thich nhat hanh - january calendar

this year, my mother gifted me around xmastime a few mindful/meditation related gifts - one of them being a thich nhat hanh calendar. everyday as i walk out of my bedroom, it greets me with:
"you are not an observer - you are a participant"
this has kinda shaken me. i would've previously given no mind to a quote like this, brushing it off because it seems so simple of course i'm the participant tf . however, upon 28 days of thought now, I think this is a reminder I didn't know I needed. especially in the winter months when life seems to sit contently in a standstill its made easy to feel like an observer, rather than a participant. i've always had a bone to pick with hoodies, as comfy as they are dont get me wrong, but within them, you feel constrained. unable to lift your arms, tilt your head whatever which way you want, let alone the weight pulling you down as you place your phone within the confines of it's dinky-ass pockets: i wear a hoodie nearly every day. why? cause they're comfy,
and they're warm.and when something provides you enough comfort and enough warmth, you make a conscious choice every day to prioritize ignorance.
once the summer months roll around (and i'll admit, occasionally year-long), you can find me in as many tank tops/sleeveless tops/muscle tanks/etc as possible. a complete 180, one that makes me feel as free and as light as humanly possible. shedding the weight of winter, and the standstill of the hibernation season - it's easier to feel like a participant in the summer months.
only ~4 months left. but time never stops for anyone.i'm sure it will be here faster than i know it.(... then i'll be on my knees begging for more time.)we wasted so many days. living in the present; my new goal for february.__________________________________________________________________________currently listening to: tonight - tv on the radio !