Blessed Ostara everyone! Today we’re celebrating the Spring Equinox and welcoming spring into our lives. Yesterday Bren and I did a short ritual where we planted seeds and put our intentions for our own personal growth into them when we planted them. I’m really hoping to grow as a writer this year, but I also wished for growing creativity, love and health for ourselves and our kitties. I planted red chili peppers, because I just love spicy stuff and I thought they’d symbolize that burning desire within me to reach my goals.
On Writing
Yesterday I spent some time writing on my novel again and it feels so good to be in the saddle again. I’m looking into making it a more habitual thing now, where I just sit every day to write a little bit. One of the things that I love about these new novels is that while I already have a base, pretty much everything else is a blank canvas for me to paint on, theoretically speaking. So, while I’m working towards a certain end, the rest in between is all up to me to decide. That feeling of creative freedom is one of the best you can experience as a writer.
On Spring
As you could read from the introduction paragraph, we are celebrating the coming of Spring and I’ve been looking forward to this season so much. Although I don’t suffer from winter depression, I really started to take a dislike to January and February as being boring and gray months. Perhaps it would’ve been better if we had had some actual snow here in the Netherlands, but with the global warming and all I doubt we’ll be seeing old fashioned winters in these parts. But we’ve been having some absolutely lovely weather now and with several trees blossoming and seeing nature awaken, I feel that I myself am more awake as well. Perhaps it’s a bit of a mindset thing, but it does help that we’ve had some really sunny days these past weeks and that the temperatures are very mild. Perfect weather for taking long walks!
On Reading
I’m currently reading two books, All the Bright Places and Stolen Focus and the first one is half finished, while the latter is almost done, so expect a review on them soon. Stolen Focus has really managed to capture my full attention and it’s amazing to find out how the world has changed so much around us that it really is no wonder we have so much trouble focussing these days. What also amazes me is that it’s not just the technological distractions that make us focus less, but also things like pollution and the way in which children are raised nowadays. As someone who has trouble focussing I find this book to be very enlightening and although there are a few things we can do to reduce being so distracted all the time, a lot of changes need to be made globally if we want to get our focus back. More on all that in my review and upcoming mindfulness blogs!
On Gaming
Yesterday I spent some time playing Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom on Switch. I’m expecting to finish it somewhere this week, so it’s time for an in-depth review for the game, including a comparison between its predecessors, mainly Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, which is one of my most beloved classic games from the SEGA Master System. I have to admit that while the game is fun, I do have a constant feeling that it just isn’t really as good as Wonder Boy III, but maybe that’s because I’ve been playing the game through the rose coloured glasses of my nostalgia and maybe comparing isn’t what I should have been doing. Yet, I think this is something I should dive into when I review the game and see if I can also make an honest, unbiased and objective review, looking at the base gameplay elements.
Upcoming blogs
Well, as you can see, I’ve got plenty of ideas for upcoming blogs this week on several different topics, so stay tuned for all of them! 😉 I hope you’re all going to have a great week!
Happy Monday!
Jeffrey