A few days ago I visited my elderly aunt. She is nearer to 90 than 80. She is gradually losing sight due to macular degeneration. Her life has been an uphill struggle since she was in her forties. But what I see in her home makes me appreciate how she has overcome her hardships and keeps herself busy and constructively occupied.
She had made an exquisitely embroidered table top insert which she had installed in an antique round table. She told me that she had started it 50 years ago but couldn’t finish it at that time because of the unavailability of the wool she was using it to embroider. When she got the material again, she finished the piece and now had found a table to get it inserted in.
I take so much courage and hope seeing her as she never gives up and is always busy making one thing or another, despite having difficulty seeing clearly. I wish I had taken a picture of that table top.
Got the picture of the table top embroidered by my aunt!
” What I’m really concerned about is reaching one person.”
— Jorge Luis Borges
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If we consider bloggers as writers, we can safely assume that the goal of a blogger is the same as a writer; To have their writing read!
When we write/ blog on a public platform, the aim is that people should read and benefit from our writing. It could entertain people or educate them. So it would be amazing if more people read our posts. But if only one person, the one who needed to read what we wrote, read our post then the purpose of writing is very much validated.
When more than one person reads my posts and comments on them, I feel that I am reaching out across the world to people who I probably would never meet in person ( except by a chance) and connecting with them. This is an amazing feeling and empowering too. The power of written words is immense and no one can foretell the impact it may have.
A few points I’ve learned during my blogging journey regarding the importance of what I write are;
Always stick to the truth, unless you’re writing fiction. Research your topic well and from multiple sources.
Convey a positive message whenever you can. Every situation has both positive and negative aspects, and concentrating only on the negative can have a depressing effect on the reader.
Be meticulous about your writing ( as much as you can) bad grammar and spelling can really distort your message.
Share personal experiences, it allows the reader to connect with you.
These are a few ways to reach out to the readers and connect with them.
10 – 15 assorted questions across a range of subjects once a week
01• Do you sometimes ‘just’ LIKE posts from those you follow but don’t often read the content, and if so, why do you do this? Is it a time restraint or something else that motivates this action?
Sometimes, when I am way behind in my blog reading due to family commitments, I do like the posts from those I regularly follow. But I do skim the content before doing that as there are certain things I don’t agree with or like!
02• What do you do with gifts you have received but have no use for?
I do regift them but make sure that the other person wants them. Mostly these are my kids or very close friends.
03• Have people become lazier concerning cooking do you think, or is it more a case of people not knowing how to cook? Is cooking considered a valuable skill by you?
Over here, we cook every day. Being lazy is never an excuse as food/ mealtime is special. The only times when we don’t cook is when it’s a weekend and we plan to order in.
I know how to cook but am not a great cook. There are certain dishes I make very well.
04• What news stories, in your opinion, have so far defined the 2020’s and what do you think they have taught us personally as individuals?
Politics, the war in Ukraine, increasing prices of everything, and increasing violence all over the world have made 2022 a year to remember with the hope that next year is an improvement. I’ve learned to switch off the tv when news show starts.
05• What would you never swallow even if you could?
Many things, including red meat, raw fish, organ meat… and the list goes on.
06• How many hours of sleep do you get a night, and how many hours do you think you need and why?
I try to get at least 7 hours of sleep. And that’s enough for me. Less than that and I don’t function at full capacity!
07• How important is it to you to have a clean house or environment to live in and does it have to be pristine?
I like a tidy and clean house, but it’s not something that has to be done right now. Tomorrow is good enough.
08• Could you give up your Smartphone and break your addiction to it?
Not at all! I’d be cut off from my family and blogging community. And won’t be able to pay my bills etc.
09• What have been five of your best TV shows from the dawn of dot to today? Why were they good?
I can never remember the names.
10• Why is life not a bed of roses but a bed of thorns? What makes your life good and or bad?
Life is what you make of it. And how you look at it. No one’s life is all tragedy or all comedy. It’s a mix and we need to be able to adjust to its different phases.
11• Toasted waffles or toasted bread, and why?
Right now; neither. I haven’t been allowed carbs since my stomach surgery. Maybe one day I’ll be able to eat bread or waffles!
12• How do you feel about the ageing process and you?
Aging is the price we pay for being alive. I think it’s a better option than dying young!
13• What is the last rebellious thing you did?
Got my stomach size reduced by half. I did this in hopes of curing my co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, and hyper-cholesterol! Weight loss is an extra benefit.
14• What would be your ideal ‘you experience’ of the following …. museum, theatre, spa day, bungee jumping?
Spa day, but if someone else is paying!
15• Could you easily step off the planet and away from society and your friends and being social and also away from the Internet for 12 months?
Nopes, I won’t for I can’t be away from my family, friends, and my blog.
For Friday Faithfuls I would like to know how inflation is affecting your life?
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Inflation is a worldwide woe these days. The rise in petroleum prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was the cherry on top of the Covid pandemic-induced inflation.
Over here in Pakistan, prices have at least doubled if not tripled of essential items. Some things have disappeared from the market altogether. The main impact on the economy is the rise in petrol prices and electricity rates. Combined, these two factors are held responsible for the huge increase in prices of groceries, fruits, and vegetables!
Like everyone else in the world, except the ultra-rich, we are tightening the belts. Switching off extra lights, minimal usage of heating or cooling, and no unnecessary driving just for the fun of it, are some of the things I’m doing. I make sure that there is no wastage of food. But in that respect, we are lucky that many deserving people around us can be given this extra food.
I have stopped spending money on stuff like makeup because it’s one thing I’ve learned from the pandemic; I don’t need that many things and also the usage of cosmetics has dropped significantly since 2020!
There was a part of the question where Jim asked ;do we think that the prices will go down when the economy starts getting better; my answer is that this has never happened before so why would it happen now since the governments have so many excuses for this not happening.
I have written on this topic before, more than twice. I’ve used two posts from my past and edited them to fit this prompt.
Prompt for RXC # 259;
“Think about how your being, your thoughts multiply in the universe. Write about your children and how do they make you happy. Mull over what else can you acquire or create to leave a legacy.
Do you want to be remembered after you’re gone and how?”
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Cast adrift on a moonless night
The ship sails on sea that is calm
Seeking quiet and solitude I stand here
Thinking how my life is dependent
On those who are a constant in my world
If……
One day I was not here anymore
Would my obituary be read with sadness
Or with a feeling of relief
Would I like them to be sad, missing me
Or will I leave them relieved, secretly happy
I think the best legacy I can leave behind
Would be a score of kind deeds
That will make them remember me with love
And be glad for the fact that they knew me
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We all are on a time lease. Our time on this earth is limited and is bound to come to an end sooner or later. Have you ever thought about how you would like to be remembered after you are gone?
Thinking of dying, leaving this world, or kicking the bucket, for some people, seems morbid. It may be true that some of us are not going to think about it at all. While there are people who give too much thought to their end. I like to have a pragmatic approach. We all will die one day and there is nothing dramatic or extraordinary about it.
What legacy do I want to leave behind?
In my view, leaving behind a good memory/ Legacy is possible if one practices the following;
1. Be kind;
It is a kind person who leaves an everlasting impression on the mind of others.
2. Be generous;
Generosity doesn’t mean spending or giving money to others, but being generous-hearted accepting others as they are, being forgiving and most of all open-minded. And not to be mean-spirited.
3. Be a friend;
What does being a friend entail? Listening to the problems of others, offering solutions, consoling them after a loss, and being there in hard times for them.
4. Don’t be a difficult person;
As we grow old, we become fixed in our ways, opinionated, and hard to please. And old age brings a lot of pain and aches, even if we are in good health. The people who I have seen, getting along well with their caregivers and family are those who maintain an attitude of ease. Taking things easy and treating others with ease of manner. One has to take one’s problems with a pinch of humor. This I think is the most difficult thing to accomplish. But I would try my best to be that sort of person who is not a burden on others but to be a blessing.
I must admit that when I started my blog, I discovered that writing poetry came very naturally to me but there was a hitch!
I cannot rhyme for the life of me or stick to the rules of certain poetic forms, in fact, I even don’t know the names of these forms, except haiku or acrostic poems.
What isa meter of a poem? I haven’t the slightest clue, nor do I know different literary devices or literary techniques.
I love to write out my thoughts in poetic form because I feel using fewer words, I can say what I want to say much more effectively, at least I hope so.
So I do call myself a poet ( of a beginner level) even though none of my poems rhyme, though some of them I feel have a certain rhythm to them!
You tell me am I justified in adopting this label or not?
Keep it alive 
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