As a little girl I was fascinated with a world I didn’t understand. Story books would bring them to life and I walked right into a world that was fascinating, hard to comprehend, and one that got my creative juices running on a maximum high! Yes, even as a young girl.
The forest behind my house was a perfect playground for a girl who viewed everything with different eyes. I saw little people under mushrooms where there was none, I saw beauty in the deep, dark, rows of trees, and I saw fairies flying around everywhere I looked. Of course, I pretended to be one as well!
It was an obsession I couldn’t shake off. The ducks became my friends as I jumped in the dirty water puddles with them and “quacked” happily. I was one with nature and I have remained one with nature through the years. Only now, it is on a more sedate level. I walk, I take in the beauty that nature has to offer BUT once in a while, I think I see them! It is all in my imagination and I have plenty of that going around. It helps to keep my world a wonderful place to be in.
No more jumping in water puddles, not that I don’t want to but because I am a grown-up now and I do the “adult” stuff. BORING! I can still do the other thing in my mind and that is where I go to when I want to escape into a realm where magic is possible and a wondrous world awaits.
Daily writing prompt
What’s a thing you were completely obsessed with as a kid?
I would say it was how the Chinese looked at death and how they celebrated someone’s passing. I was in Singapore at the time and I found the burial rituals of the Chinese people fascinating and at the same time bizarre.
My two friends from Kansas were visiting at the time and one day they took off on their own to do some sightseeing. They came back all excited because they had taken part in a colorful parade of some sort. According to them, there was a long procession and they joined in taking pictures as they went along. There were two men on stilts with brightly colored faces and at the front of the procession a car all dressed up as well. Turned out it was a funeral procession!
The other custom according to a Chinese friend is the belief that the dead do come back to visit after seven days. Hair-raising? Absolutely. Anyway, she told me about her father who had passed away and on the 7th day they prepared all his favorite dishes, set the table, laid new sheets on his bed and made sure all was ready for his spirit to visit. Later in the evening she described how there was a floral scent that permeated the whole house and even though the food looked like it was untouched, the bed looked like it had been slept in!
One other thing I recall is the wake. It is usually accompanied by a band, loud music, alcohol consumption, and laughter. If the person was wealthy, it would last for seven days. Something to do with the number 7? I don’t know but this custom was bizarre to say the least. Along with the merry-making, lots of paper money, paper houses, paper servants would be burned so that the departed soul would have plenty in the afterlife.
There are plenty more customs but the ones I’ve mentioned definitely do take the cake as far as “interesting local customs” are concerned. At least in my book.
Daily writing prompt
What’s the most interesting local custom you’ve encountered?
Good question but the answer is hard to come by. I would say first and foremost a peaceful existence. One where stress is nowhere to be seen AND with a good man by my side. Yes, I’m still looking but it looks like the guy has lost his way and is not asking for directions!
Anyway, I was talking to a friend this past weekend and our conversation turned to life and love. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time ever since we broke up. However, we still keep in touch and there is a strong bond there. We were sitting outside in the garden when the conversation eventually turned to us and what went wrong there. He said, “I haven’t forgotten about you. You are on my mind a lot.”
There is this certain something that pulls at us and neither one of us can put a finger on it. There is certainly love there, he is down-to-earth, and we just click on so many levels. It was my turn and this is what I said, “I’m not looking for spectacular or perfect. Just someone quiet, someone who meets me halfway, and when I look at him, it feels like HOME. Is that too much to ask for?”
HIM: “Definitely not.”
He is in Turkey now on business and we have decided to go to lunch when he gets back. I did ask him to think about what he wants, really wants. We’ve done this breaking up and getting back together several times now and I need to know what this is about.
Coming back to the question in hand, my ideal life would run on an even keel. No nasty surprises, no problems, no ups and downs, no breakups, no falling down and getting back up again, and no losers! I want love to find me and when it does or rather when he does, it will feel like HOME!
Too much to ask? I don’t think so.
Daily writing prompt
If you had to describe your ideal life, what would it look like?
Concerts are a thing of the past. I can’t stand loud music, glaring lights, and the surge of crowds as they press against you to get a better view of the stage. Those days are water under the bridge. However, a long time ago I was at a concert and I recall that I was in the front row and my blond beauty of a friend had a total crush on the guy but I can’t remember his name! I only know that she was screaming so loudly that I felt my ears go numb! Plus, I had a headache the day after.
My son is into rock concerts and going to live performances is all the rage. He loves the head-banging variety. I can’t understand why he would want to be there amidst the huge crowd bopping along but I guess “music” is different to every generation. The concerts he goes to are usually loud and since I am a “recluse” now, noise is not to my liking. I love the peace and quiet so I am glad that those days of tagging along to see whoever we had a crush on are over with.
I wouldn’t mind going to a stand-up comedy show. It’s something I am into now. When I need some cheering up, I turn to the funny variety to bump my mood up. It usually works.
Nothing fascinating to talk about but that’s the way it is when your world revolves around nature, meditation and the like. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Dare I say it without jinxing something that is on the way? I’ll go ahead and do it because I can’t keep it to myself anymore!
The “light at the end of the tunnel” is a classic idiom that signals something positive is about to happen. There are four different takes according to one source.
The Realistic Approach:
“The light at the end of the tunnel is just the light of an oncoming train.” James Russell Lowell
The Empowered Approach:
“I stopped waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel and lit that b**ch up myself.”
The Pessimistic Approach:
“The good news is the tunnel has an end. The bad news is more tunnels before it.”
The Absurdist Approach: “When life gives you lemons, at least you know you are out of the tunnel.”
Hmm….where does my news fit in? I don’t really know but here goes. Some of you who read my posts on a daily basis know that I have two temporary residents who have moved in for about six months. They are Shiro, a Persian cat, and Gallahad, a long-haired British variety. They took up residence about a month ago and life hasn’t been the same ever since! They belong to my son and since he has started a new job and pets are not allowed in his current apartment, his only choice was to leave them with me.
A month later, I am ready to throw up my hands and to give up! It’s not that they are not cute and sweet. They are all of those things and more. However, they require a lot of time, energy, and looking after. Not only that, they think they’ve moved into a 5 star resort and “demands” are at the top of their list. No longer satisfied with the cheap stuff their daddy (my son) used to feed them, they want top-notch and nothing less! They have a maid (me) who is at their beck and call and if that’s not enough, they want a play buddy as well. Chachi, (my little guy) loves and hates them. So, they have to be separated at intervals, this approach seems to be working but it is taking a toll on me.
The news I am about to tell you couldn’t have come at a better time. My son, who I am very proud of, not only landed his dream job but has gone on to secure a much bigger apartment. This is next to impossible in a city where apartments are very expensive and they get grabbed up as soon as they appear. Anyway, he went to look at the apartment, talked to the owner, asked intelligent questions I presume, and snapped it up! He got the call the same day and was offered the place if he wanted it. A roomy place with a built-in kitchen with all the amenities. The best part, they accept cats! A dream come true? He thinks so.
Now comes the part of signing the contract, giving up the old one, moving his stuff in and maybe, just maybe, the cats are out of here in about two months! He’ll be happy to have them back, I’ll be happy to have my life back although I will miss them, and Chachi, the little macho, will be king of the castle again.
I’ll take a different approach. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”
This is an old village with cobblestone streets in the old part and the new part where I live has paved roads. There is really not much to do here. The people lead very quiet lives and since it is an aging population, they take pride in their gardens and keeping everything neat and tidy.
The place is steeped in history and sometimes you see plaques depicting certain scenes and events from way back then. The church is very old. I was told it was built a century ago and there are a few tombstones along the pathway leading to the church. The wooden pews show much wear and tear and when the sunlight shines through, dust envelopes the place. It is still a charming little church and lives have come and gone there, some leaving their mark behind.
There is a bakery, a dentist, a doctor, a school, and a convenience store. Add to that a beer garden, two restaurants, one Italian and the other German and you have everything this village has to offer. The village is self-contained for the most part. When snow rolls around and the roads are unpassable, all those things I mentioned before come into play and we are grateful! However, snow doesn’t show up here that often and when it does, it doesn’t stay for long.
The best thing you can do around here is to go walking. We are surrounded by nature and it is gorgeous. Open fields, manicured gardens, wooded pathways are all surrounded by mountains and forests. There are streams meandering through the woods and it feels magical in spring and summer. You can see rabbits, deer, cranes, herons, and hawks if you have your eyes peeled for them. I’ve heard we have wild boar, foxes, and wild dogs too but I have never seen them.
If walking is your thing, then there is plenty to do here. It is virtually crime-free and walking alone in the open fields is something I relish without having to worry about what could be hiding in the bushes or the woods! I do look around and pay attention to my surroundings because as they say, “NEVER SAY NEVER!”
Most are law-abiding citizens and it is a friendly place. If you’re looking to relax, and to find peace, it’s a great place to be. If you’re a writer, it’s a perfect place to come up with ideas and to let your imagination run wild like mine does!
I saw this online and decided to share. It got a chuckle out of me. I hope it gets one out of you too.
After dying in a car crash, three friends go to Heaven for an orientation session. They are all asked the same question: “When you are in your casket and family and friends are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?”
The first guy responds: “I would like to hear them say that I was one of the greatest doctors of my time and a great family man”.
The second guy says: “I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and a school teacher who made a huge difference in the children of tomorrow”.
The third guy thinks for a while and then replies: “I guess I’d like to hear them say ‘Look – he’s moving’
I would love to have that super power! Life would be turned upside down, inside out and left standing on its head! As a young girl, I pretended to be this fairy with a crown of roses and baby’s breath on her head and with a magic wand in my hand!
I used to walk around in the forest granting wishes to make-believe beings. It was done with a big smile on my face and a zap of the wand. I still wish and hope that one day the magic wand miraculously appears and I would be granted the super power of granting wishes to anyone who needed it.
What a wonderful world that would be! I know “life” wouldn’t think so because it would be too easy and it doesn’t always like things easy. It is about learning, falling down, picking yourself up, moving on, and so on and so forth. Getting your wishes granted by a fairy who has her head in the clouds is NOT what it is about.
However, if I could, I would love to have the super power of granting wishes. Life would be made so much easier for a lot of people and WE would be walking around with a permanent smile plastered on our faces!
I can wish but getting it done is a whole different thing altogether.
This is a hard one because I have an inquisitive mind and I want to know several things so to keep it to one mystery that I haven’t been able to solve is hard because I have hundreds of questions! It will open Pandora’s Box for sure!
Anyway, there is one thing I have always wondered about. It is about “LOVE.” More specifically, why do people walk into your life only to leave? Is there a bigger mystery to this phenomenon? Do they walk in to teach you a lesson or have you veered away from the path you were supposed to be on? A friend told me recently, “The path has been laid out. It has all been decided for you. The problem is when you veer off course than the one you are supposed to be on, it just takes longer to get to where you need to go.” I thought this was an interesting way of looking at it. What if there is some truth to this concept?
Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball to get answers to the questions I am seeking. Maybe, just maybe, I’m better off not knowing!
Daily writing prompt
What’s a mystery from your own life that you’ve never solved?
Life often speaks in whispers at the beginning, it stomps its feet if you don’t listen and it screams to get your attention when you’re heading towards a head-on collision. Through it all, it has your back and is on your side if only you are willing to pay attention to what it has to say. And that is the hard part.
“Consider for a moment what you pay attention to all day long. What seems important to you, what do you take for granted and hardly attend to at all? Write it down. Do not judge your answers. Be honest and simple. As you keep track all week long, you’ll be amazed at what claims your attention what you give your precious life force to.” Brenda Shoshanna
The truth is as “humans” we march to our own drumbeat. We see what is not good for us, we know it spells trouble and we know if we keep going down that path, it will take us to exactly where we don’t want to go BUT we are hell-bent on doing it anyway. Are we wired for destruction, is that what we seek? At times, it seems that way but luckily for us, life comes in and shows us the way out but only if we pay attention.
“Pay attention to the signs. Stop making excuses for people. Stop defending their inconsiderate ways. Start taking care of you and your own needs.” Unknown
I do that all the time. Make excuses for inconsiderate people that is, BUT there comes a point in time when I say enough is enough and then I shut the door behind me but unfortunately, it is always a day late and a dollar short. I’ve learned my lessons the hard way but most of us do. Don’t ask me why but we just do. Do we get a thrill out of pain? I don’t know but not paying attention when life is screaming seems to be the problem.
When we don’t pay attention to love, it has a tendency to bring us down to our knees and then we ask what happened? We know exactly why. The answers have been staring us in the face even before the collision happened.
Pay Attention To Her:
When a woman is “tripping” she cares, when a woman is “mad” she believed in you and you let her down, when she is “asking questions” she is trying to gain clarity, when she is “quiet” and letting things slide she is giving up….And when she is not doing all of the above…just know you have lost a good woman.” Unknown
AND
“Sometimes you have to put aside what you feel for them, and PAY ATTENTION to what their actions are saying they feel for you.”
Finally, paying attention seems to be the key to a better life, better relationships and a better way through the intricate maze we call life. Pay attention to the signs before it is too late. Not easy to do but there is no other way it seems.
Listen to the wind, it talks.
Listen to the silence, it speaks.
Listen to your heart, it knows. Native American Proverb
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