Blog Challenge Day 15: O is Observation



Every evening after dinner my husband laughs at me and always for the same reason. As soon as I finish eating I turn away from the table to the window and start my daily observation. As our dinning table stands right next to our sloping window it requires only one move from me and I am already looking outside. What do I observe? The streets, the cars passing by, people coming home after work and others walking their dogs in the park, kids playing, adults jogging and everything else what's happening that time. Sometimes, the streets are still and quiet and on the other days they're full of events.

The view from my daily observation point

Why do I do it? Partially it's to see other people and be a little bit nosy - I see them but they don't see me and I can think of where they're going, where they are coming from and who are they rushing to see without being spotted. The most important reason though is to see what's going on out there, how the world is moving, what's happening at certain times of the day and of the week. Even if there is nothing going on, there is always the nature to observe. We live in the west of London, so usually in the evening we can see the sun going down emanating with purple and orange all over the place. And there is always an option of just looking out far far away and imagining what's there.

 

It's not only those window moments that I use for the observation. I love going to the park, sit down on a bench and observe the passers by. Did you know that each park has its own character? Depending on what time of the day you visit, you'll see a different side of it. In the morning you get actie joggers, later on mums relaxing with kids and a bit older but peaceful people and in the evening you get a mix from the neighbourhood. In London, there are high and mighty royal parks, like Regent’s Park, there are more public ones, do-what-you-feel-like parks like Hyde Park. At the bottom of the ladder there are local parks and fields. But they actually take first place in people's hearts.

I observe when I am on the tube. I am always wondering what people are doing when there is nothing to do? Most of them is reading a newspaper or playing games on their phone but some share experience of the day with another person or have different conversations (observing includes listening).
I observe when I am walking on the street or when I am in the church. My eyes are open constantly. Maybe I'll spot something new or original, maybe I'll be able to help somebody or maybe I'll just learn something about people. Because observation is not just about being nosy and spying on people but it's a way to understand what's going on around me, what am I involved in, where is my place in all that and how do I fit in.  

Design your day - a solution when you have lots to do and you don't know what to do

I grabbed a list of things to do with phone numbers and addresses on it and a map. I purchased a day travel card and embarked on my journey into the city. This is the story how I designed not one day but many days of my life and how you can do it too.

I really like my days off which don't fall on the weekends, because being an achiever I always have lots of things to tick from my to-do lists and the days off are those I use to accomplish all of my plans. People to meet, places to visit and things to buy accumulate throughout the weeks and when I finally get my free day I go on a journey. It makes me feel like a modern city explorer. Even if I visit places others had discovered before me, I still feel the thrill of seeing something new and adding on to the experience of my life. Later, I am even more happy to tell others in writing about the places I had visited. What makes those days exciting is planning stage, picking things I have to do and those I just want to do and doing something amazingly simple but so exciting. So what do I do?

1. I write down a list of all places to visit, things to do, things to buy that I really want to complete on the day. If they're too many I choose those which are urgent and important or I want to do the most. I check how long will take me a journey from point A to B, B to C, C to D etc., so I know how many places I can tick off in one day.

What appear on my lists are usually current exhibitions, shops I want to visit, people I need to talk to to write for blog and Weekendnotes.com. So I visited Coffee 7 at Forest Gate where I found out about the suspended coffee, Look Mum No Hands in Clerkenwell where I went for the very same reason, Victoria station where I wanted to buy tickets for our little trip and couple other places, October Gallery for the exhibition of Ghanaian painter Ablade Glover, Wellcome Collection (for my next post) and Camden Market to buy creative gifts.

2. Pin them on the map – you can use Google maps like I do or a paper map.

The map I used for planning my great big day off

This way you'll be able to design the best possible route. Even on the days off we have limited time and travelling for too long will eventually make us tired and will prevent us from enjoying the trip. I have some sort of love for logistics and creating routes, so I really enjoy that part of designing my day. I can see which route is quicker or more effective than the other, which place is better to visit in what time of the day etc.

3. Begin the journey
Feel like an explorer! Be a tourist in your own city, town or area. Enjoy every minute of your exploration, soak the atmosphere of places you visit, put your head out of bus's window and feel the breeze on your face. There is nothing better (maybe there is but let's say this gives you freedom)!

At the end of the day I arrive home feeling that I did something. And they weren’t only useful things but things I wanted to do for a long time. So next time you feel you have nothing to do, design your day.

Good Gym: Run the Race With a Purpose

Good Gym runners do good not only to their bodies but also to other people. 

It was few minutes past meeting time when I arrived to Archway Gallery in East London to join the runners from Good Gym. They get together every week in different locations to run and do something for the community – move the furniture at school, help elderly people or organise a community garden. Simple yet meaningful .  

I passed the door and a thick curtain and saw over two dozen people warming up before the run. I quietly joined them. People were still coming in - some of them directly from work. After a quick change of uniform they were joining the rest of the group. Mark, the leader of the group, announced the most important things - the route (7 km) and the purpose of that run (shuffling a big heap of soil in a community garden) I was soaking in the atmosphere of doing something good with other people. Over thirty of us who barely knew each other gathered together to help others. And one thing was going through our mind - run to help others and increase the level of good done in the local community. As we were getting ready to set off, I breathed in the atmosphere of partnership and working for common good. That's the fuel to run on! 

The sky was already turning darker when we finally set off but it didn't discourage anyone. Once we reached Victoria Park and were running along the canal we were already spread across few hundred metres. While trying to catch breath I spoke about Good Gym to its coordinator Mark.
While  we were talking, we reached the end of the canal path and we were running again on the streets of East London. At 8pm there was barely anyone out. 

When we reached the community garden, it was already dark but it didn't stop us nor took any of our enthusiasm. We were warmly welcomed by Tanjina, Kerry and two little children. One of them, a girl around three years old, was very excited about the work we were about to do and while we were listening to the instructions she started pushing one of wheelbarrows! A three year old pushed a big and heavy wheelbarrow! 

There was a huge heap of soil waiting to be shuffled to wheelbarrows and transported to the garden boxes. We organised ourselves quickly and started to work cheerfully. Some runners got the wheelbarrows and shuffles while others were trying to figure out forking the soil and were also looking for bags and buckets to carry as much soil as possible. Soon everyone got into production line mood. Commands were heard from all over “wheelbarrow to the end”, “wheelbarrow to the middle stand and next one next to the gate”. We were moving like ants in their anthill. After few minutes the heap looked much smaller. 

Working in a of positive trance, we heard Mark shouting that 15 minutes had passed and we left with twenty five. Most of us sped up. Countdown had continued - 10, 5 minutes and finally one last one. We felt like at an exam - when you left with one last minute and try to write as much as you know. Finally, the time ended. Last buckets and wheelbarrows were filled and shuffles put aside. Everyone breathed with a relief but most of all with joy, because again they did something good. They made a difference.

We left with one last group picture to be taken, words of thank you from Tanjina and Kerry and it was time to go back. Few people decided they would come back after few days to finish the work. We've been given water, juice and biscuits. It helped to regenerate before the run back. 

The next morning I woke up with hands sore with pain from shuffling kilograms of soil. It reminded me how well we did as a team. Mark sent an email with blog post and statistics of the challenge. Total time: 120 min, total distance: 7.2km, average speed: 8.6 km/hr, total calories burnt: 1017. Level of positive energy increased by 100 per cent.