Healing, One Moment at a Time

My annual review went well. It seems my boss agrees with me that these sort of things have little importance for people like us. He and I are similar in a lot of ways. I appreciate his feedback. He wasn't sure he had ever done one of these with me. We did this a few years ago. But I think it was only the one time. I had 2 other supervisors before he inherited me. I hope to make some improvements to how I work in the coming year. There will be some changes coming slowly but surely. Regardless, it seems I remain a valued and valuable member of the team.

Once again, we discussed philosophy. We are both interested in Stoic thought and mental discipline. Not to be confused with someone who can endure hardship without showing feeling. I'm speaking of Stoicism. Today, he introduced me to Alan Watts. I looked him up and I'll consider getting a few of his books. The main Stoic/Zen theme we discussed was the importance of staying in the moment. I talked to him about my thoughts from the other day when I was painting and how I find each brush stroke important. I used to be so focused on the end result that I would lose focus on the stroke I was on and become frustrated that things weren't looking how I thought they should. I no longer do that and have learned the importance of each stroke that leads from one to the next until the painting becomes what it is. The same is true for writing. Each word is important to the work as a whole. And with LEGO projects, each brick has its place so that the final structure becomes what it is. Thinking about such things helps me appreciate the importance of each moment and reminds me to be present in them.

Jesus spoke about such things in the context of not worrying about things. That's not exactly the same thing. But it can be applied to help reduce the anxiety I feel sometimes. This Zen stuff has helped me a great deal these past 5 or so years. I'm at a point now where I love to talk about it, read about it, and write about it. I feel I'm nearing a time when I think I'll better organize my thoughts into healthy ways of applying things. In a way, I already do. But in a lot of ways, I do not. As I often say, I'm a work in progress, making progress.

I watched Disney/PIXAR's "Soul" tonight. It's the second time I've watched it. I really enjoy the story and the way they tell it. It went well with the conversation I had with my boss. I suppose that's why I watched it today. Although it came out in 2020, I didn't watch it until my personal renaissance 4 years ago. It was timely at that time and timely once again today. It reminds me that my purpose isn't what I do, what I have, what my interests are, or where I am. My purpose is to love God and love others. And I'm learning to live every moment regardless of what happens in the moment. They are all important to my purpose. For that, I'm forever grateful. My soul is healing, one moment at a time.

I used the Note Air4 C to write this journal again today. And I converted and revised on the Tab X C. It went smoother today than it did the other day. My Note Air5 C should arrive tomorrow and I've read the writing experience is much better on it. The film I applied to the current device works great with the stylus that came with it. But my other pens do not fair as well for writing. The pencils still do well for art, though. Taking notes on these Boox devices will likely be good. But I may go back to journaling from the Supernote devices. And my other long form writing, like short stories and books, will remain on the Supernotes. The writing experience with those is a great vibe for my brain.

My upstairs neighbor played really loud music for a bit again today. Per my journal from a year ago, he did that very thing on this date. I wonder if there is something special about October 23ʳᵈ for him. He had some people over today. I didn't mention anything about that last year in my journal. If we are both still here a year from now, and if it happens again, I'll have to ask him about this date...LOL He doesn't do that very often. Perhaps it's his birthday...hehehe

I've had King Kong Stomp stuck in my head all day long...HAHAHA It's playing in my head right now...LOL