The rambler and the mutt

the one-fold love

of the mutt for his rambler –

thicker than cardboard

 

 

Sounds of the ocean

a surge crashes

only to slowly withdraw

and to charge afresh

The quiet of winter

the forest dozes

winter gently tucks it in

with a snow blanket

 

Happy procrastinator

procrastination

for once brings out a smile –

sprouting Christmas tree

Winter walk

a clear winter dawn

a dull lawn wakes up glinting –

time for a crisp walk

A hazy finch

a hazy finch cheers

for the sun – the morning mist

clings to the window

A drop of nostalgia

that giant jungle

that sheltered my childhood dreams –

cut down in a day

Idea: babysit duos

If a duck can manage this, so can you.

A complaint I hear an awful lot from friends with children, is they have no time for hobbies, culture or sports, because of their family, or because they cannot afford a babysitter that often.

I think those are just lame excuses. I agree it is a very bad idea to drag your children along to your French or yoga classes, and jogging with a pram does look a bit awkward. And I totally agree getting a babysitter every week does get a bit expensive. But if you really want to do something, there’s always a creative solution possible.

So I’m thinking: Say you want to practice yoga on Mondays, then maybe you might have a friend who would like to go spinning on Tuesdays. Why not team up? You go to your yoga class on Monday, while your friend babysits your kids, and you watch the whole bunch on Tuesdays.

Little thought on the side: Find friends that don’t have horrible kids. And make clear, businesslike commitments.

I don’t understand why nobody I know does this. But since I don’t have children (yet), maybe I just don’t get it. If you have any experience with this, either positive of negative, I would love to hear from you.

My infallible plan to become a better person: Rule #4

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

In case you are new to my blog, my completely waterproof New Year’s resolution for self-improvement is explained here. But in short: I want to become a better person – healthier, fitter, smarter, more cultured and more ethical – while carefully guarding my beloved laziness.

To make sure I keep it chill, I set some ground rules for myself:
1. No stress.
2. Have fun.
3. Spend as little extra time as possible on it.
4. Keep it positive.

You were proabably expecting some optimistic feelgood motivational speech when you clicked to read this post. But fear not, because you’re at the home of the lazy theory. And the whole point of this exercise is I won’t do anything that needs any extra motivation.

This last rule I have deduced from a simple principle: it is easier to do an extra effort (especially a small one, as explained in Rule #3) than to avoid doing something you want to do. That’s why it’s feasible to stick to doing ten push-ups every day but it’s very hard to quit smoking for instance.

The first wink of spring!

they grope the cold

slowly before opening –

the willow’s catkins