April recap: busy month with gratitude

It was a busy month traveling, one personal solo trip to Buenos Aires to meet up with my BFF and 2 work trips. Despite the emotional rollercoaster during my trip to DC, I came back with immense gratitude for where we are at the moment. Brasilia, the perfect city for our little family. I enjoy it even more after being away for a while. The rest of April was busy with Lizzy’s 10th birthday and physically and emotionally recover from the travels. I also finalized our summer plan which we are all super excited. It’s a bit over a month away and the anticipation is building up for the entire family.

BOOKs:

The meaning of life. Arthur is famous about living a meaningful life. His book summarizes his main arguments, although not as strong as I would have liked for a professor. The essence is something we all kind of know so I didn’t feel I gained new insights.

Small wonders. I wrote about it here and I still love it. It’s a book I’ll come back to when the business of life carries me away. This is a book to guide me to slowdown and look around with care and love.

Life after ambition. An interesting book/memoire to read. I enjoyed it more than I expected. The plot is different than I thought. It’s not about giving up ambition when one gets to the plateau or life achievement, but it’s about never giving up in pursuing what our heart calls for. Not everyone is lucky enough to know what’s their heart calls for, but if you do, go for it.

Secrets we keep. It’s a book written by someone I know and surprised she is a writer. Related to the last point, despite how busy her life must be, full work career in a foreign country and raising a girl and taking care of elderly husband, she still finds time to write.

The Irish goodbye. I started to read it when my attention span was short and could only deal with short essays.

WATCHING (lots during flight).

Emily in Paris.

Imperfect women in Apple TV. Really enjoyed watching one episode per week as they got released.

Housemaid. Nice, entertaining movie during flight

Am I ok? beautiful actress, meh plot.

Ballerina. beautiful actress, slightly better plot.

TRAINING:

Running is going very well, 5 times a week with 2 workout runs and a long run. My knee is holding up well, with less and less frequent discomfort. Weekly mileage is between 35-40 and I am hitting the workout pace mostly of the time. I credit this to 2-3 times a week of strength training at slimfit which I look forward to go, consistent fueling before/during/after workouts, prioritize sleep even it means I go to bed 7pm before the family is ready to sleep, and 1-2 long stretching sessions. Each month I am getting more confident with my running goal this year, NYC marathon.

FEELING:

Turning fear into gratitude. Isn’t it sad that we need to see others’ misery to appreciate our privileges? I learned about many cases of qualified, competent people that face job insecurity. I can’t imagine it happening to us but it is happening to people around us. Yet, I don’t want the feeling of a distant crisis to overwhelm my day to day life. So trying to turn the fear to gratitude and still do all that it is under my control to minimize the risk.

Hopeful and rewarding to see the girls growing. The other day my mom told me that she feels like Sofia is happier here than in Asia. I didn’t see it that way but it is actually true. Either it is Brasilia or the maturity that comes with age, she’s more mature, manages better her emotions, self driven and so meticulous. Lizzy is also flourishing in her creative, social, outgoing way that keep surprising us. I must say I am surprised to see they thriving in this new environment so quickly and fully.