6.05 E&M 65 mins. At the house we talked about what is happening currently. This week has been an eventful one. So much has happened, so many developments have taken place, and so much promise has been revealed, yet the magnitude of events is somehow difficult to appreciate because it all feels so normal and natural. I feel so calm about it. I am not excited at all. Karaj tells me that things are moving because I have built the foundations for them to move and that the reason I am not excited is because I have worked so hard to build those foundations.
We talked about the curve which applies to progress of any kind. It resembles an exponential curve where initial progress is extremely slow but eventually things start to happen. At first there is a great deal of hard work, but it is this preparation which helps to keep our feet on the ground when things get going. That was how it was when I started learning German and it is how it is now with the work I am doing with Karaj.
After a delicious lunch – I resisted the temptation to have a second helping – and some speedy work to write the introductory document for the women’s CV workshop, the three of us went out into the garden where we trimmed the larger of the two hedges. I did a spell of weeding which I had virtually no problem getting into. It was another enjoyable afternoon. With our work finished we had tea and cakes with Shona. The cakes, as always, were delicious and the conversation enjoyable.
I noticed, and so did Karaj, that my pastiming skills were better than ever. Just like everything at the moment, it felt natural to chat to Shona. This is also part of the ‘progress’ curve mentioned above. I have tried hard to improve my pastiming skills and now all that effort is bearing fruit. I have learnt that I don’t have to give people the information I think they are looking for, because what they are mostly looking for is to tell me their own information. With that in mind I am also improving my listening skills and allowing my curiosity to help encourage people to talk.