writing

Magazines

I can’t remember their names! Dad used to order lots of books, puzzles, and things of interest and I got my hands on them! I would work the puzzles, and read all the other stuff that was there. That’s how I took an interest in reading. I have dad to thank for that.

Then one day, those new magazines started arriving. They had beautiful pictures of faraway places. I could go there and dream without ever leaving home. Switzerland became my fav place and I read up on everything I needed to know about that place. One day I was going to visit this marvelous place and experience it for myself. It never happened.

Other places came along. Sri Lanka, Brazil, Hawaii, Asia, and many many more. I would visit some of those places in real life and experience the culture, the people, and the cuisine for myself.

I realized that I didn’t have to leave home to go to my dream places. I could do that right from my bedroom and flipping pages took me to some wonderful lands and faraway destinations.

Traveling was not a choice. I married somehow who traveled alot, career choices helped with some other visits, and I went along whether I wanted to or not. These days I am content with where I am at. Peace and quiet is what I seek the most and those faraway places will remain undiscovered as far as I am concerned. I’ve done enough traveling in my life, time to hang up those shoes and COOL it for a while at least.

To answer your question, no movie or book inspired me to travel or maybe it did but I can’t think of any right now. Those magazines come to mind so question answered!

Daily writing prompt

What’s a movie or book that inspired you to travel?

View all responses

I’m Not Feeling Well!

Photo by Jason Renfrow Photography on Pexels.com

This is an excuse my ex uses to his advantage. He has been using it for a long time now. The man is not only a cheater, a liar, and an all-around two-timer, he pulls out this one card every time he doesn’t feel like doing something.

The man doesn’t realize that “crying wolf” too many times doesn’t work to his advantage. He is very intelligent, a physicist, and anything to do with science he has a handle on but when it comes to the social stuff and how you should handle people he is clueless!

“I’m not feeling well,” is his get out of jail free card so to speak. I know it well, I’ve lived with it for a long time picking up the slack when he was too busy pretending to be sick and galavanting to his heart’s content. No, he is not a good person. What did I see in him? Nothing much at first but he was quite good at pulling the wool over my eyes that I believed every word he said.

Coming back to the question at hand. This is his best excuse and the one he uses often. It means he is too sick to do anything he doesn’t want to do. The problem is, his son is catching up on what this is about as well. The ex was supposed to do something important, had promised (he never keeps his promises), but at the last minute backed out using his worn and tattered card once again. “I’m not feeling well.” The son finds out that he is well enough to go on vacation with his current fling. Anger? Yes, he feels it and so do I. However, there is nothing much you can do with someone who is remorseless and is all about himself.

It takes work on my part to cool the situation down which I have been doing for a long time now. This doesn’t mean I don’t feel the anger, the hurt, and the pain my son feels. There is not much I can do about that GUY! I can only see what I can do to make my son feel that he is important because he is far from feeling that at the moment.

“I’m not feeling well.”

To cry wolf means “to raise a false alarm or give unnecessary warnings.” It also destroys your credibility of which he has none I might add. One day when an actual emergency arises, no one will believe a word he says and that day couldn’t come soon enough!

Now that I’ve had a full-on vent session, I’m feeling so much better!

Next question please……

Daily writing prompt

What is the best excuse you have heard lately?

View all responses

I’ve acquired many habits that have contributed to my well-being ever since I’ve been on this journey of self-improvement. I love walking, working out, meditating, relaxing, and taking time out for myself. However, if I have to pin down one habit that has improved my life the most, it would be writing.

Writing is something I do everyday. The WP prompts help me to vent, to bring forward what I’m thinking about, to bring forward things that bug me, and to think outside of the box. Some days I have lots to say and on other days nothing! It doesn’t matter, it is a way to bring forth all that is hidden deep within and a way to look at those issues more deeply.

Sometimes it helps to see them more clearly and at other times, I get solutions to rectify problems and to move forward with a clear path in mind. It is not always easy but it is better than doing nothing. Some days, I feel great after venting about something that has been bugging me and I hope that some of what I put out there helps someone else who is on the same path and struggling to find a path forward.

Writing has definitely worked to improve my life for the better. Life doesn’t seem as hard as it used to and I feel like I have a “friend” I can turn to when the clouds move in and dim the lights. This is one habit that I will keep on doing because it doesn’t cost anything, just time and thinking on my part. Both are doable and the rewards outweigh what I put into it.

Daily writing prompt

What’s one habit that has improved your life the most?

View all responses

The Hard Years

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

It was hands down the time during the breakup of my marriage. I didn’t know “HARD” until then. I was caught between a rock and a hard place and there was no escaping the pain, the confusion, the insecurities, and the feelings of loneliness that followed.

The adulterous affair he had tore our marriage apart but I think it started way before that. Success got to his head and arrogance did the rest. The problem was I was still caught up in being his wife and mother to our little boy. I didn’t see it coming. When it did I was broken beyond belief. Should I walk away? Can we mend what was broken? What about trust? Can I ever trust him again? That last part gave me the answers to my other questions. I couldn’t and without trust we were going nowhere. Divorce was next on the line. It was a very painful time because I believed in forevers and “forever” was lying in pieces around my feet along with my broken heart.

The thing that got me through the ordeal was my little boy. I saw the pain every time he looked at us. His world was changing and he wanted it to remain the same. However, there was no going back. I became his rock in more ways than one. His father was off and running. Any woman was fair game and we were left on the backburner or rather as an afterthought.

I took on the role of mom and dad and I stood by my boy like a lioness guarding her cub. Did it lessen his pain? I don’t think so but it did help him to know that he was loved and no matter what I was there for him.

The “angel” walked in after that and slowly but surely, I learned to stand back up again. No, I wasn’t fully healed, that took a long time and I couldn’t love him like he wanted. Every time he got close, I shut the door behind me! The thing about him was that he had both feet in and wasn’t about to leave. He stayed until it was his time to go. He showed me there is better out there. The kind of love that doesn’t take you for granted, the kind of love that doesn’t buckle at the slight suggestion of a storm, and the kind of love that didn’t ask but was willing to give selflessly. The sad thing, I wasn’t ready to accept it at the time.

I call him “my angel” because I truly believe that he was sent in to help me find my way again. He got me through the “the hard years” and just when I was finding my feet again, he left. His job was done.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?

View all responses

Switzerland

A long time ago when I was doing my armchair traveling, I came across pictures of this faraway land and it kept me captive. I told myself that one day I will visit this gorgeous place and even live there.

Life had other plans! I would travel the world experiencing life in some strange and wonderful places but I never made it to Switzerland! I lived in Asia and then I met my German ex and life got turned on its head. We fell in love, got married, and I got pregnant. He wanted to move back home, to a tiny little village that time forgot. Sometimes you can hear a pin drop.

I’ve raised my son here, learned to speak the language fluently, got divorced, and am learning to live here on my own. I think I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It’s not perfect but it is perfect enough for me. If you’re a writer, this is a dream place. It is quiet so that you can hear yourself think. The fields are gorgeous and some days you may think that no one else exists! There is very little to do here but that’s okay for a recluse like me. I love the peace and quiet. The people take some getting used to, they are set in their ways and they are way too conservative. However, when you get to know them and they invite you into their circle, that’s right “invite” you in, you’ve made it and you are treated like one of them. It is how I feel now.

I’ve been to many places in the world but if I could live anywhere in the world, I would pick this one. Why? It feels like home and there is this certain something about this place. Perhaps, it is the mixture of old and new or the smiles and waves that tell me I am welcomed here, but most of all I like the feel of safety that this place gives me. It is almost crime-free and you CAN leave your doors open at night but that’s where I draw the line!

I’m not there yet and I don’t think I ever will be. I have a German friend who leaves all the windows and doors open throughout the day and through the night! He says, “there is nothing to worry about!” Hmm…from his mouth to God’s ears!

I’m in a perfect place, one that works for me and that right there is the important part.

Daily writing prompt

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

View all responses

My Evening Ritual

I’ve learned along the way that good sleep doesn’t come naturally. You’ve got to work at it to get your 8 hours of undisturbed sleep. Even though I eat healthy, workout, and do the right things during the day, it doesn’t mean that I can slide into bed and go to dreamland at a drop of the coin. It was easier when I was younger but now that I’m on my own and handling things by myself, good sleep needs work and I’m hell-bent on getting it!

The first thing I do is to have a nice shower. Then I change into a big roomy t-shirt, the bigger the better! Before that I slather on a good mosturizing cream but I’ve had to let that go for the past week because of the heatwave. It just made me feel sticky.

Then I make myself a cup of Ayurveda tea. It is soothing and helps to calm my nerves. Most days when evening rolls around, my nerves are on edge! Sipping warm tea and having my eyes closed for about 10 minutes helps to bring the cortisol levels down.

Some days, I do some light stretching, a short meditation, and or some deep breathing. These three get me ready for bed in no time. If that doesn’t work, I cuddle with Chachi, the Little Macho, although he has lost his pants now. Shiro, the white Persian, is wearing them with pride and she is holding a whip as well!

If I’m still buzzing after that, I watch TV for a while. It doesn’t always help to soothe but after a while it gets boring and then sleep comes rushing in!

Those are my tried and true methods of improving my sleep. It works but not always. It just depends on how stressful my day was. Some days nothing helps, I’ll just have to grit my teeth and bear it. That too is part and parcel of my evening ritual, like it or not.

Goodnight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Daily writing prompt

What do you do to improve your sleep?

View all responses

Gut Feeling or Intuition

I would like to think that a gut feeling and intuition are the same but it seems that there are subtle differences. They are closely related and a “gut feeling is typically an immediate physical and emotional reaction driven by survival instincts and past trauma. Intuition is a calmer more cerebral knowing that subconsciously synthesizes experience to offer wise guidance.” I don’t know guys, it seems like it is the one and the same to me. Basically it is that feeling within that tells you you’re going the wrong way! Quite often we choose to ignore the voice that wants to do right and we walk our own path knowing full well that it is the wrong one.

I’ve done that many times over. I remember a time when my “gut feeling” screamed, “STOP! You’re headed the wrong way, he’s not the right one.” I heard it loud and clear, I saw the signs being paraded in front of me and still I ignored and carried on heading into the danger zone!

However, the journey of self-discovery I am on has taught me to pay heed to those gut feelings and to take them seriously. Not too long ago, I dated someone who seemed to be the perfect guy. Let’s just say, he ticked all the right boxes. It started out like a dream. We connected, we had the same interests, and it felt like HOME! However, my gut was telling me something else. It said, “Watch out! Things are not as they seem.” This time around, I chose to listen and it turned out for the best.

The loser was a cheater just like my ex. He played a good game and it looked like he had done it many times before. The good part, I walked away before more damage could be done. My gut feeling was exactly right and I did right by following its advice.

So the next time your gut tells you something is not right, pay heed. It has your best interests at heart just like intuition does.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?

View all responses

The Diary of Anne Frank

There were other books but this one stood out from the rest to a girl who was running wild at the time and didn’t have a care in the world except to be a young girl and to live life to the fullest.

Then I got into books and this one, well, let’s just say it had me from the get go. I couldn’t put it down and I walked her path, the one she had walked so many years before. I lived her life through her words and I cried at the injustice of it all, and when she lost family members, I wept like it had happened to me. Her father was the only one to survive the Holocaust.

The story was about a 13-year-old Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis for two years during the occupation of the Netherlands. It was also about the resilience of the human spirit but more than that, it was about man’s inhumanity to man. The diary does a perfect job of capturing the constant terror they lived under being concealed in the “Secret Annex” above her father’s business. It must have been claustrophobic not to mention horrific living under the extreme silence that was required of them to keep from being exposed or arrested.

She wanted to be a writer and or a journalist, she would achieve that dream posthumously. Her father Otto Frank published the book in 1947 and it is now an enduring reminder of the resilience of the human nature and the dangers of prejudice.

The book made me see the world in a different light. I realized and saw firsthand from reading the book that evil was out there, it had the power to destroy and it brought home the fact that my little corner of the world was safe while there were others out there that required a certain mentality to survive and where “safety” was far from what it was from where I was.

I think, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” broadened my way of thinking and I started taking an interest in what was happening around the world and would later go on to write about human injustices, racism, and human rights issues.

That book was the stepping stone to a whole new world, not always of the good kind but it was needed and it changed a young girl’s way of thinking for the better.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?

View all responses

The Helicopter Has Crashed!

The definition of a helicopter mom is, “a mother who takes an overprotective or excessive interest in the life of her child or children.” Furthermore, “helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover overhead, overseeing every aspect of their child’s life.” Guilty as charged!

My son, the one and only, has managed to do well. He has finished his studies and after landing two jobs but not to his liking, he has landed his dream job or so it seems. He is going into his third month and according to him, “Work is good.” That’s about as much as I can get out of him these days. Just short answers that don’t tell me a thing! I WANT MORE! Yes folks, the helicopter is going down fast and it is not going to be up there anytime soon and it probably never will again.

He’s on the way and keeping everything close to his chest. The problem is I am having a hard time with being fed just morsels! The first time it happened, I thought I would go crazy not knowing where he was, how he was doing, and especially when the trains stopped running and he was left to find his way home on his own! I had to learn to deal with that.

It got easier as time went on. The less he told me, the more I believed that he was alright and doing well. It was my way of surviving the inevitable. He was a young adult and he was ready to fly the coop and mom just had to deal with it. Then I wouldn’t hear from him for a few days and I would ask my ex if he had heard from him. “No, I haven’t heard from him for about a week now.” What?!! That set all the alarm bells going and needed looking into! When he was good and ready, he wrote me a few words, the emphasis being on few! “All good.”

I am writing this because he has a move coming up next weekend. He is moving to his new apartment and he will be able to have his cats with him. I thought it would take place the moment he moved in but I was told from a third source, the ex, that he has a two or three week business trip coming up and it can only happen after he comes back. Why didn’t he tell me?!! The helicopter is going down fast.

He just wrote a few minutes ago saying, “Packing.” I thought he was talking about the move coming up. Nope, he was talking about a trip coming up next week and he will be gone for a week. Where is he going? He doesn’t want to say and I have to step back and not push. The helicopter has CRASHED!!!

I see the same thing with a girlfriend. She has a ten-year-old and she does it one better than me. She is up there flying the skies and I wish I can go back to the times when I knew anything and everything like she does!

The thing is I have to accept that he is growing up fast and is leading a life of his own. So far, he has done well on his own and I will trust that I’ve brought him up well and he knows what he is doing.

By the way, that “helicopter” did a good job of raising the kid!

Have an amazing day.

Another Hard Question

I haven’t really paid much attention to underrated people in history but since you asked I did go looking and found a whole slew of them! I’ve narrowed it down to three here.

Rosalind Franklin

She is the silent genius whose work with “x-ray diffraction images of DNA was pivotal in understanding its structure.” James Watson an American biologist and Francis Crick were credited with the discovery of DNA but the truth is, they relied heavily on Franklin’s data to get the job done. Her contribution was overshadowed in a male dominated society at the time. However, her story is a powerful reminder of how women contributed to science but were not given the recognition they deserved. Things have changed since then and let’s hope it doesn’t go backwards again because of you know who.

Claudette Colvin

She was someone who at just 15 years of age courageously challenged racial segregation. Rosa Parks is a well-known name but Colvin? It seems that the incident with Claudette Colvin happened nine months before the Rosa Parks incident. Claudette refused to relinquish her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white woman. Her brave stance at a time when unjust laws were the norm was truly courageous even though she didn’t get the recognition she deserved.

Katharine Johnson

She was a pioneer of sorts. Ms. Johnson shattered racial and gender barriers by working at NASA during segregation. More importantly, she “calculated the flight trajectory for John Glenn’s historic orbit and helped ensure the success of the Apollo II moon landing. A brilliant mind but her contributions only came to light at a much later time through the film Hidden Figures.

Let’s get some easier questions please!

Daily writing prompt

Who are some underrated people in history?

View all responses