I just felt like blogging today.

The reason? I needed to remind myself of lessons learnt – lessons that I might forget because I might only need to use them in 5 to 10 years time..

I really wish there was a way for me to classify and organise the lessons I learn in life in a way that I can easily access when the time comes.

…

Anyways there were two lessons I wanted to chronicle:

#1 Be intentional about gathering

Was listening to Brene Brown’s podcast on “The Art of Gathering” on the way to the gym this morning and trying to relate it to my upcoming plans for housewarming.

What’s the purpose of gathering this group of people? If we are clear about our intent for gathering, then we are able to make decisions based less on the “form” of the gathering and more on the “purpose” of the gathering, breathing life into otherwise tortured, meaningless engagements (think weddings we desperately do not want to attend). And aren’t we too old for that already?

#2 There’s a lot more thought needed when choosing a house

This could probably span hours. But let me bring to mind the ones that struck me today.

I’m not going to complaining about things I can’t improve of change anymore – the north-west facing of the house that brings in oppressive afternoon heat or the poor noise insulation of the main door. I’ll learn to live well with those whilst appreciating what improvements there are in my life with a new place.

That said, I do want to chronicle the lessons that I want to take with me if I were to ever look for a new place. And maybe I’ll create a new tag specifically to seek out these lessons in the future #househuntlessons.

I think if I have the chance to hunt for a new house in the future, I’ll be avoiding new builds, because unless your developer/architect is really thoughtful about every design detail, there really isn’t much you can do about a lot of design elements. It’s not that its poorly designed (though I do think some things genuinely lack thought), its more that it might not fit your own preferences and needs and is either impossible or exceeding costly to remedy. For example:

• kitchen tap should always be those that can be pulled out – so that you can spray and clean edges of the sink
• house layout and design should be such that encourages natural light in the day and crosswinds, especially in relaxation/living areas
• toilet lighting should illuminate your face exactly where you are standing when brushing your teeth