day in day out

I have been doing a lot of thinking-about-nothing amidst my usual thinking-about-what-to-write (or do), which is kind of like the (forced) mindfulness they teach you in therapy for under-19s. Which is to say, I have been putting on a façade, or a hat, or horse blinders, all in order to focus on what I need to do. I need to make money. I need to cherish my friends. I need to take care of my family, my siblings and parents that rely on me and love me. I need to take care of myself for them, and so I can continue living (and eating, playing games, making art, helping others, etcetera). I have not been feeding into that Deep and Dark Loneliness that sits at my centre, because if I do not stay awake for longer than 24h and if I take my meds every morning, I won’t have to face it. Yippee, hooray.

So I have been thinking about nothing. Intentionally. Day in and day out, I end up too busy to think about much anyway. Let’s do a review of what I’ve been up to!

What Did Grace Do After The Last Update?

Summer 2024: Helping my teacher friend pack her entire classroom to move across the country (not that dramatic, but maybe just as dramatic; either way, not my story to tell), and my siblings help as well. We build LEGO sets, eat a lot, buy my brother cool clothes for high school, and WATCH SPORTS!!! It’s the Olympics, and we love watching sports (table tennis). I went to the local convention (lol) and it was fun. Very sweaty fun. We renovate the master bedroom. I get a very short haircut and we go visit my grandpa!

Term 1 2024-25: I get back to elementary school volunteering. I meet new classes and teachers and get my shots just in case. In October I visit my grandpa again for a quick break, and the nice weather and wonton noodles heal me. I meet friends there, too, which makes it even better. Then it’s back to the grind.

Term 2ish 2024-25: Our parents went back to China for a bit. It’s the end of term 1 and almost winter break, and my sister has her exams, and then… I got the flu. It’s so bad I end up stuck at home for almost three weeks. The cough stays until January. I buy a tablet during Black Friday sales to play games.

Winter Break: The parental unit returns just in time for Christmas. We attempt to continue our traditions but it’s not the same, now that everyone’s large and not-cute (except for my sister, who is naturally cute, and my brother because he’s a baby, but I’m biased and will always think they’re cute).

Term 2 2025: Busy again. I made a plan around this time to post an update here, but it didn’t happen. I start helping out at the high school, which is a little surreal. It still is, actually, when you see your teachers from a decade ago… and for the most part, they look the same as they always have. Do I look different? Apparently I do. I mean, I have glasses now. Everyone has the flu again, but this time I escape it. Fingers crossed, knocks on wood. I do some fun small gigs with pay, which is great.

That leads us to the present day. It’s almost spring break, and I have work lined up after. Exciting and fun. No sarcasm, but just a bit of trepidation. The usual amount that no mindfulness could ever erase. Oh well. I’m just here on this earth to have fun, anyway. Guess I’ll get back to it.

See you later.