Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 26oC, warmish and sunny.
As I mentioned, I typically arrive on Fridays, I prefer not to have such a packed schedule. I need time to relax and turn off after a long week of classes.
Sometimes, I have to give a class to Marcelo, a top bankruptcy lawyer on a Friday evening, but luckily, I gave him that class yesterday. So, in theory, I can finish all my classes by three or four o’clock today. In the morning, before giving classes, I walked without exercising; I have slowed down a little on exercise as it is a half term at the schools, July, etc., is a lazy or slow month for education in Brazil.
However, I do not want to get too influenced by this feeling of laziness; life is a sine wave with ups and downs. When we are in a trough, it is important to find a way to propel ourselves up out of it and on to a peak again. It sounds terrible, giving an excuse, but I have decided that I will return to exercising daily tomorrow.
A long walk in the morning, a coffee at the baker’s, and classes until 4 pm. From four to five is a time to chill out and then, after some time, do the housework before Nalva arrives at about seven pm.
The flat is small. Still, it is always good to wash any dishes, clean the kitchen, sweep and pass a damp cloth over the wooden floor, and generally put everything in its rightful place.
When the flat is nice, when my living ambience is tidy, it makes me feel good. I have no problem whatsoever doing housework. For me, it is a form of therapy, especially when I am listening to music while doing it.
Housework is so proactive for us and the people who live with us. It is also gratifying to see the results from our labour, to stop and see how nice and tidy everything is; it is good.
I think I inherited this from my mother, who was a housewife her entire life. I have always seen her as a slave to keeping the house perfectly tidy 24/7. I am not as obsessed with keeping everything in order as she is. Still, I believe living in an orderly environment for you and your family is friendly, positive, pleasant, and undoubtedly gratifying.
Nobody’s life flourishes and goes ahead when their home is in a mess. If you cannot organise and administrate well, maintaining your home in order, how will you be able to progress further in life outside of your home?
Your first sense of discipline and commitment begins with you at home. Home is the foundation on which everything is built in our lives for ourselves and our families. If your home is untidy, dirty, disorganised, etc., then the foundation of your life and its future will not be strong, solid, and robust. We all know that anything built on weak foundations can easily fall with the slightest of conditions; remember the three little pigs?
If our home is clean and organised, with everything in its place, we feel well-being and harmony for ourselves, our families, and our visitors. Everything outside your home should and will grow according to the positive energy that you put into your home, even before leaving your front door to go out into the world. The solid foundations you have laid with an organised home create a strong foundation that carries over into all other aspects of your life.
The last time my mother was in Brazil, she stayed with us for almost a month and a half, mainly with Nalva and me and a little with Cibele and Jessica. When I was taking my mother by taxi to the airport to return to England, she suddenly told me that Nalva did not know how to make a family and a home.
I was utterly shocked when she said this and asked her why she said it. She explained that it was clear to her that Nalva did not know how to make a family and a home and that it was not her fault but her parents.
Having so many children in the south of Bahia, fifteen in total, her parents were unable to teach Nalva and the other siblings the importance of building a home. My mother also said that Nalva was sloven; unfortunately, to a certain point, it is true.
Things that are important for me to keep the house clean and tidy are not so important for her. From that day on, my impression of Nalva and what is essential for me in relation to her as my daughter’s mother changed.
I see her as an unprepared person who always needs guidance and support. We can say that we all need guidance; we are always WINGING IT WITH THE CURVE BALLS THAT LIFE THROWS AT US. It is true, but some people need more than others, and to a selfish level!!!
In bed by 10.00 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
