One Man’s Joy is Another Man’s Sorrow

Today is Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day simultaneously. Christians are reminded of their fleeting existence by the words 'Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.' While people, mostly in the Western Hemisphere, celebrate St. Valentine's Day, honouring a martyr named Valentine, it's also a celebration of romance. Both of these feasts are beautiful in their own way. Even for those who do not follow Christianity, Ash Wednesday's compelling nature ensures we don't forget how volatile and transient our existence is. Some might find this combination controversial; however, the 46 days before Easter provide ample opportunity to reflect on its meaning. I find Valentine's Day romance rather ambiguous. Why do we need to be reminded of loving each other? What about the rest of the year? Can we remain cruel just because we will make up for it on Valentine's Day? The same applies to Ash Wednesday: are we truly so oblivious to our mortality that we require a reminder?

I'm particularly sensitive to these topics for good reason. Exactly five years ago to the day, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life; I had to let Myke go. After a painfully long period of suffering, his body succumbed to the disease, and we lost our beloved puppy. The scar his passing left is so deep that it'll never heal completely. Even though I try to invoke the happy moments with him, to remember how magical his fur felt, his absence, which oddly became his presence, hurts. I wish he could be with me again! Nevertheless, Abby tries to fill this void Myke left behind, and I would lie if I said I don't adore this little rascal as much as I did with all our previous dogs. Still, Myke was special and very dear to my heart.

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Tiistai 🇫🇮 Þriðjudagur 🇮🇸

My day was alright. I rearranged the shelves in the basement, which took me two hours to complete. I could have spent more time rearranging, but I had to deal with my homework before the class this afternoon. I had to read a story and summarise its content, write about the characters, and describe my impression. Even though the weather forecast predicts warmer days, the presence of autumn is palpable. The nights are much colder than a week ago, and the morning walks with Abby are faster due to the chilly temperature. I quite like the lower temperature and enjoy taking cold showers in the evenings because they refresh my body. However, I miss my summer sandals, shorts, and T-shirts. Walking Abby without having to don my jacket and put on several other layers was much easier. The English class with Charlette was fantastic. The sixty minutes flew by like a bullet train. I feel lucky to learn from her. After the lesson, I prepared my high tea cocoa pancakes. I love pancakes. When I devoure...

Keskiviikko 🇫🇮

We watched the last episode of Bordertown. Now the series is over and won't be available on Netflix anymore. Moreover, they don't plan to shoot another season yet, so chances are we were lucky to have watched the complete three seasons. Anyway, "Vive le Finnish-Hungarian friendship and Uralic languages!" 🇫🇮🇭🇺 After Ági left for the university, I sat down to study. I received four tasks yesterday from Charlette, and I finished the open cloze text and made some notes on the vocabulary part of the lesson. Now ask me anything about "wear out", "hanker for", "wind up", "drop in on", drop in", "cloak", "spectre", "orb", and "mace". Writing a report, explaining the gist of a video to a B1 level student, and writing a letter to an editor of a magazine are left to be completed. When I finished studying, I made some lunch: the menu was pita-bread with Greek yoghurt and veggies - tomato, spr...

Keskiviikko 🇫🇮 Miðvikudagur 🇮🇸

After a not-so-good night's sleep - I had a terrible dream; a lion wanted to chase me down and eat me - I woke up like a log. Little did I know about how chilly the outside temperature was when I took Abby for her morning walk. Both of us hurried back home. It took me two hours to create the lesson plan before my dentist's appointment, but I did it eventually. Since my temporary bridge had fallen off yesterday, I went to the dentist without it. Anyway, I'll have a new bridge next Wednesday if things pan out. I had a lesson with Ági's student this afternoon. I enjoyed the class and hope the students were also content with it. But the afternoon traffic is lethal. On the way home, there were numerous collisions, and I even saw two cars in the ditch. Crazy drivers should stay indoors. The weather is changing. It's still not typical of October, but the first signs of autumn are visible. The foliage is not as fresh green as it used to be during summer, and the nights are ...

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