I used to think that I was a good person. Then one fine day, someone told me that I had ragged them. I realized that day that even with good intentions we sometimes do the wrong things.
It was a good shocker for me. It was since then I decided that I needed to be conscious, not about the message I want to communicate but of the how the message is received.
I have tried since then to be a better person. I am trying to learn how to give space to the other person in a situation. I hope that whenever someone remembers me, they associate me with a happy memory. I hope that their memory of me gives them a reason to smile and maybe give hope that they will have more such memories.
Would you call it camping if we do it within the school compound?
I was part of the Girl Guides till middle school. As a part of the badging we were required to camp outdoors. However, for safety of the children it was decided that we would camp in tents in the school ground. I think more than the safety many of us were not okay with the lets say “outdoor toilet” situation.
Despite the adulterated camping experience, all of us were super excited. We made food using gas stoves that we carried, made a camp fire and had… let’s call them charred marshmallows. We sang songs , danced and shared scary stories.
We set up our tents which proved to be more frustrating than expected with the winds dragging us along with the tent. Finally, we had people sit inside the tent to finish the pitching.
It is definitely worse in the open, but right about past 2 am we all felt like we would freeze to death. That of course, made us huddle to together and when the morning came one would literally call us a “pile”.
The most hilarious part of the whole experience, was walking all the way to the school building to use the toilet at night. Nobody wanted to go alone so we all were using the “mind over matter” mantra. Thankfully, someone spoke in the darkness of the tent saying “Anyone? Washroom?” instantly 5 of us switched on our torches.
We reached the main school building with jittery teeth. While we were in the washroom thought we kept hearing closing classroom doors and people whispering. Of course, there was that one person in the group who seemed to know about the eerie history of the school being on a burial ground. Then all of a sudden we hear a lot of what I now know is a “Flapping” noise.
But unlike most people who take flight when there is danger, I stood perfectly still when the rest of my group ran down the hallway screaming. Funny when I am really scared, my screams seems to be muffled. Probably because my mouth just does not want to open to let the scream out. Anyways, when I finally figured out the noise it turned out to be a pigeon stuck in the exhaust.
My group did return with a teacher to retrieve me from the dangerous situation they had abandoned me in. But the walk back to the tents was just continuous bouts of laughter.
So going back to the prompt, there was camp fire, tents and half cooked food. And whether it was camping or not I leave it for you to decide.
“Crap” is an odd way to define my most precious personal belongings. Agreed. However, it is that box of crap hidden below my bed that I define as priceless.
Over the years the box has changed from a odd shoe box to a cute organizer I ordered online. Oddly, if someone were to open the box they would find a whole lot of trash.
In that box, I have saved small keepsakes over my lifetime that remind me of a happy memory. There are small notes that my friends passed to me during classes, a pine cone from my first time seeing a live pine tree, shells I picked from the beach, and so many other small things that would not make sense to another.
On days that I just want to end everything, those silly little keepsakes takes me back to a time where I was truly in love with life. It reminds me of those moments when I felt that nothing would go wrong. It gives me hope and strength to keep holding on.
And those are my most precious belongings and I will forever cherish it.
Every time I fall, You are there to pick me up. Every time I walk the wrong way, You always come to find me. Every time I am broken with sorrow, You are there to hold me close. Every time I feel that I can’t make it, You hold my hand and pull me over. Every time I loose hope in things getting better, You give me a reason to be happy again. Every time I feel alone, I feel that small tap on my shoulder and then, I see You with open arms. Every time I am at my epitome of joy, You are still there cheering me on. Every time I forget you, You silently wait for me to look over. Every time I feel that no one can hear me, I hear that the that small voice saying “I’m here for you”.
Father teach me to love You like You love me. Help me to always remember You are always there for me. Jesus, make me worthy of Your Grace.
I always act first without thinking and then I always end up replaying the scenario in my head on how I could have handled it better.
I have always admired people who can handle their emotions well. They do not say things that hurt even if the other person is attacking them. How do they do it? When there is someone coming at you barking mad, it would take every ounce of patience to not lash back.
The choice to be calm in such situation takes a lot of maturity. I am trying to learn to be more patient. Now-a-days I at least try to listen to the other person before charging in with my words. Though I am trying to listen better, I still realize that I have not gotten better at listening to the conversation without letting the words affect me.
I want to be better and more patient. There are many times that I say things in anger that I don’t mean. It just takes a moment for the words to leave the mouth but it leaves the other person hurt every time they think about it.
I hate knowing that I am the reason for someone’s pain. I want to be a better person. The life in this world is hard enough. I do not want to be the reason that someone is pushed over the edge. There were people in my life who took me nearly to the edge. I just wanted the pain to end and was close to making some wrong choice.
It is at times like this that I thank Jesus for His presence in my life. Even after all the stupid things I do He takes care of me. Even when everyone in my life was spewing hurtful words He was there. I could feel His presence in my loneliness and I am grateful to have a chance to know that sacrifice He made for me.
I have always been a night person. Throughout my school years, I have preferred sitting late into the night to study.
When I was younger I thought it was because my sister woke up early in the morning. Since we shared one study table among us it just made sense to study at different times.
But over the years I have noticed that I am more productive in the late hours. I prefer the silence. There is no one else awake with me so I can do what I have to at a stretch without any interruptions.
Ironically, the first job I had was a night shift job which completely altered my sleep cycle. I initially liked working at night and then having the day to myself.
However, over the years I do realize the toll staying up at night has taken on my body. I am trying to switch over to being a morning person. I want to wake up earlier and finish more in the early hours of the day. I think by doing that I can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day rather than the stress of not having done enough.
I am trying to sleep earlier and wake up earlier even if I feel tired. I want to start my day with a walk in the fresh air. I also want to cut down on my coffee intake and hopefully reduce my procrastination during the day.
I think my answer to this question will vary depending when I actually answer the question.
When I am in a more artistic mood, I would want to learn how to draw better. I want to learn how to draw portraits. The realistic kind with minute details.
When I am in an DIY mood, I would want to learn how to use power tools so that I can build something. Maybe a table or a small shelf.
When I am in a studious mood, I want to complete my ever piling syllabus. I want to focus and finish studying and also pass my exams.
When I am in an organizing mood, I want clean up each and every inch of the house I live. Also, I want to reorganize all the things in the house.
When I am in the cooking mood, I probably want to learn how to bake and cook new cuisines.
Or if I am in a lazy mood, I would just want to sleep!
I think I am quite a judgmental person. I am trying to change that bad trait but I am not there yet. Because of this, I think my biggest pet peeve is optimistic visualization. I am more of the “hope for the best prepare for the worst” kind of person. I veer towards the worst case scenario and often default to hoping for nothing just so I do not get disappointed. When I meet someone who keeps pushing the agenda of Positive visualization it irks me. Life is about highs and lows. You are going to have bad days its only then that you appreciate the good days when they happen. If that person wants to believes in the best outcome always that is their choice but pushing that mindset onto somebody else gets frustrating.
Another thing that I dislike is extremely long nails. I think this comes from the hygiene perspective. I love making art and often times my nails get stained in the process. To get them clean after my artistic endeavors are a hassle. I often ended up scrubbing my hands over and over again till they are clean. I always wonder how to the people with long nails manage to keep them clean. Another question, how to they manage to do everyday things so easily. Kudos to those who are experts in handling those nails along with keeping them clean.
The last pet peeve I have is something about myself. I have curly hair baby hair on both sides of my head close to my temples. I hate it when they curl up. They look like little horns. The rest of my hair is wavy. Though my hair is extremely frizzy. I will any day take the frizz over those two horns on the side of my head. I end up either cutting them short or straitening the strands everyday just to get rid of the curls. I know its and odd peeve but what can I say I am weird! 🙂
That brings me to the end of my list. There are many more but since the post asks for top 3 I end the post here.
Being the youngest in my family I have always been pampered. There was nothing ever that I needed and not got.
You never really appreciate what you have. You always want what others have. For a short while I had a place that I could call my home. And the feeling was just amazing. It was a strange place among strange people but I still managed to to find happiness.
I would not like to live in a place that is ravaged by wars or in a place where woman do not have equal rights. Other than that, I think I would love to call any place my home. And the only place that I would want to live is my home.
Too philosophical? Agreed! But no regrets! I stay with my words.
In my opinion everything about having a pet is amazing!
There will be some that will disagree especially when you see your ripped clothes or have your furniture peed on.
But for me, all that is just small things. No matter what mood I am in, my puppy always knows how to make things better. I do not know how.
On days that I come home after a grueling day at work, he runs around me in circles. Then, he runs straight at me. He makes all the exhaustion from the day just vanish. I end up playing with him and feeling energized.
Sometimes when I sit and cry, he slowly crawls into my lap and licks away my tears. He puts his head on my shoulder and keeps it there till I stop crying.
When I watch him running in his sleep or watch him trying to catch a mosquito it instantly brings a smile to my face.
To those who feel alone in this world even with everyone around do try to adopt a pet. They don’t use words. They do not understand what you are going through but they try their best to fill your void.
Word Hues 