An Ending (Tea With Druids, from OBOD) - how's a neurotic person to deal?

    I can't recall exactly when in the pandemic I stumbled across Tea With Druids (originally Tea With A Druid) from OBOD.  The livestreams had been a regular weekly thing for 2 or 3 years by the time I started joining.

    For a while there, though, I was 'tuning in' weekly.  Although latterly I'd fallen out of that habit.  (Partly that was due to the November-December period being a particularly busy one, offline.  I feel sure I'd have gotten back into the habit come January, if they hadn't 'aired' the final episode this week.)

    Often I'd be either cooking or eating dinner which meant that even when I did listen, I couldn't fully participate in the meditation portion.  But I nevertheless got a lot out of the weekly livestreams, regardless.

    I didn't catch this week's one when it went live.  (It being the day after Boxing Day, it was the first day in a while that I was trying to re-establish my normal regular routine.  So I think I'd overlooked that it was a Monday.  And in any case I believe I was watching something else with my spouse at 8 o'clock when it went live.)

    Instead, I watched it Wednesday.  And I noted the subtitle:  The Final Episode.  So I obviously had a hint of what was to come.  Then Phillip Carr-Gomm confirmed that it was to be the last Tea With Druids (though it may return sometime in another format).

    I felt a shock run through me.  I don't do well with endings.

    This ending is fairly minor in the scheme of things, so the shock mercifully didn't last too long.  And I feel I'm already coming to a state of acceptance, just a few hours later.

    It illustrates something about me, though.  Another good example would be Avengers: Infinity Wars.  If you haven't seen that film, this could well amount to spoilers.  So maybe stop reading here if you plan to see it.  If you have seen it you'll hopefully know what I'm referring to.

    I genuinely felt bereft after that film, for a full 3 days.  Over fictional characters.  I felt as though I'd lost a whole handful of friends.  People in my social circle sort of laughed at me over that.

    So I have an abnormal attachment to the past.  So sue me.

    I guess, in a way, these small endings are ultimately helpful for learning how better to process the bigger ones?  At least, I'm going to tell myself that this is a helpful way of looking at (and accepting, rather than fighting) my neurotic tendencies.

    Thank you Phillip Carr-Gomm (and OBOD, and all the other past guest Druids) for all the Tea With Druids episodes.  They've been helpful to me, this past year or so, on my 'Druid-ish' journey.

Inspired by original art from Albert Uderzo

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Zelebrating Zuccess!

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Zelebrating Zuccess!

The above title is cheeky, but what is a self-confessed air-head meant to write about for Z?  Zoroastrianism?  Zeitgeist?  Too heavy!

Zen?  Nope, still don't know enough about it, sadly.

So, we're zelebrating zuccess here.

(Jokes are not funny if you have to explain them, but I'm cognisant there may be people reading for whom English isn't their first language.  So, this is a terrible pun on the phrase: 'celebrating success!')

If you read this, consider pouring out a little libation in celebration with me.  And maybe uttering a petition to your powers for my continuing Awen (inspiration) for my next go around the alphabet.

And, just maybe, that I'll ultimately learn to blog without the alphabet letter prompts!

Perhaps I can graduate from being a self-confessed air-head to being a 'proper' blogger.

While I'm on the topic of silly phrases, I've been trying to coin a portmanteau, this being: Yabbithole.  For when you end up down a YouTube rabbit hole!  You see?

Help me out, let's make this go verbally viral...!  It could be my next li'l bit of 'posterity'.

Cheers!  🥂

PP 😀

PS please see this page for details of how to follow this blog, if desired.

Photo credits (all photos from Unsplash):

Z letter tile by Brett Jordan; balancing rocks by Brad Switzer; streamer by Matheus Frade; drinks by Cody Chan; graduation cap by Jonathan Daniels; rabbit by Stefan Fluck; design in sand by Kari Shea.

Bonus tree photos by Akira Deng and Yan Berthemy, respectively.

Cookies/data

European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.

X marks the spot

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

X marks the spot

Aka: goals

For the past couple of years I've had the goal to improve my critical thinking skills.

And I'm going to keep that as my current goal, still.

I'm not embarrassed about or ashamed of that.  It's not a failure.  It's just that it's kind of a far-reaching goal, and broad in its scope.

So naturally it's going to take time.

In fact, does it ever really have an end date?

It's been the 'how' I've been a bit stuck on latterly.  But inspiration has struck (maybe, anyhow).

I had the question in my head of 'why am I a horror movie fan'?  Just why is this my favourite genre of films?  And I couldn't seem to answer it.

This YouTuber spent almost 7 minutes 20 seconds talking about why liminal spaces in video games are eerie.  Something I'd agree with, but would've struggled to articulate.

I'm not really sure why watching those 7:20 gave me the idea, but this is when I came up with: questioning.

I don't necessarily need to be able to write a clearly expressed essay on a topic.  But if I can at least ask myself questions around it - well, it's a start.

So, I shall grab my journal now & again and just start by asking myself questions about different topics.

I've always drawn a blank about what to write in a journal, too, so this will give me something to put in one!

I don't necessarily even have to answer the questions.  Just posing them, I hope, will help me start to see things from different angles.

I can then go from there.  If it doesn't seem to work, there are also other ways I can keep working on my critical thinking skills.  I'll come up with some at that time, if need be!

So, is it that I like to be scared?  Is it simply a safe way to release some tension?  Is it simply a bit of escapism?
Is it that I've always had a fascination with the supernatural and paranormal?
Is it an unhealthy obsession with the macabre?
Is it similar to being a fan of the fantasy genre, or having an interest in myths, legends and folklore?  And maybe related to an interest in true crime content, too?
Would I be terrified if I actually encountered a ghost?  Do I actually wholeheartedly believe in the existence of ghosts and the paranormal?
Does fear of death play any part?  Why would I want to spend my 'downtime' watching content where death features so heavily if I have a fear of death?
Is it because in horror life after death is a feature?  But would I want that sort of life after death?
Would I want to haunt anyone/anywhere when I die?  If bitten by a zombie would I want to be prevented from 'turning'?  Would I want immortal life if it meant I had to subsist on human blood?

Photos from Unsplash:
X by David Paschke; goals by Ronnie Overgoor; clocks by Jon Tyson; book by Laura Chouette; ? trees by Evan Dennis; and notes by David Travis.

Bonus trees photo: Casey Horner.

Cookies/data
European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.