February 28, 2019　=========

☆  focus  集中して取り組む

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Another great way to make life sweet is simply to focus! Focus on what you are doing at the time. Be present. Don’t think about the past, or worry about the future. There is only now… ha ha, I sound like a self-help guru!

It’s true though, I find that whenever I need to do something that I’m not really interested in doing, if I focus on that thing only, then it is always more effective. When I know it’ll be hard to focus, I turn off Wi-Fi and set a timer for 15 minutes. Surely, I can focus for 15 minutes, even if it’s something IRead more about February 28 – focus[…]

February 27, 2019　=========

☆  captivate  魅了する

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One of the other answers in the Question & Answer this month, was “I only do things that really captivate me.” Hmmm…. This doesn’t really sound realistic does it! If I only did things that really captivate me, I certainly wouldn’t be cleaning my house or making dinner every night! Ha ha!

But it is an interesting idea. Before deciding whether to do something you could think about whether or not it will captivate you, and if the answer is no, then you could try to delegate it, or find another way of doing it. What tasks do you do often that really captivate you? What tasksRead more about February 27 – captivate[…]

February 26, 2019　=========

☆  incorporate  合わせる

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One way to make life sweet is to incorporate – in other words, include – things that you love to do with the things you have to do. For example, I have to walk my dogs each day, but I also love running. When I wanted to train for a marathon, I decided to incorporate my short runs into my walks with the dogs. It saved time, and helped me train for the marathon, while giving the dogs a good work out, and making us all happy!

I have a Japanese friend who makes amazing origami jewelry. She makes tiny cranes and so on, and creates earringsRead more about February 26 – incorporate[…]

February 25, 2019　=========

☆  accomplish  達成する

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In the Question & Answer for this month, “How do you make your life sweet?” one of the answers is, “I set goals and focus on accomplishing them.” Does this sound like you? Is setting and accomplishing goals something that makes you feel happy and like life is good?

Usually, people set goals at the beginning of the year, thinking they will accomplish them in the coming year. For me, I find that January is just too busy to do this. It’s summer and our long school holidays, we have Christmas, New Year, birthdays. It’s really too busy to try and set goals, and there’s no chanceRead more about February 25 – accomplish[…]

February 24, 2019　=========

☆  lifework  ライフワーク

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This week’s useful phrase is, “Finding my lifework has increased my happiness.” I thought that I had found my lifework as an English teacher, but then I realized that I actually only like to teach Japanese students – I feel more of a connection with Japanese students than I do with other Asian cultures or Europeans for example. I have no idea why, but it’s just how I feel!

So, my lifework might actually be “teaching Japanese people” rather than “teaching English” … what a strange thing that is! I will have to think more deeply about this idea!

How about you? Have you found your lifework? IfRead more about February 24 – lifework[…]

February 23, 2019　=========

☆  friend  友達

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A friend is someone you know well and like, but who is not related to you. Having a circle of friends around you can definitely make life sweet, don’t you agree? When I lived in Japan, it was a strange situation – if my friends were Japanese, we often had language and cultural barriers.

Funnily enough, with my English-speaking friends, we often had language and cultural barriers too! Strong British accents, or strange American culture that I didn’t understand! Ha ha!

How about you? Do you ever experience these kinds of barriers with your friends? Is the dialect differences between prefectures in Japan ever a problem?

Bye,

Chris

February 22, 2019　=========

☆  obligation  義務

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If you have an obligation to do something, you have a duty to do that thing. Imagine how sweet life would be if all of our obligations were actually things that we loved doing!! I have two dogs, and when they were younger, one of my obligations was taking them for a daily walk. Of course, this was so much fun for me, so it never felt like a duty or obligation.

Another obligation I have is feeding my kids. I like cooking, but I don’t really want to do it every day! Unfortunately, my kids want to eat every day, so until they are older, IRead more about February 22 – obligation[…]

February 21, 2019　=========

☆  responsibility   責任

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I think one of the biggest problems with doing a spring clean is about who has responsibility for what. I’d love for everyone in my house to share the responsibility, but of course it is hard for kids to do the heavy or hard jobs. So, of course, the adults must have more responsibility.

I think that sharing the responsibility for the things that “need” to be done can help everyone have more time to do the things that they “want” to do. It’s hard to get this perfect balance of responsibility though…

How about in your household? Who has the responsibility for the spring clean? What aboutRead more about February 21 – responsibility[…]

February 20, 2019　=========

☆  spring clean  春の大掃除

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I’m so jealous! As we start the gradual slide into colder weather and autumn, you guys in Japan get to start spring soon! I wish it could be spring and summer all year round! Even if that means I’d have to do two spring cleans each year! Ha ha!

In fact, doing two spring cleans a year wouldn’t be a bad thing – there are many benefits. Getting rid of dust during a big spring clean makes the air in the house cleaner. If you use lemon-scented cleaning products, the smell helps you to de-stress. And of course, all that cleaning is actually pretty good exercise!

ButRead more about February 20 – spring clean[…]

February 19, 2019　=========

☆  ritual  儀式

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We usually think of rituals as being connected to religion or some kind of ceremony. For example, the rituals followed by Shinto shrines, or the Christian rituals after someone dies, and so on.

However, we can also have our own rituals that make life sweet. It might be a cultural thing, such as Italian culture, which people say revolves around the ritual of eating. Or it might be a thing for you and your group of friends. When my brother lived in San Francisco, they had Thursday night ritual of drinking at the local bar. Everyone from his friendship group came each week, and it was greatRead more about February 19 – ritual[…]

February 18, 2019　=========

☆  newness  新しいこと

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Newness is a noun, meaning novelty, freshness, innovation, originality, and uniqueness. Sometimes in our lives, we need a bit of newness, to mix things up and get excited about things again.

Talking about my running schedule, the newness of my approach is that I am running during the daytime, usually at lunchtime. In the past, I would wake up early and go for a run with a neighbor or my running group. But I just can’t wake up early anymore! Ha ha, so I hoping the newness of this running schedule will help me stick to it. Wish me luck!

Bye,

Chris

February 17, 2019　=========

☆  balanced  バランスのとれた

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This week’s useful phrase is, “It’s important to live a balanced life.” What does this mean to you? For me, I think it is kind of impossible to always have balance between work and personal time. Sometimes work is very busy, and sometimes my personal world is very busy.

However, I’ve decided that for me, living a balanced life simply means creating time for the things I have to do, and definitely creating time for the things I like / love to do. Last year, I didn’t do any running for various reasons. This year, I am committed to creating time to run and exercise.

How about you?Read more about February 17 – balanced[…]

February 16, 2019　=========

☆  committed  傾倒した

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When you are committed to something, you definitely do it. Thinking about making your life sweet… what are you committed to doing? For me, I’m committed to getting rid of things that we don’t use, so that we have more space and time to do the things we love doing.

I think it helps if you have a “committed to doing” and “committed to not doing” list. If you have both of these lists, then you’ll always know what is and what is not important to you, right? So, for me, I’m committed to clearing out our unnecessary things. And, I’m committed to not wasting time organizingRead more about February 16 – committed[…]

February 15, 2019　=========

☆  appealing  魅力的な

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Something that is appealing is pleasing and attractive. For example, an idea might be appealing. So, when you’re thinking about making your life sweet, you want to find hobbies and ideas that are appealing to you.

As I talked about before, I have been watching the Netflix KonMari and Consumed series, and both of these shows are about making your house more appealing. I love this idea because if your house is appealing to you, then you are happy to spend time there, right? When you come home from work or a busy day, an appealing house is so important! This definitely makes my life sweet. HowRead more about February 15 – appealing[…]

February 14, 2019　=========

☆  invigorating  元気になる

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

If you describe something as invigorating, you mean that it makes you feel more energetic. As I live close to the beach, I can go to the beach on my runs. The fresh sea air is so invigorating.

When I lived in Tokyo, on a clear day, I could see Mt. Fuji from my train window. Even though the air inside the train wasn’t fresh, seeing Mt. Fuji was always invigorating. It gave me energy and power for the day ahead! What is something in your life that you find invigorating?

Bye,

Chris

February 13, 2019　=========

☆  rejuvenating  若返える

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Something that is rejuvenating makes you feel or look young again. Unfortunately, these days most of the focus in on looking younger, for example supplements, or spa treatments. However, an important aspect of something being rejuvenating is that it also makes you feel younger.

For me, running is rejuvenating. I haven’t been able to run for almost one year, so last week, restarting running was very rejuvenating – even though it was hot and hard work, and I definitely didn’t *look* younger! Ha ha! But I definitely felt younger.

How about you, do you have something in your life that is rejuvenating?

Bye,

Chris

February 12, 2019　=========

☆  magnificent  豪華な

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If you think that something or someone is magnificent, you mean that they are extremely good, beautiful, or impressive. This week’s useful phrase is:

“Oh, how magnificent! I love it!”

What do you think this could be talking about? The person could be describing a view – for example, from a hotel or house balcony. It might be a present they have just received – a ring, or handbag, for example. It could be describing a painting – either on a house wall, or at an art gallery.

Last week, I went for my first run for almost a year. It was magnificent! And, I saw some sunflowers inRead more about February 12 – magnificent[…]

February 11, 2019　=========

☆  unpredictable  予想できない

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If something is unpredictable, then you do not know what will happen or how that thing will react. When I lived in Japan, my friend was a part-time English teacher. Her schedule was always unpredictable. A student could book in on the same day or weeks in advance. She said it made life exciting! She never knew what she would be doing each day.

For me, I much prefer my work schedule to be predictable, not unpredictable. That way I can plan the rest of my day or work to do what I need or want to do. Of course, now with a little baby at home,Read more about February 11 – unpredictable[…]

February 10, 2019   　=========

☆  transform  一変する

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To transform something, means that you change them completely and suddenly, so that it is much better or much more attractive. One way that I like to make my life sweeter is by transforming my living space! I love to clear out clutter and set up the furniture in a new way that transforms the room dramatically.

That’s one of the reasons I love the KonMari Tidying Up series and the Consumed series, too. Because all of the houses in the show were so completely transformed! It’s amazing to see the Before and After photos. And especially when the room that is transformed is so muchRead more about February 10 – transform[…]

February 9, 2019   =========

☆  manipulate  操作する

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If you manipulate something that requires a skill, such as a complicated piece of equipment or a difficult idea, you operate it, move it, or process it. For example, these days, many Tablets and Smartphones can actually be manipulated by using a pen or pencil specifically designed to manipulate something electronic (as opposed to being used on paper).

You can also manipulate ideas, for example, combining ideas, coming up with new ideas, jumping to new ideas and so on, in order to find the solution to your problem or project.

One of the things my son loves to do, that makes his life very sweet, is manipulatingRead more about February 9 – manipulate[…]

February 8, 2019      =========

☆  flourish  活躍する

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If something flourishes, it is successful, active, and developing quickly and strongly. In other words, it is thriving. Here are some examples of how to use this word:

She is really flourishing now that she has a new teacher.
I’m so excited as my business is flourishing these days!
Since I joined a book club meet up, I have some new friendships flourishing.
I’m so happy to see you flourishing at your new job.

In what ways are you flourishing in your life at the moment?

Bye,

Chris

February 7, 2019 =========

☆  get in shape  体調を整える

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This week’s useful phrase, “I’m much happier now that I’m getting in shape.” Many of the ways we can get in shape can actually make our life a lot sweeter too. For example, going for a walk with friends or neighbors. A bike ride with the family can help you reconnect and get in shape.

I’ve even found that doing yoga lessons online has helped me get in shape, and made life sweeter. It’s fun because if my kids are around, they’ll try and do the poses with me. Sure, it’s not very quiet or Zen, but it’s fun – and funny, when theyRead more about February 7 – get in shape[…]

February 6, 2019　=========

☆  smell the flowers  休息を取る

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In our busy lives, it’s important to make life sweeter by taking time out to smell the flowers. In spring, I love the smell of the jasmine flowers, and I will always stop and smell the jasmine flowers when I spot them.

Also, we’re very lucky to have roses alongside our driveway, which means when the roses are in bloom, they look wonderful and smell divine! And, I have to stop and smell the roses every time I get in and out of the car – it’s a perfect reminder to slowdown.

Do you take time to smell the flowers? Do you have a favorite scent?

Bye,

Chris

February 5, 2019　=========

☆  romp  ふざける

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Tell me, does today’s translation have a negative nuance? In English, the word romp describes children (and animals) when they are playing noisily and happily. In other words, it’s a positive word. For example, “The little children romped happily in the garden.”

However, if I used this Japanese word, I think I would use it in a situation when the children were romping noisily or stupidly, and therefore being annoying or even doing something dangerous. Is that true, or can this Japanese word also be used to describe the positiveness of romping?

Bye,

Chris

February 4, 2019　=========

☆  breathe in  息を飲む

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Meditation and slowing down, noticing our breathing is one of the best ways to bring sweetness to our lives. When we breathe in deeply, it’s impossible to feel negative. Breathe in peace, and breathe out your stress and troubles!

I found a wonderful quote by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, “As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all beings.”

Can you imagine how sweet all of our lives would be if we followed this way of breathing in and breathing out all the time? I’m going to give it a try right now!

Bye,

Chris

February 3, 2019        =========

☆  enchanting  素敵な

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If you describe someone or something as enchanting, you mean that they are very attractive or charming. For example, the useful phrase this week, “The conversation was really enchanting.” This is great way of saying that you really enjoyed speaking with someone.

Here are some other examples:

Wow! You’ve redecorated your living room. The new look enchanting!
She is an absolutely enchanting young girl.
I’d like you to meet my enchanting friend!

Is there anyone or anything in your life that you’d describe as enchanting?

Bye,

Chris

February 2, 2019      =========

☆  enjoyable  楽しい

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Something that makes your life sweet is likely to also be enjoyable, right? Recently, my kids started back at school after the long summer break. One son loves school, for him it’s enjoyable – both the schoolwork and hanging out with his friends. For him, school actually makes his life sweet.

For the younger son, however, school is not so enjoyable. He’s smart, and has lots of friends, so it should be enjoyable, but I think for him, sleeping in and school holidays are just much more enjoyable! So, to try to encourage him to want to go, we are riding our bikes to school (aboutRead more about February 2 – enjoyable[…]

February 1, 2019　    =========

☆  abundant  たくさんの

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This month, our topic is What makes your life sweet. How would you answer that question? What makes your life sweet? In the Eigo Techo monthly essay, you can find examples from Hiromi, such as watching Netflix series and chocolate. What’s your answer?

I f you feel abundant, it means that you feel that you have a lot of something, the things in your life are plentiful and rich. In other words, you have enough of that thing. What things in your life are abundant? Do those things make your life sweet? In my house, there is always an abundant supply of coffee beans for myRead more about February 1 – abundant[…]