Omar

• Lying in bed with the two kids this morning and thinking, ‘one day I’ll miss this’ and staying a little bit longer.

• Talking to a friend about aiming high today. The target is to not be annoyed with the kids and that’s it. Everything else is a bonus. I’ve watched some wrestling, listening to the BBC 6 mix linked down below, finished Wordle, made coffee and breakfast and now enjoying the screen enduced quiet around the home AND Elise finished her homework without a fight.

• swissmiss | Link Pack Always like Tina Roth Eisenberg’s ‘link packs’ but today there’s a couple of interesting links.

• This Twitter thread about things someone has learned by 40. Which is how old I am this year so I’m adding it to the list of things I want to do but probably won’t.

• Also, this list of ‘Movers and Makes’ by Hiut Denim. I remember when the founders of that owned a brand called @Howies who I used to love when I was a teenager. Ok, that’s a lot of memories.

• Finally these morning after mixes from BBC6 I’m discovering are awesome!

I’ve been thinking about this a whole lot since I read it. I’ve shared it with a few people I felt brave enough to do so with. I talked it over some. I bought someone a travel mug with their words on.

I kept coming back to this line from this pos:

the price of higher productivity is always lower creativity

About how it applies to me in my role as teacher and a father and a husband who is always busy because there’s always things to do. Always.

“Productivity is a trap. Becoming more efficient just makes you more rushed, and trying to clear the >decks simply makes them fill up again faster… Since finitude defines our lives… living a truly authentic >life — becoming fully human — means facing up to that fact.”

That the price of always being busy is I never have time to think and ruminate some. I struggle to allow myself that. So this year the intention is to allow myself that.

So I’ve gone with slow as my word of the year. It’s actually on the list as slowly and I considered slow down but it’s all the same in my head. That’s what I’m going with.

And yes I need to read Four Thousand Weeks.
I’ll get it soon I hope.

As ever, I never write because there’s always so many things I’m thinking about and I never make the step to recording them. Mostly I start writing and never manage to hold my thoughts together well enough and then, it feels like the moment is gone.

We went to Claire’s yesterday and it felt like the Christmas I imagine. Which, I’ve realised, is the same as the Christmas I remember from when I was younger. Presents and too much food and watching tv and playing games and being around family all day. We kind of did that and in its own way it was perfect.

We watched Stardust because the final song was playing and now reading the book is on my list. Then we watched Serendipity which is apparently 20 years old and this morning I finished Matrix Resurrections (Austin Kleon - Intermissions).

As for now, I’m thinking of adding a commonplace book to my pile of journals we’ll see and working on my mobility.

Mostly, this coming year will be on trying to do one thing at a time. To be conscious in my actions. Something I find really really really hard. Especially when using my computer or the habitual checking of my phone.

This Christmas also marks two years since I saw Mum and Dad. It’s jus something that sits at the back of my mind and is one of those things I think about a lot.