What prompts you to write about your favourite genres?
I like writing about life. Anything can get the creative ideas going. I love both photo and idea prompts. I do miss doing the daily prompts and the challenge they posed, weaving 5-6 words into one cohesive idea!
How do you personally define ‘fear and do you think we should all live with an element of fear in our lives?
Fear is one of nature’s defense mechanisms. One should never disregard it. We are naturally afraid of things that can harm us. It includes objects and situations too. Fear makes us tread carefully in life. We should pay due heed to it but not let it cripple our way of life.
How long do you spend weekly with your hobby’s?
As blogging is my hobby, I spend around 25- 30 hours a week on it. A few hours I spend on reading, but way less than what I should.
Have you, were you, do you desire to be a hippie?
Nopes!
I was too young when this trend was all the rage. Living in Pakistani society, I didn’t encounter many hippies and so there was not much inclination to turn hippie!
I’m more of a conventional person, and my rebellious streak is just apparent when I express my opinions.
Reena is the host of Reena’s Exploration Challenge
PROMPT #175
A year back, the prompt on Exploration Challenge was “Woman”.
I decided to reverse it.
In this week,write a story/anecdote/non-fiction piece which does not involve a woman.
♾♾♾
A father
Seldom celebrated
Infrequently acknowledged
He bears the burden of financial responsibility
Carries the concerns of his family deep in his heart
Often unable to articulate his love and care in words
His actions sometimes deemed harsh, judgmental
But look into his heart and his worried eyes
And you will find a love that parallels that of a mother
Yet seldom celebrated or realized, but just taken for granted
♾♾♾
I was thinking of my own father, the kindest man I’ve ever known, or my husband who is a kind and caring father. But my children think him strict and there are often arguments when they declare that papa doesn’t get them!
“THE SUCCESS OF EVERY WOMAN SHOULD BE THE INSPIRATION TO ANOTHER. WE SHOULD RAISE EACH OTHER UP. MAKE SURE YOU’RE VERY COURAGEOUS: BE STRONG, BE EXTREMELY KIND, AND ABOVE ALL, BE HUMBLE”
In this month I plan to write at least one post per week, honoring women.
This week, I want to honor 5 women who positively influenced my life.
My paternal grandmother;
When my mom passed away, my paternal grandparents movedin with us. My grandmother took care of us, three siblings. She was old and thought herself even older than she was. But she embraced her role and took on the mantle of a surrogate mother for us. We ranged in ages, 4 – 8 and I can imagine how hard it must have been for her.
I really admire the fact that she put her own life on hold and took care of us.
My grade 8 class teacher;
She was the second inspirational woman in my young life. She was a very smart, well-articulated woman. She inspired us all to be well-read and well-spoken. We all, ( it was an all-girls school) idolized her and she never showed us any weakness. I met her again later in life when my daughter went to the same school and she was the principal there.
My anatomy professor;
She was a dragon lady. A fierce woman, closer to my grandmother’s age, she was famous for her knowledge of anatomy and her very strict discipline. We were fascinated by her and afraid of her in equal measures. She passed away a few years ago and the medical community lost a great champion.
My mother in law;
She was such a wonderful person. A doctor by profession, she was an extremely kind and loving person. She became the mother for me that I had missed growing up. She was witty and cheerful. She was my role model when I became a mother-in-law to my son’s wife. I adopted her way of interacting with my daughter in law and the result is that I’m good friends with her.
My elder daughter;
I have learned a lot from my elder daughter. She has faced many hard times in her young life but her courage and determination are phenomenal. I’ve learned to be fair and compassionate from her. I have seen how wonderful she is as a mother and have tried to follow her example.
Many people, men, and women have influenced me, but these five women stand out.
If you like, you too can share who, men or women have had a great influence on your lives.
How well do you trust your own instincts for sensing if something or someone is wrong for you and/or your life?
As far as human nature is concerned, I do trust my instincts on judging them. I can tell if a person is going to be a good match nature-wise for me or not.
Do you or can you make the right decisions based upon your gut reactions quickly or do you simply tread more carefully and observe everything before making decisions on your findings, opinions, and beliefs?
If we talk about actions, like deciding to do something or buy something small, I am very impulsive. That usually means that I make snap decisions and they are often wrong. I used to buy stuff which I didn’t need just because I liked it. Or try something new without giving it too much thought. But these weren’t very important matters. If it’s an important decision, I do think about it and get information to help me make the right decisions. I rely on information more than my instincts.
If you were to sense a change in a friendship but were not sure of the direction in which this was taking, but your instinct told you something was seriously off – how would you choose to react?
Well if it is a good, or old friend, I would ask the reason for their charge in attitude. I believe in treasuring friendships and also in talking things out. I wouldn’t want to make a decision without trying to clear the air first.
Do you think your instincts are always right and if not, what do you think can alter them to become unreliable?
I trust my instincts as far as judging people is concerned. I do tend to form an opinion about people when I meet them. But that’s as far as I’ll trust my instincts. I am often wrong about other things and would rather trust my brain to make a better, informed choice.
Melanieis filling a hiatus in Blogging Insights by asking;
I had this topic I wanted to explore via Dr. Tanya’s excellent series “Blogging Insights”. Since she hasn’t come back (yet), I thought I’d just dive in and ask the question anyway. This post isn’t to be considered ‘legal’ because I didn’t ask Dr. Tanya if it’d be all right to do it. Enough hair-splitting.
My “Blogging Insight” question deals with
How thick a skin do you need to be a blogger?
When we put out our writing for others to read and invite their comments, we also have to be ready for some criticism coming our way. Or some unfavorable comments.
I think a blogger needs to be level-headed and cool. If as a blogger I react to every bit of criticism or to unpleasant comments, I won’t be able to blog for long.
Topics which a blogger writes about, also play a role in inviting fiery discussions. So if one doesn’t want heated exchanges, one should stay away from these topics, like politics, or religion!
“Bonus question” How important is being understood?
The full impact of a blog is only when the writer and the one reading it are on the same page. If the writer is not able to clearly write, there could be many ways the writing is interpreted. If that is the aim of the writer, well and good. But if the writer is saying something that’s not being conveyed, then obviously the meaning is being lost.
I do try to write clearly and concisely. As most bloggers have found out, too lengthy posts are not favored by most people, I too have reduced the length of my posts. I find poetry to be a better medium to convey my thoughts. So far I haven’t had any complaints about people not getting my drift.
As far as the commenting goes, I do feel that many people are not commenting on my post as they were, say a year ago. This is an overall change in the blogging world and it may be the new norm.
As Di also mentioned, the time we spend creating a post has nothing to do with how well it is received.
Thanks, Melanie for these thoughtprovoking questions.
Is every piece of truth worth telling? (credit to the magnificentCyrannyfor this one)
Nopes. If my truth is going to hurt someone, it is better to keep quiet.If thetruth is important in thesense that it can change how we look at life orpeople, then it needs to be told.
Whom do you miss more Freddy Mercury or Prince? (if you don’t know who those people are, just skip this question. It’s cool).
I liked both of them but wasn’t a big fan. So neither.
If you could only email or text people for the rest of your life (no other form of communication), which would you choose?
I would prefertexting.Email is time-consuming.
Would you prefer to work the midnight shift at a really creepy out of the way motel OR work alone for eternity?
I’drather be working alone than at a creepy out of the way motel at midnight.
Bonus question because yes, these are a weird bunch this week: What’s one secret you’re still keeping from your immediate family? (no details required. You could say something like “The lost weekend in 1982”. You can also answer “Why I NEVER keep secrets from my nearest and dearest!”).
How much I really weigh!
And I’m not telling anyone except my doctor.
GRATITUDE SECTION (always optional)
Please feel free to share something uplifting that you’ve experienced so far in 2021.
My older daughter received her doctorate degree all the way from Washington university via snail mail. It took almost three months to get here. We are so proud of her achievements.
Do you find if you are feeling low that changing the colour of your clothing that you are wearing at that time lifts your spirits at all?
The nature of attire helps more than the color. If I put on something dressy and formal, and look good, ( this is very important) then I feel better. Eating something good also does the same, at least temporarily.
What would you do with your life if you weren’t afraid to do it?
Be more adventurous. Go to the far-off places, see more of this beautiful world we live in. But I would also need bushels of money too. So how about loaning me some, along with the courage to go out in this covid infected environment?
How good is your long term and your short term memory?
Short-term memory is shot to pieces. Long-term memory is better. I can remember things and incidents from when I was 3 years old but will forget what I was about to say a moment ago. I think it’s not exactly a memory issue but more of a sensory overload.
Which is more important to you today friendship or family?
My family is very important to me but so are my friends. Most of my friends are as precious to me as my blood relatives.
Prettygood, Ithink.I’vealmostrecordedfullyafter my surgery and am back to walking 5-6 miles a day.Mental health is good too, thankfully.
I’d rate both at 8 on a scale of 1 – 10.
What is your current level of exercise or activity like today?
As I said in my previousresponse, 5-6 miles walk a day in 2 – 3 installments. I don’t do any sort of exercise other than walking.MaybeIshould?
Were you one for leading an active and physically active lifestyle before today – when younger as an example?
Yes when I was a student, I used to play a lot of games.Volleyball, cricket, badminton, and cycling.Cycling was my favorite. As a young mom, Itried to keep up this level of physicalactivity but couldn’t.
By my forties, my differentautoimmunediseases made their appearances, and my healthsuffereddue to that. I got my first knee replaced at age 50 and the second one at 54. From then onwards, my healthhasimprovedsignificantly.
Have you found that your exercise has been hindered or enhanced with the arrival of the pandemic?
I was in Seattle when the pandemic hit the world. I had nothing much to do so Iincreased the time Iwalked. From 10000 steps I went to 15000 steps. So I’d say in a way pandemichelped me stay more active.
How do you motivate your enthusiasm today?
By tryingtofollow the same routineevery day.Weekends are the same as weekdays. If I take it easy on the weekend, I’dfeel lazy and my enthusiasmwould drop too.
Do you find that your emotions are harder to manage in the current situation with covid or are you able to keep your mentality stable?
I am lucky to be surrounded by my family and grandchildren. This helps to keep my emotionsgrounded. Like any other human, I do have mood swings but it reallyhelps when cute littletoddlers are there to make you forget your irritations and worries.
What is your overall vitality like today?
I think it’saround an 8.
What is a typical week like for you with activity – your interpretation?
I walk seven days a week. Burn around 2500 – 3000 calories a day( according to my activity app on my Apple Watch) and sleep 7-8 hours every night.
Stupidity makes me angry. Unjust behavior makes me furious and glitching technical issues make me lose my mind altogether.
What is your preferred mode of transport from the following: walking, driving car, train ride, or riding a bike or something else entirely?
If it’s close enough, I’d rather walk. Otherwise driving my car or being driven if someone is kind enough to do it!
Which would you rather do: wash dishes, mow the lawn, clean the bathroom, or vacuum the house.
I like washing dishes and vacuuming. I can clean a bathroom too if it doesn’t involve scrubbing the tub! Mowing the lawn is beyond me. Haven’t done it in ages.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Breakfast! I can have it three times a day!
How many pairs of shoes do you own?
I don’t know. Haven’t counted them. Maybe 15 or 20. But they all are open-toed flit flops. I own one pair of walking shoes which I don’t wear. It gives me blisters and bruises.
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning for the rest of your day?
Ten minutes if I’m not washing my hair. 20 minutes if I’ve to wash and blow dry my hair. No makeup is required these days as I’ll be wearing a mask.
What three items only would you take with you on a deserted island to survive for a week?
Food
water
and entertainment! Simple.
Lots of thanks to my dear friend Rory who comes up with such interesting and varied questions for us every week.
