Best Of

I have continued but am limited by my back. Today I will try to buy the telescopic thingy and enough accesories so that I am ready should anyone want to join.
It continues to be a most relaxing but also illuminating activity. It's like my mind relaxes since it's a very simple activity but then I actually notice more than usual what my mind is doing without trying to interfere too much, as @how suggested. Meditation, basically, but more effective than formal sitting for me at this time. I benefit from the monkey having something to do while I observe or just focus on the activity.
The unexpected or unpredicted happened! Of course everyone went to the large open public space to fire New Year fireworks!
I attach a photo of today's 1 hour effort. As you can see, I found a supermarket trolley which greatly improved my efficiency. I had no trash bags today so left the trolley by the big dumpsters.
The main noticing today was on the power of perspective/refraiming. It rained so everything was wet and I only had running shoes. 1) 'Oh no, everything is wet, how miserable, and my shoes will get wet!' 2) 'Actually, what a blessing, at least none of the unexploded fireworks will explode in my hand + things are pretty much clean!'.

That's an interesting interpretation of the movie, but from a Buddhist perspective, the idea that "we pay for what others have done" isn't entirely accurate. Karma is strictly individual—you are the heir to your own actions.

What the movie portrays seems to be more about "Collective Karma" (the shared environment) rather than transferring individual debt. The girl suffered because of the chaotic conditions created by the war, but the soldier's specific karmic debt remains his own.

There is a good breakdown of this distinction I found recently that explains how karma actually works without mixing up individual and shared responsibility: Karma: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

In the Netherlands we group the last day of the old year and the first day of the new year together and call it “Oud en Nieuw”, when we celebrate the changing of the year. On New Years Day there is a bit of a tradition to go out for a drink in a cafe in the afternoon, de “Nieuwjaars borrel”. It’s all good fun…

I did say I try! You can't get away from it, but you can invest as little of yourself as possible in it. Of course when family and friends are more traditional you go with it rather than spoiling their fun, trying to find a place where you honor your own needs as well as theirs.

@zorro said:
This is why I celebrate the solstice and try to ignore Christmas.

I’ve tried that too, but have backslid into celebrating low-key Christmasses. It’s hard to ignore a phenomenon like Christmas when everything from public holidays to the music they play in the supermarket revolves around it.