Action Replay + Gratitude List: September 2019

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Fifteen days into October and this is my first post of the month, so, you probably can tell how busy I was. Travel and work had me tied up. Anyway, more on that later. After a not so good August, let's see how September fared for me. Thankfully, September undid all that August did. To a large extent at least. Sleep was better in September, thanks to the discovery of Lavender oil! No, it doesn't sedate me or anything, but a few drops of it on my pillow helps me calm down and relax. This in-turn turns to sleep and I have been sleeping with minimal disturbance these days. I have also been staying away from caffeine post 7 PM and try to hit the bed at the same time each day. While I have been sleeping better, I'm having difficulties waking up early in the morning. I think with time, this will get better too. I just need time to form a habit.

This month I had a huge realization that I cannot do everything. A typical day for me starts with waking, having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper for thirty to forty-five minutes. Next, I head to the kitchen to prepare lunch and breakfast. No, we don't carry the same breakfast as lunch to work. After breakfast, the husband leaves. I then wash the vessels and clean up. Then, I get ready and leave for work. After a day of meetings, mails and dealing with people, I get back home late evening. I spend some time alone with a cup of tea and a book, just a few minutes. Then, I head back to the kitchen to make dinner. Once the husband arrives, we talk for a while, have dinner and watch some TV or continue to talk. Then, either one of us washes up and then we head to bed.

Sounds like a typical routine alright. But, with my fitness classes, the routine kinda goes for a toss for me. I usually book a class from 7 to 8 everyday. This means that an hour of my morning is gone and I still have to do the rest. Obviously, something will get missed. Since I'm not the one to miss my me-time with my coffee (I cannot function without it) and newspaper, I skip preparing lunch to carry to work. This means that I end up eating food from the cafeteria or order from a restaurant. I don't feel very good about it. If I have to keep aside time for preparing lunch in the morning, I then have to miss my class. I know, I probably can go for an earlier class, but I need a decent amount of sleep, right? Especially with the disturbed rest I get. Evening classes are tough for me as I need to get back home and work at times. So between working out and home-cooked lunch, I have chosen lunch for now. With time, I hope to better my time-management skills and figure out a way to do both.

Trying to manage all these things and with work beginning to rise, I barely had any time for reading. I continued to read 'The Golem And The Djinni' and I'm almost close to completing it. It is a really long book, but it is beautiful. I'm in love with every page and every character, it is just magical. I also started reading 'Someone Like You', a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl. I love the man and his writing! I read this during breaks at work. Yeah, I'm trying hard to do a lot of things I know, but if my life only revolves around work and household chores, I'll lose my mind. This is for my own sanity, trust me.

Writing was good in September. Poetry, a couple of book reviews, wordless wednesday, thursday tree love and some lessons from life; I'm satisfied.

Here are the things I'm thankful for in September:

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~ Work: Love it, hate it, I sure as hell cannot ignore it. It is a huge part of my life and has been a constant for 11 odd years now. It gives me a sense of purpose, and that is something I'll never give up.

~ Birthday: It was the husband's birthday this month and it was a day of love, great food and conversations for us. As we age, we just want to slow down on the celebrations I think. The exact same thing happened for my birthday last month as well. A meaningful day is what matters instead of a loud, boisterous one.

~ Baking: A friend and I attended a bread making class this month and we loved every minute of it. I have always loved baking. Cakes and cookies come naturally to me. But, bread has always been a challenge. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the yeasty dough right. The class helped me understand the basics of bread making. While I'm yet to try to make it at home, just being a part of the class was worth it!

~ Sleep: Although not completely good, sleep has been getting better. This is leaving me less exhausted by the end of the day.

~ Essential Oils: I love the smell of lemongrass and we have been using it in our diffusers at home. It creates such a calm and relaxing ambiance. Totally loving the way the house smells now. Lavender oil has been helping me sleep better as I said before. A few drops of it in my bath water, relaxes me too. All in all, essential oils have been a hit at home. I need to try other flavors soon.

~ Netflix: I finished watching 'The Big Bang Theory' for the second time and totally loved it. 'Money Heist' was another stunner! What great acting! Being someone who prefers a book over a show, the current shows on Netflix has been blowing my mind. Some really good content out there. Helps me unwind when the mind over thinks.

~ Love: I've said it before and I will say it again, I'd be nothing without my partner. The love, respect, confidence and understanding he gives me would help me conquer any situation. Partners need to enable each other. That's a very important aspect of love.

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October has turned out to be a busy month. The first week was spent on a vacation and the second week was spent on compensating the leaves at work. Work is currently keeping me insanely busy and I hope to get back to writing regularly soon. I have a few posts planned out in my head and it needs to get out of my system. Fingers crossed!

How was your September?

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Linking this post to Vidya's Gratitude Circle for this month.