No One Is Kicking This Bucket Yet!…

January 23, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha49 Comments

Thanks but no thanks WordPress. I still have a lot of life in me. I have no bucket list, thus no item 11 to talk about.

This is not something that I have gotten around to doing and doubt if I would do so, even though I know that it might seem the fashionable thing to do and what not, I have honestly never dwelt on it.

It’s not necessarily because I feel that I have all the time in the World because I don’t, but I am holding on to God’s promises of satisfying me with long life.

I am holding out for the blessings of seeing my children’s children and that my children will be like olive trees. As we know, olive trees are very long lived and bear bountiful fruits. I am holding on to this promise that I will not die before due season, but live to declare the good works of the Lord in the land of the living.

That said, I think that might be part of the reasoning behind my never having spent the time to make a long drawn bucket list. Where exactly on this list do I want to start from, because it would be a very long one.

Secondly, I am my own worst critic and tend to beat myself over the head when I set a long list of goals and fail to achieve them. It automatically sends negative signals of failing a promise to myself and I am seriously trying to get rid of those negative energies swirling around.

What I am trying to do is to look at the things that I aspire to achieve, break them down and focus on getting them done as much as possible without turning it into a do or die affair.

In some part of my mind, I feel as if a bucket list is self-limiting. What happens when I get to the end of that list?

Does it mean that I am ready to kick the bucket? No can do!

I think I shall pass on this assignment because, I truly believe that the journey of life should be savoured as much as possible, enjoying the joy that comes from the journey and not turn my life it into a big boring To-Do list.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

The Daily Post Kick It.

What’s the 11th item on your bucket list?

Health · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Photographs

The Buoyancy Of Optimism…

January 23, 2016January 23, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha45 Comments

Yesterday, I watched my very dear friend, Ekaete Augustine-Edet run her very first Marathon of 42.195 km in Dubai and that made me so proud.

She flew in from Nigeria with other queens of marathon. These are women who are mothers, wives, workers and all. They are in their late thirties, mid-forties and late forties.

The interesting thing is that most of them only started training several months ago.

What impresses me most is that she wasn’t sure she could do it. She was nervous about it, but she set out to do her best and she did it.

Running 42.195 km for over 4 hours is not a walk in the park. Now that is optimism and determination.

‘Well done Ladies.’

P.S. I didn’t run, but I was there to whistle and cheer them on and of course to take pictures 🙂

The Daily Post Photo Challenge Optimistic.

How do you fuel the fires of optimism?

Health · Life · Social Issues

Sickle Cell Anaemia…

January 23, 2016September 17, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha41 Comments

When I was a very young girl, my bosom childhood friend Nnenna * God rest her soul* had sickle cell.

In my mind I still recall day’s of visiting her with a bunch of other friends and watching as she wept in throes of pain.

We would rub and massage her muscles to help, try to make her laugh and a lot of times I would go home feeling burdened with questions and worry.

She was a very beautiful, bright, talented young lady and equally full of life. She never liked being segregated or made to feel different and now that I dwell a bit on these memories, I can’t even fathom how big a burden she bore.

Knowing a family that lived a few streets away from our house, lose their offspring one after the other from Sickle cell disease, definitely cemented the indelible marks that SCD made on my mind.

Today, thankfully, with modern science, life expectancy of sufferers is a bit longer than what it used to be, nonetheless, it is still a traumatizing disease.

To know a bit more about SCD, you can click on this link Sickle Cell Disease.

Personally, I love to support groups that are out there, selflessly seeking to improve the standard of living of human life.

Most times, when we hear the word support, we balk at the idea because we automatically think of big bucks.

Support can come in so many forms that may not involve parting with any form of money.

Support can be the giving of your time and helping hands.

Support can be by lending your voice to a worthy cause.

Support can equally be by just being there for someone who you know going through a rough patch. Knowing that you are there counts for a whole lot.

‘Remember that though you may not be there for everyone, you can be there for someone.’

Regards,

Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Quotes For You · Three quote challenge

When You Agree…

January 22, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

In my place, there is a saying which states that ‘when you agree, your God agrees with you.‘

A blogversation that I had recently with an awesome blogger brought back this saying that my dad used ever so often back to my mind and I spent a little time dwelling on the thought of it’s meaning.

As a child whose parents used lots of proverbs to buttress a point, I never quite understood some of what they were trying to say to me then, but as time went on, these kernels of words planted have been germinating profusely and I find wisdom tucked inside them.

It is a common belief back in my place that each person has their own little ‘Chi’ or ‘God’, also perceived as a guardian Angel and that whatever limitations the person sets for themselves, that is equally where their God will set himself.

If you buy into the myopic view of a misguided person that you are not good enough, then you will remain so.

If you set limitations for yourself with all the usual excuses: because I am poor, black, brown, fe/male, tall, short, etc, you will not grow past your limitations. To grow past them you have to stop agreeing to the negative feedback of ‘You Can’t.’

‘What are you agreeing to?’

There is no disputing the fact that there are socio-economic challenges, gender limitations, race boundaries and all the conceivable ceilings out there that hinders us from breaking through the invisible barriers to our perceived success, but wait a minute.

What of the glass ceiling that you have placed on your own mind? No one else will break through it and free you other than yourself.

In as much as there are things we are unable to stop from happening, we have the will power to choose how we react to these things.

Do we remain victims of our own minds, or do we break free from the bounds of mind enslavement of whatever it is that we are agreeing to and become victors?

The choice is yours. What are you agreeing to? What ever it is, is what your God will agree to as well.

I shall leave these little quotes here for you to dwell on.

‘It is not what you are called, but what you answer to.’ African proverb

‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.‘ Proverbs: 23.7

‘Be careful how you are talking to yourself, because you are listening.‘ Lisa M. Hayes

For the quotes challenge invitation, I thank Kaushal of Expressive Human for the invitation, and would like to invite the following awesome bloggers to participate in the 3 days, 3 quotes challenge.

No pressures at all to do so.

The rules are:

Post 3 Quotes on 3 consecutive days.
Thank the person who nominated you.
Nominate 3 other bloggers on each day of challenge.

Pancake Bunnykins

Sabiscuit

Commonsensegal

Challenges · Hope · The Great Book Of Lists · Travel · Weave that Dream

Desires of Mine…The Big Book Of Lists

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha25 Comments

For Laduchessederat’s great big book of lists challenge for this week, some of the things that I presently wish for, might be daydreams, but, I so love daydreaming.

I wish that I could breeze through editing my manuscript so that I can move on to the next stage. Editing is not as much fun as writing the rough manuscript.

I wish I could get better toe-hold of my health/weight. I know that I can do better than I am doing right now.

For no specific reasons, these two cities have been on my mind: Vancouver and San Francisco. They have always sounded very posh to my ears and out of the long list of places that I would love to visit, thoughts of these two are dangling in my head.

I wish that I would be able to start my authors blog soon, but then again, that is tied to number 1.

I wish to put my short stories together, dust them up and publish them. *Sigh* There is so much to do.

I wish that I could continue with my piano lessons, but over here in Dubai, things tend to cost an arm and a leg, so I can’t afford that right now

I am holding my cap out for a Mediterranean cruise or a repeat tour of Europe by train.

My wish for each day of 2016, is to remain at peace within myself and give the best of myself for each day in achieving my goals.

This thought is rather a far-fetched thought, but a wish that seats deeply in my heart. Sometimes, I am scared at the rapid rate of my children’s growth and other than taking as many photos as possible, as well as trying to appreciate my time with them as much as I can, I wish there is a way to encapsulate these memories, so that even when I am very old, I will remember. If you have an idea how, please do share 🙂

Fiction · Friday Fiction in Five Sentences · Hope · Short Stories

The Bill…Friday Fiction In Five Sentences.

January 22, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

She counts the coins over and over again.

It would barely be enough to purchase meaningful grocery.

‘Dear Lord, where will the next meal for the babies come from?’ She wonders in despair.

Hearing a shuffle of feet and a rap on the door.

She rises wearily to check who it is, but there is no one at the door, just a little note wedged into the space under the door, with a 50 dollar bill nicely folded inside.