Ingredients for a perfect day

Image from here.

These past few months have been incredibly busy for me, and I can't say that I don't feel blessed by them, because I do.  I've been meeting a lot more friends, having more interesting experiences too. I am working on my Master's Degree in Creative Writing, something I find myself very excited about, and I have writing jobs that allow me the freedom to work from home, and that provide for me in ways that I never thought possible  -- especially just a year after failing the bar.

The downside to these telecommuting jobs though is that I very rarely get to meet people. I tend to be cooped up in my room while I am writing and so apart from the occasional chat with friends online, I get so little interaction with the human world during the work week. I miss having real conversations.

The beauty of having a fluid working schedule such as mine is that I actually can do more with my time, if only I could let go of the little distractions. I don't  have to wait for the weekend to have a perfect day, because I have the beginnings of a great day already! I thought I would write down a couple of elements that make up a perfect day for me, in the hopes that I have more great days to remember -- life is short after all!

So here they are, in random order:

1. Good food

I love breakfast! Pancakes by me, creamy scrambled eggs + bacon + shake by my bro Kip

Okay, okay -- I know (especially now that I can't have this kind of breakfast every morning, but it just occurred to me that because I work at home, I actually have the luxury to cook whatever meal I want. I grew up not liking vegetables (still don't for the most part) but I've had salads that have blown my mind away. I've been raring for the opportunity to integrate more healthy dishes into my diet -- and so now I am hopeful that I can have more delicious and interesting salads and soups for dinner instead of the heavily-meat -based viands + blechy veggie dishes and rice that we often have. It will take some more effort and expense on my part, but I have to begin now!

Here are some of my meal pegs that I hope to work into a meal plan for the coming weeks:

Image from here.

I've been working on my own version of perfect oatmeal because I know that I can only have those kinds of breakfast on the weekend. For the most part, I think I can stick to this kind of breakfast for as long as I am able to keep my oatmeal interesting. 

I was lucky enough to find antioxidant booster dried fruit packs with blackberries, pomegranates and raisins from the Hi-Top near our office. 

In place of the nut medley, I crush oat and honey granola bars because nuts are super expensive here!

I add dark brown sugar and a pinch of salt for a more rounded flavor.

Image from The Recipe Girl

I think I can eat salad everyday if I can make them interesting like this. For the most part, I like fresh elements in them like fruits, and crunchy elements like nuts too.

I plan to make 1 new salad at least 2-3 times a week and eat it with some good soup too!







I think I went a bit overboard with my food excitement. This isn't actually a food post! (But will post my salad misadventures here too!)

But on to the other (non-food) ingredients for the perfect day!

2. Meaningful conversations

I love this photo! What a hoot! Image from here.

To be honest, if you gave me good food and added good conversation along with it, it would already be a pretty awesome day for me. I love being able to talk to people and to learn about what their lives are like. A lot of the time though, my shyness gets to me, and so when faced with a new person, I end up clamming up or over editing myself even before I utter a word -- but I hope to remedy this soon!

My friend Candice and I were talking about meeting at least one new person a week through various activities -- but I think, if I am able to have even a short but meaningful conversation with one of my good friends or even with family, or even with a stranger, it would make me very happy indeed!

Here's to conquering my terrible shyness and to letting new people in!

3. A sense of purpose and fulfillment in a job well done.

Oh to be this fulfilled! Image from here.

I have this bad habit of puttering. I putter around my tasks -- walking around my room in search of some distraction, or of surfing the web in the face of a waiting deadline. I hope to make the most out of my time by  focusing more on the tasks I have -- that way, I have more time to devote to my passion projects: to reading more literature, to writing more of it, and to fulfilling more dreams big or small.

4. Exercise and a sense that I am taking care of my body

Truth. Image from here.

Those who know me know that when it comes to exercise, I am the laziest person there is. I do regret how I have let my laziness get the better of me. All my health indiscretions have led me to this: to a state where I always ponder and worry about the state of my health. I read a saying about workouts that I agree with completely: I always regret when I don't, but I never regret when I do. To having the drive to do what needs to be done, finally. 

5. Adventure in the form of a new experience or learning discovery

Image from here.

New people, new experiences, new stories discovered -- anything that will remind me that there are so many things that I have yet to see! This thought reminds me of something an acquaintance of mine said before: At 30, and with the way people live their lives right now, this very well be my mid-life (crisis) optional. I don't want to blame myself at the end of it because I spent too much time being scared to do things (or of being judged because of doing things). 

I want to be brave enough to initiate conversations with strangers and to just do things without fear of being judged or of failing or looking stupid. Life's too short!

6. Gratitude as expressed through prayer and good deeds

What a lovely thought! Image from here.

Every year when November rolls around, I always find myself wishing that I lived in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving -- not just because turkey dinners look awesome (but don't they?), but because I think that gratefulness is so undervalued. More and more, I'm realizing that having a grateful heart and a grateful disposition makes going through every day so much more enriching and worthwhile. When you are grateful you are mindful of what is around you instead of what you don't have. You are reminded of how blessed you are.

It surprised me a bit that I put prayer in here, because honestly, it has been a long, long time since I've prayed. I keep confusing religion for spirituality, and at this point, I find that I am not ready to draw the boundary lines that religion (most religions) require me to do. But I just realized that being uncertain about some church dogmas should not stop me from being able to pray for guidance and to thank God for all the little things in my life, because there are so many. I think being able to pray and to put things in perspective is a good way to end and begin the day and to make room for another wonderful one.

Hopefully the increased awareness of how blessed I am will translate to a more sustainable way of being more positive and doing good deeds to help others.

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These are the major ones that I've thought of so far, and as I continue on with this year, I hope to keep you posted on my attempts to have as many perfect days as possible.

What about you? What are your ingredients to a perfect day? I'd love to hear from you! Do leave me a comment here! Hope you have more perfect days too. We all deserve it :)