Omfreakin’g. I think my feet have found their personal heaven. These memory foam footbeds in my sneakers are fabulous. I’ve often had foot pain due to the lack of padding in my flats, flip flops, and other footwear so this time around I went shopping with just one purpose: comfy shoes that I can stand in for hours. When I started browsing, I happened upon the Nike In Season model of shoe and I knew right away I could get nothing less. I looked for the comfort footbed in other ones, but of the items at the outlet, they were the only ones I could find. Luckily, I liked the colors of this pair, so I got them when I went back. Today I wore them for the first time as a test run throughout the day and never have my feet felt so fabulous. It’s been years since I’ve worn sneakers and now I’m considering wearing nothing but! Or I suppose I could remove the insoles and put them in other shoes. I may not have liked the heavy feeling my head got from a memory foam pillow, but for my feet, it’s a dream come true. Amazingly great!
365great Day 195: memory foam
365great Day 194: free stuff
Who doesn’t like receiving free things? It’s a treat that you didn’t have to pay for, but you probably earned in some sense so it’s rewarding to feel like you deserve it. Sometimes it might be things given to you for free because you put forth a lot of effort. Other times it might be something that doesn’t cost you anything because you were a good person. At least that’s been the case for me – all my winnings have been because I either took the time and energy to try and many of the other free things have been earned through certain behaviors. It always feels so wonderful when I receive items at no cost to me, because it’s like I’m getting a present that I deserved. It’s amazing how different it feels to buy something for practically nothing versus being given something for nothing monetary. Getting free stuff feels great every time!
365great Day 193: instant noodles
On days when I’m exhausted or pinched for time, instant noodles pull through for me. They may not be healthy and certainly not a normal part of my diet, but they’re a pretty important backup plan in my household. What’s easier than just adding water? It’s a lazy way to eat something when it’s too much to prepare food or even go out to eat. Plus, I just like how they taste and crave a bit of unhealthy, filling noodles. I particularly like these udon ones these days, which includes fun toppings as well. Nom! They’re pretty great (in moderation).
365great Day 192: dumplings
One of the few things I can cook are dumplings. It’s one of those things that I slowly learned as a child, helping my mom prepare various parts of it over the years. Sometimes it was as simple as getting water so she could easily pinch together the skin and have it stick. Other times it would be helping with the folding, where I almost always tried to overstuff each skin with filling. From the boiling of the water and pushing the dumplings around so to keep them from clumping to the mixing of the meat and veggies, I eventually got to try it all. So, when it came time to try to make food for myself, one dish I was always comfortable with was dumplings. Granted, my pinching skills are still not very good and my dumplings look nowhere near as pretty as these, but I get the job done. And then I love the eating part because each one is like a little treat, so it feels like eating a bunch of snacks rather than a full on meal. I’m also a sucker for dipping things in my own soy sauce, black vinegar, and sesame oil blend – which dumplings are amazing for. A dish that can be an appetizer or entree, and one that I can cook easily? That’s great.
365great Day 191: volunteering
Volunteering is one of those things that can be quite enriching and fun. Not only do you get to enjoy access to certain things like exclusive events, you’re helping an organization accomplish their goals. How you help may vary from cleaning up to using your personal strengths to enhance their organization. It’s definitely something that everyone should do. Panda recently got involved with the Smithsonian, where he will be helping out from time to time. I am planning on going to the local animal shelter to contribute what I can every few weeks. We both get to explore our own passions while being useful to non-profits. I call that a win-win, which of course is great!
365great Day 190: baths
I don’t take baths very often because I feel bad using so much water, but with all the bath products I got in recent months, I’ve managed to take two. It’s been a nice way to really take time to care for my body. Whereas a shower tends to focus on washing things away, a bath is all about soaking things up. It’s a chance to condition your skin and soothe achy muscles. It’s a complete change of pace from the normal shower routine and I like how it sort of forces me to look at how I’m feeling. When you’re resting there with bath salts or a tea soak, there’s not too much else you can do simultaneously. I certainly don’t want to risk dropping a device in the water, so it’s not like I’m connected to my technology during that time. Tonight I took time for a bath and it has been very relaxing. Sometimes a bit of TLC is just what you need to feel great.
365great Day 189: traditions
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Traditions are an important part of human history and a way for cultures to celebrate certain ways of doing things. Sometimes entire nations partake and sometimes it’s just you, but no matter what the size and scope, it’s a way to connect with the past. Today is the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, where there is a tradition of eating moon cakes. It’s a simple gesture, but one that ties all those with a similar cultural heritage together. The act of buying a moon cake and consuming it may not be as meaningful to Panda and I in this day and age, but it’s still a way for us to respect our ancestry and do something that our forefathers (and mothers, hehe) have been doing for centuries. Even on a smaller scale, traditions are a way to bind us together, like when you have rituals related to how you celebrate anniversaries and other personal events. I think it’s a great way to create deeper connections.
365great Day 188: Soma
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I forgot how I came across Soma, but it was probably a Kickstarter email or a news article. I loved the concept of a water filter I’d be proud to keep out on the kitchen counter. Even better was that the filter would be fully compostable! When I discovered that, I knew that I wanted one of these. I absolutely hate throwing things out, so if I can recycle or compost (or just keep) something, I’m super happy. I feel better about how it will impact the environment and when I get a yard I’ll be interested in seeing how the filter composts. For now I’ll just trust them and put it in the compost pile. That’s a pretty rewarding feeling and I get to feel even better knowing they’ve partnered with charity:water to help make clean drinking water something everyone in the world can enjoy. It was a long wait, but my Soma filter and carafe finally arrived and I’m excited to have it as a staple in the new place, where it will fit right in on our beautiful kitchen counter tops with sunlight streaming in. It’ll be great!
365great Day 187: cooking
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Panda and I have been cooking a bit together* and I’ve really enjoyed it. Not only are we spending time together, getting a chance to chat and catch up, we’re producing results that we get to enjoy at the end. There’s something very rewarding about getting a product that is useful after all that effort. Then we get to sit down and eat together and spend even more time together! Oh, and of course cooking is nice because you can make things taste just how you want and you don’t have to leave a tip. 😉 You save time and money (usually) and you are more active too. We really should do it more often, but it’s so easy to slip into laziness and order out or just go out. That’s why I’m exploring options to make it easier for us, like this Hello Fresh meal that was pre-planned for us. I won’t delve into it too much since I’ll feature them another time, but suffice it to say that cooking at home can be a great experience.
*More like I’m doing the cooking and he’s doing the cleaning up, but hey we’re working together and that’s what matters.
365great Day 186: water pressure
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One of the things I really enjoy is a nice hot shower with good water pressure. It’s so uncomfortable when the water sort of dribbles out and barely covers any area. Similarly, when I wash my hands I prefer a good stream of water to help create some super sudsy action when I use soap. At our current apartment, the water pressure can be weak and I’m really looking forward to moving in to the new condo partly for the stronger water pressure. I totally turned on the shower ever so briefly when I was visiting the model home once, just to make sure the water shot out instead of just falling down. On the UK trip, Panda and I stayed at hotels where the water pressure was awesome. I really enjoyed that and I can’t wait to have that at home! I mean, it’s like getting a gentle massage every time and that’s always great in my book.
