tipsy at lunch one day. She had a lovely laugh, but I don’t know that many people knew that. I know we can’t all live forever, that would be very messy, but as each one passes away a little more of our history disappears forever. When my mother goes, there will be no living person that remembers their brother who died in childhood.
friendship: contribution give something back to the community and the planet	🙂	😐	I joined with the country in commemoration. I didn’t renew my business group membership, and so I feel that I haven’t made a contribution. I wonder if this is partly to blame for my feeling of languor. Though I did plan out a Stress Free Dinner Party to Commemorate Terry Pratchett.
pleasure: adventure taking risks, international vacations and just doing stuff	🙂	🙂	Reported back on my adventure with 100% pashmina.
pleasure: recharge rest, relax, recharge turn off the computer by 9 pm read two books per month	🙂	🙂	I am getting so much better at turning the computer off and walking away. My leisure reading is so much harder than tv watching, perhaps because I am so focused on reading for the book research.
wisdom: choice having the capacity to make choices	🙂	😐	I have been catching up on those emails, and ruthlessly unsubscribing from those that don’t benefit me any longer. It’s not much, but it’s choosing what to focus on, and what to do with my time. I also subscribed and unsubscribed to assorted podcasts this month, kind of frustrating that you have to listen to several weekly episodes before you can decide whether to stay subscribed. They are still good motivation for walking.
wisdom: growth become a more complex person by challenging my beliefs developing my mind and having the courage of my convictions choosing me for me	🙂	😐	This month I feel as though I have shrunk. And I remain annoyed by people whose copywriting is better than their content.
wealth: income $29,163 income	😐	🙂	Royalties – yay! I’m 0.51% closer to my income goal. All up 2.46% including a little freelancing. I’d be rich if I wasn’t paying foreign taxes and a mountain of currency conversion and handling fees. Naturally these are all deducted before I get my hands on the proceeds.
wealth: expenditure reduce expenditure	😐	😐	Even more business expenses; illustrations for a print version of Stress Free Dinner Parties this time. I console myself that over the life of a book these will be insignificant. Should be a few cheaper months coming up!