Happy March! It's felt like spring, much to fluffy cat's joy; she's been taking leisurely outdoor adventures this week (today she was out for over half an hour--a few weeks ago she'd only stay out for a few minutes before she deemed it too cold). She's definitely savored the sunshine and warmer weather, but she still enjoys snuggling.
I had a variety of goodies this week, including the March Goddess Provisions crystal-themed box. My Kyo Funko Pop figure arrived, as well as my new decks! It was an exciting week for deliveries!
My mom asked my sister for her schedule. My sister was very literal with how she provided it--she sent me a picture of the note she placed IN the fridge because my mom texted her "in" the fridge instead of "on." My mom did not appreciate her sense of humor lol.
This week I helped out with a bunch of tutoring. The long long man bunny costume came up quite a bit--he even drew his own long long man bunny. He also said that I should make my flag in Animal Crossing New Horizons be the long long man bunny. I think it turned out pretty nice (but there wasn't enough space for adequate ear length, much like how one paper couldn't fit his entire drawing). We also started making InuYasha outfits for our characters. I had already composed a costume for Kagome with items bought from the tailor shop (the sailor school clothes fit pretty well, plus I found a big yellow backpack and brown school shoes). I created Sesshomaru's outfit and facial markings, though (not that the hair styles will let me see much of his moon, unfortunately). He thought that it'd be fun to make a bunch of the outfits so we could put on a play (like Kagome's school play where she was Escargot Pudding lol). He kept doing Mario-InuYasha crossovers when putting on his own play; he was so excited for the Mario update. In honor of the new release of Mario-themed items, I made him Mario-themed Perler bead gifts, which he was super excited about.
Here are this week's Perler projects: more rainbow tie dye animals and gifts.
April, Iris, and I went to multiple parks; it was so much fun. April and I hadn't been to the parks since we were kids (she grew up across the street from one and the other we went to for my mom's work picnics as kids). They updated the parks, so it wasn't quite what we remembered, but they were still nice. Iris had a blast and kept wanting to race us. She didn't want to leave the turtle behind; she became fast friends with the turtle and kept wanting her deep affection for it through hugs and kisses. She ended up tripping before we left; she decided after some tears that ice cream would fix everything. After she got ice cream she declared, "Mommy, my boo-boos are all gone! Ice cream made me all better!" She's so freaking adorable. The magic of ice cream lol.
I enjoyed watching anime and reading fanfic this week. This week's fanfic includes: Lessons in Parenting, Possession, Unanswered Attraction, An Act of Compassion, and The Daimyo's Son. If anyone has recommendations for new fanfic, I'm open to suggestions! I enjoy the different scenarios that play out in fanfics (and many thanks to all the time spent by the authors to provide us with these awesome stories). This week's episode of YashaHime got rather intense. It makes me wonder how next week's episode will play out. Setsuna's demonic powers are pretty strong (requiring a seal and all), and it makes me wonder if she inherited more powers than Towa. Towa turns fully human, but we have yet to see Setsuna transform. Plus, to my knowledge Towa doesn't require a seal for her demonic abilities. I wonder if the twins inherited more than their personalities from their respective parent (Towa takes after Rin more vs Setsuna resembling Sesshomaru); will we see Towa struggle with her powers in the upcoming episodes? What is Zero's ultimate plan? Sure, she doesn't seem to approve of the twins, but she at the very least had respect for Toga. I wonder how she makes sense of going after the granddaughters of her deceased ally (possible friend) and what kind of hold does she have over Sesshomaru. Granted, Sesshomaru isn't known for openly expressing affection, especially verbally, but I can't see him turning a blind eye to the wellbeing of his family. Toga would have instilled better lessons than that--think to the "Do you have someone to protect?" scene. If nothing else, the honor of keeping those under your protection safe. He wouldn't let that slide. He also isn't one to be manipulated. He'd play the long game (whatever that happens to be--he wouldn't be inclined to let others in to the workings of said tactics and strategies unless necessary). I also wonder about Riku's ultimate plan. Riku is a freaking enigma. The fact that he's so interconnected to everything gives off similar vibes to Naraku, but I never liked Naraku. I can't find it in my heart to hate Riku, though. Perhaps that will change as more is revealed, but Riku's one of my favorite new characters. He's so intriguing. I can't wait to see how they continue the story and hope there will be multiple more seasons.
I also watched The Day I Became a God this week. I adore it so. It was simply beautiful. It was intense. It was emotionally-moving (I was left crying quite a few times). I can't say I anticipated the ending when the show began, but I can't say that I am upset about it. Assumption played a rather large part in the story--while the assumptions seemed like they were likely the truth, it turned out to the contrary, leading to struggles. There was definite foreshadowing with Hina's father, but I'm glad Yota chose the opposite path. It's so easy to give up and give in when things get difficult. It got pretty close, too, but thankfully Yota and Hina had an awesome support system that reminded him why he was there in the first place, illuminating the truth before him as he had begun to get swept up by fear--the False Evidence Appearing Real. He had begun to question and second guess, getting caught up in logic and the mind rather than listening to the truth known by his heart. The universe came in with its perfect timing with the exact help needed to give him the necessary push back onto the correct path. Props to Hiroto for sticking around as long as he did to spark Yota's memory and provide Yota the chance to see Hina; he was definitely getting fed up with Yota being dense--Hiroto was extremely purposeful in his actions, even forgoing his beloved takoyaki, selecting all the activities that Hina had shared with everyone over that summer. I'd imagine spirit guides/higher self/the universe might share some of that frustration when we are so oblivious to the obvious help sent our way. I doubt they/it would ever give up on us, but I'm pretty sure we have to do some of the work ourselves. It was only after Yota went in and genuinely worked selflessly that his efforts were rewarded (although he had well intentions in the beginning, he was too forceful and trying to control the outcome, which only resulted in failure). It was only when he began to let go, to let things happen naturally and at Hina's pace that the path smoothed out. Even though the specialists around them didn't believe in Yota's methods (or that he was even helping), if there's a will, there's a way. In the end, the non-believers were proven wrong; genuine connection and love are incredibly powerful and shouldn't be overlooked. Things don't always go as we plan, but that doesn't mean that they are necessarily bad. You can find great joy in the unexpected turns of life, especially if you can get past the initial upset (whether that upset is warranted or not). If we stop making ourselves miserable with how things "are supposed to be" and get out of our own way, we can find the blessings and beauty in any moment, as Yota and Hina demonstrate. Nothing happens by accident or coincidence. Everything is meant.
I know quite a few people are probably still bummed with how 2021 has started. Granted, I don't care for all the fear, paranoia, masks, and whatnot. My preference would be a year without all of that. That doesn't mean that this year is a bust, though. Hina was able to still enjoy life with her loved ones despite a crippling disease. Life is only as enjoyable as we allow it to be. We can choose to look for the dark, but whatever we focus on grows. Where your attention goes, you receive more of it. Hence, I focus mostly on what I want. I am human, so there are times when my attention goes to what I don't want. I've been working on building the habit of focusing on what I do want. I enjoy spending time with loved ones (like April and Iris at the park). I enjoy delicious food. I enjoy cuddling with fluffy cat. I enjoy immersing myself in great stories, fanfic, anime, etc. I enjoy creating art. I enjoy joking with the boys I tutor. There's a lot of good still in the world, even if some less desirable events are transpiring. As Uncle Iroh emphasizes, "If you look for the light, you can often find it, but if you look for the dark, that is all you will ever see." It's not that the dark does not exist, but simultaneously, just because things look grim at the moment doesn't mean that the light doesn't exist. We all have a choice. It's up to us to decide how we view the world, how we live, and what we focus on. Take time to care for yourself. Find reasons to love and laugh. You are worthy. Stay well. Stay aware. Stay blessed with love and light, everyone~
Here's some food for thought from Ralph Smart:
This week's food for thought:
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