One that I can Drive

Daily writing prompt
What is your all time favorite automobile?

For many people, cars are a passion. They know about the engine, latest features, and know exactly why a car would be good for them. For me though, a car is simply a mode of transport. I do not have a personal preference as far as the car is concerned, but the places it can take me is something that I would focus on.

I don’t need a flashy car, what matters most is good mileage. If it gets me from point A to point B without breaking down or giving me any grief I am good.

I prefer cars where I can see clearly over the dashboard and reach the pedals easily. While I used to enjoy the control of a manual stick, the traffic en route to work have made me lean toward the convenience of an automatic instead.

For me, the real thrill isn’t in the car itself but in the journeys in it. If there’s one feature that adds extra joy, it’s a good stereo system.

At the end of the day, I would want a car to use rather than a car to own.

Day 17: Disconnecting from Work

I am on leave starting today. I do not know what to do. I feel a little lost. With the toxicity not constantly pounding my brain its like I an empty.

I woke up and started organizing, deep cleaning just to keep myself occupied. The fact that my pace is much slower than usual does not help. I should be thankful though, I am moving mush more than I could a month back. I want to start taking the stairs maybe 5 to start with. I am a little worried that i am pushing myself too soon but I think i need to start somewhere.

I am also hoping to start driving the car again. Baby steps, one thing at a time. I need to keep reminding myself. Now that my health has made me realize the clock on life I want to do as much as possible. I do not want any regrets. I want to be better. I know there is a high possibility I might fall at sometime but I need to remember to stand back up.

Lets see what tomorrow will bring.

Hard Pass

Daily writing prompt
How much would you pay to go to the moon?

Survival is one of humanity’s most basic instincts. Perhaps that’s why the idea of traveling to the Moon first came into our minds. It was an escape from a planet that we have damaged.

Yet, I don’t see myself going to the Moon. Earth, with all its environmental challenges, is still my home.

To me, going to the Moon feels less like survival and more like luxury. And luxury has always made me uneasy. Coming from a middle-class background, excess feels strange—almost wasteful.

If I had the means, I wouldn’t spend it chasing the stars. I’d rather use it to lighten someone else’s burden. Money can buy happiness for some people and I would want to do that. That, to me, feels just right. Add to that the benefit of skipping the stress of space travel and risking becoming a ball of fire in the sky.

In the end, the Moon may be fascinating, but Earth is irreplaceable. And perhaps the greatest adventure isn’t in leaving our planet—it’s in learning how to care for it, and for each other.

Day 16: Reboot

It was a long time since I actually enjoyed my work. I used to put music on and then buckle down. I swiftly completed my assigned tasks for the day. However, somewhere along the past 2 years, I lost that part of me.

I got my Spotify wrapped today, and I had not listened to any music for the past 8 months. To me, it was all noise. I never realized what all was stolen from me. How did I let it get this bad? I was losing myself and I did not even realize it. Today, as I opened my favorite playlist and set it to play, it bought back good memories.

It was a good change. People say that one should not go back to old habits but this was a good old habit. I finished my work. For the first time in a long time, I felt satisfied as I closed my laptop.

I made it another day! 🙂

Not on a Menu

Daily writing prompt
What food would you say is your specialty?

I am not a great cook and neither do I have a good flavor palate. I do like cooking though.

I think cooking is my blissful time. I just zone out and every single worry in my mind flies away. I started my cooking with baking. I like baking cookies, cakes and muffins. I started baking because I did not like the store bought cookies or cakes. They were too sweet for my taste. So I baked for the first time, a chocolate cake with coffee extracts for a little bitter taste. I liked it. So I kept trying my hand in baking. A new recipe every year.

As far as actual cooking goes, I can cook everyday meals. However, when it comes to new cuisine, Chinese was my first attempt. The first time around the rice was not cooked and the spices and sauces ratio was totally off. I kept at it though and after multiple tries I made a decent Egg fried rice. After that, I tried Mexican, Thai, and Indian cuisines. My initial attempts were royal failures, but I have improved since then.

If you were to ask about my specialty, it would be cuisines that are a little on the spicy side. I do not understand most other flavors but spiciness is something that I can identify easily. So I mostly deviate to such cuisines.

I am unsure if I will ever have a specialty. I think my specialty is making food that my family likes. For now, it is enough.

Day 15: A Christmas Carol

Today we had Christmas Carols at Church. My nephews sang in the choir. They looked so cute in their uniforms. Kids are always fun to watch. Their expressions and their actions always bring a smile to faces.

On the other hand, I did a major de-cluttering. I went through all my drawers and rearranged stuff where they had to go. I also removed stuff that were just lying about without any purpose. I also when through my box of memories and found that somethings in there no longer invoked any memories. I think with age perspectives changes. I think I used to dump things in the box because it was something I had as a kid. This time around, I removed some old stuff and put in some new ones.

The pain in my shoulders are flaring up as I sit at me desk. Walking around was a little bit more painful today. Still, today was a good day!

My Hero

Daily writing prompt
Describe a man who has positively impacted your life.

When I think of a man who has positively impacted my life I would think of my father. He gave me everything he could despite his struggles. He always wanted me to have better life than he did. He hid his pain to give me the best. My father will always be my first hero.

I have had friends who have taken care of me and protected me. They have stood by me when I felt alone. They sat with me when I was broken and when I was silent they have pulled me back to life.

When I first read the prompt, I could only think of the one who hurt me… who broke me. I just could not bring myself to write anything positive. It took me sometime to remember that I have had good men in my life. The actions of one person should not tarnish the good things the other have done for me.

I am thankful that I have met more good men than the bad ones. Men may not understand women easily. But some of them do take the time to just listen. And most of the time just listening is enough for a women to feel valued.

Day 14: Day of Baking

I know that the word “baking” has a lot of different interpretations. I mean baking as in the cooking in the oven baking.

Today I tried waking up early but the weather outside was so cold! I did not want to leave the comfort of my warm blanket. The cold floor was a nightmare quite literally. I kept snuggling until I realized that I was awake and did not have any sleep left in me.

I definitely had huge plans for today. I went into the kitchen cleaned up the table to make space for my baking stuff. Once that was done, out came the eggs, sugar, flour, baking tins and the other ingredients. The first cake of the the day was a traditional plum cake. I had to keep taking breaks in the process due to my shoulder injury but I made it. It went into the oven to bake.

Meanwhile, when my nephews came over we set out to make a simple chocolate cake. Because according to them it is cake only when it is chocolate!

The plum cake came out okay – a 8 out of 10. The chocolate cake probably needed a little more time – a 6 out of 10. Regardless, I am happy that I could atleast make them this year.

The medicines are working. I may not be out of pain but it is getting better. I am able to stand for longer and do things that I used to. Little steps but little steps are moving me forward.

Thank you Jesus! For teaching me to find happiness in the small things of life.

Never in a million years!

Daily writing prompt
Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

I am not a planner. I do not like thinking about the future. Atleast one year ago I did not like thinking about my future. The future for me was something dark and I chose to shut down. I chose to give up.

Today I am happier. I think my life is definitely better. I am hopeful. I seem to have learnt how to find happiness in my everyday. I have made decisions that I never thought I would. I have started focusing on myself more. I wanted to start with investing time in my hobbies and I now I have finally started doing so.

It mat not be perfect but it is better than it was at the beginning of the year.

Day 13: The Next Step

Today was a good day! I am exhausted and just want to retire early. I had to go out to run some errands. It was extremely challenging but I got through it. I hated every moment while I was doing it but now that I am back home I am proud of myself for making it.

I somehow feel like I claimed a little piece of me back. I felt that I could breathe a little better today. It was like the burden on my heart and mind is slowly lifting. I feel that now I am starting to hope for a better life. I feel a little more determined than I was yesterday.

I feel like that I still have time to make a difference. A positive difference. Maybe just because my life timer is a little bit shorter it does not mean that everything is over.

This hope and happiness feels weird but a good kind of weird. Here’s to hoping that I can continue building on this feeling.