10 Things that bring me joy in 2019
Funny to see how things change. I wrote this article into Evernote based on the prompts from the Edison and Wordsmith decks from best self. A little later I learned that my wife was pregnant and that we would have a baby. Then we were worried about its health and all tests came back positive as in healthy, growing and functioning. Will be interesting to see what brings me joy over the years to come.
My wife
My wife is the absolute number one on this list. She always watches out for me and tells me to put the phone aside. She supports my wacky projects and believes that I can do anything I want. When I ask for something I usually get it. When I come home she waits for me and I seldom return to an empty house. She does the little touches around the house which make it homely. We help each other and share a lot. My wife brings me tons of joy.
My children
I am very proud of my two stepchildren. My stepson works hard in a restaurant to have his own money and treads his girlfriend very well. They go on trips together and he spends as much time with her as he can. He also got a couple of promotions in the kitchen and is now the right-hand man of the head chef. My stepdaughter pursues a career in acting in the UK and has the first few projects done. It’s impressive how she manages her work together with her acting.
The doggies
We have two doggies at home, one bulldog and a King Charles jack Russell mut. It a great to have two super happy balls of fur at home when I come through the door. Loads of joy here.
Blogging
Writing for my blog brings joy. It is not doing stellar but is constantly growing. Since I started in 2014 it has really been one something that I enjoy and occupies my mind a lot. I especially enjoy when I learn new things through writing.
Training
Every morning I get up at 5 and hit the gym at 6 am. I enjoy the process of training and lifting. It is just me and the bar. No coworkers or clients. The feedback loop is immediate and after I got up and trained I feel like I have already won the day. It is way less likely that something bad in the day will rattle me when I trained in the morning.
Cooking
I recently started cooking for the week on Saturdays. I spent about 4 - 6 hours in the kitchen and prepare 12 -20 meals. It is enjoyable to do something with my hands and help my wife so that she does not have to cook for the week. It is also my time in the house where I just get the headphones on and do what I want. Way more satisfying than. Playing the PlayStation which I haven’t touched for ages now even though I have always been a big fan.
Bulletproof Coffee
As I am on the intermittent fasting train I really enjoy my cup of coffee with butter and coconut oil in the mornings. It makes the coffee sweet. You might think it is gross but try it and skip breakfast. Worked wonders for me anyway.
Bacon and eggs
We do bacon and eggs on the weekend. We recently discovered local organic dick eggs for this. Really yum and enjoyable on the days when I do have a nice breakfast.
Ireland
I came to Ireland in 2009. The original plan was to only stay for two years. Since then I have gone back to Germany and actually didn’t like it that much. I have grown so accustomed to the Irish way of living where people are just that little bit nicer to each other. The air is also great and the butter tastes good. Apart from that, you need to have roots somewhere and mine are now in Ireland.
Mom
Whenever I am at the sea I think of my mom. Even though she is gone that gives me joy. In the end, I think she hit what she wanted, to be free of worrying about me while I am doing well. I think there is not a whole lot that could be going better.