Life is a persistent teacher. It will keep repeating lessons until we learn.

🌈 1084 – Thu 16 Nov 23:50 2023

London

Woke up at 04:50 am, cold, grey, and dark outside, the window was sweating inside, I had been up many times, on and off the phone to make sure the alarm was on, could not go back to sleep, did the affirmations in the bed, and finally decided to get off the bed at 5:05 something,

Sat at the end of bed and meditated for a few min, finishing minutes is still on my mind, only 60% work is done, and the deadline to submit was actually yesterday but I know I can do it today as the final deadline is on Monday.. the minutes were the last thing I read last night and I was dreaming of them, I have rough idea by now where they are going to lead so mind seems a bit in peace.

Got ready, wore a think, jumper, tracksuit, an inside tshirt, and shorts, got the bike out and went to the gym at 6 am sharp, did 4 x sets of 8 reps of Pull-ups on the bar, Deadlifts with Barbells, Incline Bench Presses, Flat Bench presses, Shoulder presses and Abs on my way out, the Sun was just coming out but still cold, misty, foggy all over, the roads slippery when I left, got home, had a quick breakfast, chickpeas, Tuna, Banana, piece of bread.. Did not want to spend time on anything else but getting to work as soon as I could and finishing the rest of the work on the minutes.

7:30 bosses messaged asking, I don’t see the minutes in my email last night, he’d given me yesterday’s deadline, so he could check this morning and get them out of the way. I messaged on the Team’s back saying, please could you give me up to 11 AM.. I’m still at home.

I had brother gift red shirt ironed and handing on the hanger for a few days, to save time this morning decided to wear it on black trousers, and matching reddish brown shoes, they looked tip tod with matching colors, left home, with the Bloomberg radio on the headphones, from Stockwell, over Vauxhall bridge, past Tate Britain, Lambeth bridge, got to work close to Westminster, St James park.. boss was okay and understanding with the extra time request, sat at the desk, and worked through, I said to him last night up to midnight, and since Tuesday after the meeting upto to literally now, all I did was not eat, not shower, not brush do anything but just sat at the desk but worked on these minutes and he sympathized and hoped them to be finished soon and the amount I get to learn and experience of honing that skill of minute taking of high-level meetings.

12:40, we went to lunch next door, ate Lamb and vegetables accompanied by a couple more friends on the table, back to the desk, and back on the working on minutes the draft was sent around 14:15 and I was glad to have finished. still needed to proofread, and bosses asked me to come to his desk and gave me feedback on the formatting but nothing on the content, I was in joy over the moon so far, then sent it back with a few corrections but there is nothing more reward than completing the challenging work, the final draft was sent out.. and my work in them was done! so happy, so thankful and so grateful.. logged off around 17:20, rained outside, freezing by now, and the bike seat was wet, wiped it with a handkerchief, yes, I still use the handkerchiefs.. tomorrow I’m off so left my laptop at work’s locker and rode back with the helmet on, and on my way stopped at the barbers and got a haircut for tomorrow shoot, working as an extra for some American tv show.

Home, had a cuppa coffee and just leaving home, saw my flatmate Guilano, I held the door open for him and I said, I’m going to attend the class at the gym, he asked which one and I said Abs, I had looked up this morning when the next Abs class was.. got there changed the clothes, did 4 sets of 8 reps of pull-ups again in 5 min and went downstairs to the studio to attend the class. Personal training I have seen him for a year now, we stared at each other but never said hello to one another, he was there to train for the Abs, I found a mat and 20 minutes of vigorous workout exercises just focus on the Abs, when I was signing the paper at the end, first time he stood closer to look at, I acknowledged him when I left and said thank you..

Picked up an Indian takeaway on my way home and watched, some awful documentary on Netflix white eating stopped halfway through and changed to selling sunset.. brother phoned at 22:14, and we spoke for 20 min, his wife was ringing him so he bid farewell and now I’m sitting down to type before going to bed..

Around the world today with the rest of the other humans I’m co-sharing the planet with –

Russia still invading Ukraine.

Israel and Gaza war – Israel cuts Gaza in two, disagreements with the UN & and Gaza’s hospitals on the brink. Israeli troops took control of parts of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital yesterday, in a mission that combined hunting down Hamas terrorists with handing out medical supplies.

After killing five Hamas militiamen in a gunfight outside, more than 100 commandos entered the hospital complex, which Israel says hosts a subterranean Hamas command center.

Masked troops then roamed its wards, rounding up military-age men for questioning, witnesses said, while commandos piled boxes of medical aid at the hospital’s front door.

Sweden is on the verge of becoming the first smoke-free country in Europe.

3 things I felt grateful for today

• so glad and grateful the work on making the minutes for the meeting was completed colourfully.

• Glad I have a day off tomorrow and have things about the extra work to look forward to.

• Grateful it was a long and busy week but was the most satisfying one so far with work.

  What would it take for me and for you to wake up 10 x times, bigger, thicker, more energetic, feeling relaxed, make it to the workout in the morning, have a good workout, then get to studios on time, everything to be just fine, day to go well and then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing yet a productive day tomorrow and all negative patterns, please get removed.

  Goodnight, good luck.

  Ash