In search of understanding.

I have been involved in a few interesting and unexpected discussions recently.

I have been affected by 2 in particular.
:: One with a person who was previously only a "work mate" but I was pleased to find was more of a "kindred spirit" (to steal a term from Anne of Green Gables) than I had imagined.
:: And one that I am still processing.

Reminds me again that listening is often better than talking. I wish that I was better at listening, understanding, internalising and processing on the spot. I also wish I was less prone to assuming, in tense/difficult situations, that I might have anything helpful to say. In some situations I wonder if there is anything at all to be said that can be helpful.

I know that it is important to be open in order to build relationships, but retrospectively feeling that you have shared too much of yourself is an unpleasant experience that I don't wish to repeat too often (if ever).

Nice to know that there are kindred spirits out there. We all need to feel understood sometimes.

Gyms are Scary

I went to a gym today, thanks to a freebie from the local big-business physio. 6 weeks and 6 sessions with a "results based trainer". Sounds scary hey?

I have been starting to feel fitter thanks to continuing to run 3 times per week this month. But I still find the obsessive, super-fit professionals and gym-a-holics pretty intimidating. Fortunately 9:30am on a Wednesday is a pretty quiet time at the gym, so I plan on making the most of my day off and using the gym when it is almost empty.

I was seen by 3 separate people today (was that really necessary?). And so answered some of the same questions 4 times over - including the written questionnaire I had to fill in first. But no actual workout today, due to some mis-communication. I went home feeling a tad disappointed about that. Now I will just have to stay nervous about my first work out with a trainer for a bit longer.

February: Consumer Detox

My challenge to myself for this month is one that I have been thinking of for a while.

I want to stop buying random brands of clothes and shoes. Often after purchasing new clothes, especially if it was a "great bargain", I feel a momentary stab of guilt if I pause to think that by my consuming I am buying into global inequality. The "made in China" labels etc are a great reminder of this problem.

So for this month, and for the rest of this year, I will only buy clothes and shoes that I can verify are ethically produced. The only exception is buying second hand from shops where the proceeds go to charity.

It is not really going to be that big a deal when I consider that I could exist quite comfortably without buying any new clothes/shoes for a long time.

Also, there are now a number of companies that produce sweat-shop free products. And so my job of finding them should not be too hard.

I will post links as I find them.