Day 8. Dealing with ‘The Exception'.
Every January, in solidarity with my church community in Singapore, and with personal intention to ‘reset’ my health for the year ahead – I would conduct a month-long fast.
But each year – I use my wife’s birthday as an excuse to indulge in a hearty meal, cakes and wines, in the middle of the fast.
This year, today, I chose to stick to my fast ‘in spite of' my wife’s birthday celebration; instead of marking ‘an exception for’.
In doing so, I realised it did not make it harder for me to endure the entire duration of the fast. Instead, it created a stronger revolve.
And so I got present to the power of resisting ‘in spite of’.
In the very exceptions we want to create for ourselves, lie the key to strengthening our resolve.
And here is my report on my de-cluttering efforts in January:
- Physiological / Health – In the last 2 days, we celebrated my wife’s birthday over the weekend. We celebrated with several groups of friends, and that meant 3–5 cakes and several really enticing meals sat right under my nose for 2 whole days. But I kept to my fast, and my abstinence from sugar, sweets, deserts, alcohol – in spite of.
- Material – Didn’t throw anything out, but my wife and I reaped the rewards of advocating a minimalist, lifestyle of minimal-consumption – throughout my wife’s birthday celebrations, she did not receive a heap of gifts. Instead, her gifts were commitments to future one-on-one teas/lunches/spa-visits with girlfriends; and a few essentials. There was one exceptional gift from a friend that both my wife and l love, and we see ourselves getting the same for friends in future.
- Mental — Day 8 without online news and Facebook (social news). Several times, I wanted to break the rule, and share some really happy moments I captured on camera. But nope. Left it.
- Relationships — No updates.
I also committed to publishing everyday this year, but in the last few days, I entertained several contemplations to make an exception — because I was caught up with planning, and enjoying, my wife’s birthday celebrations.
But, as you can see, I published/blogged, in spite of.
