Sharing about holidays- SYW – 29 May, 2023

This week, Di is asking us about holidays and vacations;

Here are this week’s questions:

If money was no object, what would be your ideal holiday?

I have mentioned before that if I had a lot of money to spare, I’d go for Hajj or Umrah in Saudia Arabia. It has both elements in it; Spiritual elevation and physical relaxation.

I would also love to visit Türkiye again for I loved going there 5 years ago when I went there with friends. This time I’d love to travel with my family, kids, and their families too.

Do you save for a holiday or put it on plastic to pay off later?

My husband is in charge of finances and he saves up for a vacation. We never spend the money first to pay later unless it’s an emergency.

Have you ever been on a cruise?

No never. We live in a city far away from the sea/ ocean. I’d like to go on a cruise but with the massive increase in travel costs, it doesn’t seem a viable option in the near future.

Do you send postcards or buy mementos?

I do buy mementos from any new place I visit. Usually, fridge magnets are the easiest ones to buy and display. They are also the most appreciated gifts.

Gratitude:

Sometimes, just having someone by your side is enough.

With my husband on our recent get away weekend trip. It is really great to have someone who understands you with you , specially when you’re facing challenges.

More pictures from our trip

Thanks Di for these lovely questions.

#Keepitalive

#SYW

May 26th- Anything special today?

Respond to this Friday Faithfuls challenge by writing anything about May 26th, or any other thing that you are going through in your life, possibly as a way of recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month, or you can go with whatever else that you think fits.

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This weekend ( for the last 3 days) I and my husband took a break and traveled to Islamabad, our capital. It’s a 4+ hour drive. We are staying at a beautiful place and enjoying our mini-vacation. It’s good to get out of the routine once in a while and enjoy the break. It also helps to center us and improves our mental health when we take time out to enjoy nature.

We drove up to a resort in the north for a day trip to a place called Bhurban. There’s a very well-maintained hotel here that has huge spreading lawns full of wonderful flowers. The landscaping is marvelous and as an added bonus, the weather was just perfect.

I’m sharing a few photos of our visit.

In response to MLMM- FridayFaithfuls, hosted by Jim

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#FridayFaithfuls

Sunday Poser # 133- Embracing new ways?

Welcome back to another Sunday Poser

This week my question is;

Do you prefer old ways or new technology in your day to day life?

By old ways I mean using a wristwatch, using a diary to keep appointments, or a calendar hanging on the wall to note events that you’d like to remember.

All this can be easily done by your smartphone. But some people prefer to do it with a paper and pen.

I do wear a watch! Always have. Though recently a fitness tracker has taken its place. But I’ll still flick my wrist to check the time. On my bedroom wall a calendar is hanging on it I’ve circled important appointments and events. For taking notes I do use the phone but for my A to Z challenge, I noted down all the topics in a small notebook.

What do you prefer in your daily life? High tech gadgets keeping a record of your routine or you like to do it manually?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section or you can write your own post and link it to this one so that I can find it.

As usual, thanks of visiting and reading.

#Keepitalive

#SundayPoser

The impact of fear and/or anger

This week Maggie asks;

How have fear, anxiety and anger played a role in your life and how have you managed those responses?

All three emotions have played a role in my life.

Fear;

I don’t fear things ( except ferociously barking dogs) but I feared making people unhappy or upset with me. I’ve written about this before as well and I now realize that it’s part of my inherent nature, and also a consequence of how I lost my mother as a young child.

I have recently realized the futility of this fear and am working on making myself rise above this desire to seek approval from everyone. It’s hard at my age but it’s an effort I need to make.

Anxiety;

My fear of upsetting people gave birth to social anxiety. My anxiety manifested itself as repeated headaches/migraines-type symptoms with such pain that I would have to miss school. This went on till I was a young mom and my husband had to rush me to the ER to get painkillers injections in the middle of the night, many times.

It was with the help of my late father-in-law that I started to loosen the grip of this anxiety and got rid of those intense headaches. He was a great visionary who could see life clearly and would offer advice and comfort to anyone seeking it.

Anger;

Luckily, anger was the least of my problems. I rarely get angry and even when I do it’s usually hidden inside my heart and not expressed. I feel that anger is a very destructive emotion and harms us more than it harms others. A few times that I’ve gotten angry and spoken out are the times I’ve regretted deeply. Now I try to keep quiet when I do get angry, and thankfully it is rare.

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In response to; Tranquil Thursday # 13, hosted by Maggie

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#TranquilThursday

Art

WQ #17: April 26: ABSTRACT/WRITER’S CHOICE/DOUBLE DIP CHALLENGES

Logo by Donna @ Retirement Reflections

Art is the expression of the thoughts

The artist paints what they want us to see

The observer sees not what the artist wants

But what their mind perceives in that work

Abstract or realistic, art is what we make of it!

Every image, every sculpture, and every photograph

When presented to any viewer to view, access, and evaluate

Invokes a set of feelings, emotions quite distinct in each individual

The definition of art is what and how it’s projected

Beauty and its meaning always lie in the eyes of the beholder

Abstraction is the expression of the spirit

Breaking the rules set by the orthodox

Going free and wild to express feelings

An explosion of colors, speaking to the soul

🎨🎨🎨

Art made by my grandchildren

My family- as drawn by my 4 year old granddaughter

The art displayed above is not abstract art but every grandma would love to share the art made by her grandkids.

In response to; WQ #17: “Abstract, Really? Interesting”, hosted by Marsha

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#WQ

A to Z Challenge- Questions-X

My posts in A to Z challenge this April will be on questions!

How to X-OUT Anxiety and stress?

We all suffer from anxiety during our daily life. It’s completely natural to have feelings of stress and apprehension about some upcoming event in our lives. Exams, marriage, jobs, and other important things which impact our lives can be a harbinger of anxiety and stress.

For the mild form of anxiety, trying to relax is very important.

Diverting the mind by listening to music, walking, doing meditation, or doing yoga, all are great ways of lessening stress and anxiety.

Thinking things through also helps us to identify the cause of anxiety and work out a solution to get rid of the root cause of stress. I have always benefited from analyzing why I’m feeling stressed out, anxious, or sad and when I could identify the reason, it often helps me to resolve the problem.

Apart from this normal feeling of anxiety, there is an enhanced or exaggerated form of anxiety. This strikes people who are more sensitive to the atmosphere around them. When anxiety reaches a level that one finds normal functioning difficult, it is time to seek help. There are therapies and medications available to help with anxiety.

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#Keepitalive

#AtoZChallenge

#Anxiety

Scene setting for joy

It’s Eid today

I want the house to look tidy for the family lunch, but trying to set the scene is difficult as there are two 4-year-olds tearing around in glee.

One would bring a toy from the spare bedroom and the other would want it. Then both of them will bring lots more toys and scatter them all over the living room floor. We also have two younger grandchildren, one is 9 months old and an adventurous crawler and the youngest is just 6 weeks old.

Our eldest grandson looks at all this activity with the disdain of a teenager and is engrossed in his game on the iPad.

To be honest, this is exactly the sort of scene of family harmony that I’d like to see. Everyone is relaxed after a good lunch and kids are having the time of their lives.

Your prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “scene.” Use it any way you like. Have fun!

In response to Linda’s One Liner Wednesday

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#SoCS

A to Z Challenge- Questions-R

My posts in A to Z challenge this April will be on questions!

How to RESOLVE a tiff?

Keep quiet let bygones be bygones

Or sit together, and hash it all out

Sometimes one strategy works well

And at times other is the best way forward

At times you are left floundering, wondering

What’s the secret to maintaining amicable relationships

With people who are super sensitive and non-forgiving?

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Do you have family members or friends who are easily offended? How do you deal with them?

#Keepitalive

#AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge- Questions-N

My posts in A to Z challenge this April will be on questions!

Are you a NOTE-TAKER?

Jotting down ideas for writing

Or making a list of chores to do

Perhaps compiling a shopping list

Sitting in a lecture hall noting down

Practicing the art of writing with paper and pen

The world today is changing, ever-evolving

And we are forgetting the skill of printing words on paper

We are taking notes alright, but they are on devices

Written or spoken so that we’ll remember later

The brilliant idea that we wanted to immortalize

Just for old time’s sake, do write down something every day

With a pencil or a pen to keep up the skill of note-taking!

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#Keepitalive

#AtoZChallenge

#Skills

A tour guide to the world of stories

Logo by Donna @ Retirement Reflections

WQ #15: April 12: BE A TOUR GUIDE WHERE YOU LOVE #Prescott WalkWEDNESDAY QUOTES

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Being a tour guide in the physical world is a role that I might aspire to but would find it difficult to fulfill. So I’ve chosen quotes regarding being a tour guide to the world of imagination.

There is a world that we live in physically

And then there is a world created in our imagination

Both have their important roles to play in our lives

The physical world, we explore each and every day

The world of imagination is sometimes neglected by us

Explore this realm for it contains treasures unknown, unimagined

I have slipped on the mantle of a writer

I have the goal to show you the sights

Of a world that exists inside the covers

Pages that come alive with excitement and adventure

Together we will go on a journey of discovery

And explore the world of possibilities yet unexplored

Remember the small rectangle card that was the passport

That took you inside a library and gave you access

To thousands of books in dozens of bookshelves

And a kind libertarian always there to help and guide you

Towards the books best suited to your age and interests

With nostalgia I remember the excitement I used to feel

When it was my day to visit the library and to check out books

Every week without fail I got four new books in exchange

For the ones I already had read and experienced the adventures of

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Written in response to;WQ #15: Be a Tour Guide, hosted by Marsha

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#WQ

Here are this week’s questions:

Gratitude:

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Do you prefer old ways or new technology in your day to day life?

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Art made by my grandchildren

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How to RESOLVE a tiff?

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Being a tour guide in the physical world is a role that I might aspire to but would find it difficult to fulfill. So I’ve chosen quotes regarding being a tour guide to the world of imagination.

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