Welcome to the Human Prototype blog, a space where the past and present converge to showcase the evolution of a life in progress. Inspired by my TEDx talk, "I am a Prototype," this blog is part of a broader journey of transformation through journaling, capturing the essence of living as a perpetual prototype. Each week, during 2024, I reviewed my archives from 2016, contrasting journal scans filled with drawings against the backdrop of my current experiences.
Mild Teeth Drama and a Healthy Cat
Then: September 26-October 2, 2016
Highlights from My Week in 2016 (As I remember from the visuals):
- The two things that really stick out are the GHD sit-ups and swing yoga—funny how those moments linger, lol.
- I’m proud of the six workouts I managed to squeeze into that week!
- I also remember being invited to Prague to speak at a packaging conference (I’m sure there will be more to reflect on about that later).
Yesterday, I bought more stickers, (I’d love to learn more about the psychology behind sticker addictions—I actually met someone at my yoga class last week who shares this obsession!) It made me reminisce about the days when I would carefully curate the best stickers for my journal. But honestly, I don’t have the same patience or discipline to recreate anything like I did back in 2016, except for this online documentation.
Speaking of which, I just hit 30 posts, and I’m not entirely sure what this all means yet. But I trust it will make sense in time.
Now: September 30-October 6, 2024
This week was remarkably busy, filled with varied activities—almost like 2016, minus the sunshine.
On Monday, I went to see “Showstoppers, the Musical” in the West End with my friend Vita. It was a fully improvised musical, where the audience chose the theme “a tantric yoga retreat with a guru.” I was in awe of the show’s quality: live band, improvised songs, and a cohesive story arc. What a masterful group of people! I highly recommend it. I’ll include a link to their tour dates below.
On Tuesday, I went to the office for some much-needed human contact. I had a great time catching up with my colleagues and mentoring a younger colleague who reminds me of my younger self. Although I wasn’t as productive as if I had worked from home, it filled a section of my energy bucket. Unfortunately, commuting to and from the office drained my bucket and I skipped my evening yoga class.
Wednesday was the day of the ring of fire solar eclipse, and I stayed at home, not stepping foot outside at all.
On Thursday, I visited a holistic dentist for a second opinion on an implant. He ended up recommending two implants and several other procedures, totaling up to £9k (my private dental insurance covers up to £500, and dental isn’t even covered in our benefits at the company where I work, which ironically makes mainly sweets and chocolate). I’m still in “freeze mode” about this and haven’t made any follow-up appointments yet. I chose this dentist because he practices holistic dentistry, as I wasn’t comfortable with having metal in my jaw bone. I’ve included a link with details about this type of dentistry below. In the evening, I decided to decompress by attending a 5Rhythms class, dancing away any frustration and anxiety, and inviting calmness and flow back into my body.
On Friday, I took my 12 year-old cat Oscar to the vet for his annual check-up and vaccination. Good news: he’s a healthy chunky cat! I paid £149 for the visit (including the vaccine and eye drops). I think it’s valuable to document these costs. I recently noticed that Oscar’s food has increased in price by around 20% over the last couple of years. I’m lucky I can afford it and keep him on his veterinary diet—20% increase is quite steep! I ended the day with a yin yoga class, feeling super stiff and a bit sorry for myself.
On Saturday, I had organized a meetup for my “shamanic” community—people I’ve met in ceremonies. Six people had registered, but two canceled the day before, two didn’t show up, and two arrived two hours late. I’m going to be honest—I am partly responsible for that. I didn’t send a reminder and I actively avoided promoting the event the week before. There is definitely something for me to heal here, and I’m glad I had that experience either way. When the two who showed up arrived, we had a lovely time and conversation together, using my newly created integration conversation cards.
On Sunday, I attended my weekly yoga class in the morning, spent the rest of the day laminating and cutting the conversation cards (which look really good), and grabbed a discounted bag of “rescued food of the day” at a GAIL’s bakery in the evening. It came with the most delicious brioche and salads.
Throughout the week, I watched hours of the show “The Resident,” a medical program with interesting characters but also a lot of stress and bloody scenes. It makes me wonder if it may impact my mental health. But I’m a little addicted to it and seem willing to sacrifice some mental well-being for the show.
Thankfully, my anxiety levels were lower than the previous week, partly thanks to the crafty activities of printing, laminating, and cutting cards for hours. I highly recommend it!
Companion Links: Extend Your Journey
- Showstoppers - The Improvised Musical: find more details here.
- What is holistic dentistry? Here’s my dentist’s website
- Lee Harris - October Energy update:
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