Midnight Motivations and Musings #49

April 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

Most times we are told to look at our areas of strength and to capitalise on them and in so doing leave our weak areas to lag behind.

Have we considered that our weak areas could be our diamonds in the dirt, waiting on us to dig them out?

Have we considered that our weak links could be focused on, strengthened and become sources of a positive turnaround as well as a source of inspiration for other people?

A lot of times, we spend time trying to hide our flaws and weaknesses so that others won’t judge us, that we fail to see the good sides of them.

I am learning to look at every cracked piece of me. To take it apart piece by piece and see them as truly are.

Who knows, I might just discover several raw gems and beautiful flaws in the buff.

Have a good go at it!

The miracle of friendship…

April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha6 Comments

The miracle of friendship happens in great ways even though they may seem small. When we speak to others, we have no idea how much life our words carry and mean. This post is the best that I have read today. It was least expected that I should see my name in a post such as this and not only am I humbled by Darrel’s words, but I am humbled to think that my words can make a difference enough for this lovely person to count me as a worthy friend.
Depression is an ailment that is not too well understood and it is a silent killer. It’s never an easy burden to bear on those who suffer from it.

My Opinionsville

I started out wanting to write a blog about depression, as well as this one, concerning how I feel about my friends in the blogging community… The two seemed to be intertwined in my mind, which was confusing me about what to say, and when. So I’ll begin with the most important. It’s not the volume of friends that I have here that matters to me, it’s the miraculous advancements in my writing, I couldn’t possibly achieve without them! They are the reason I can hang in, while my depression always says that I can’t! That would be next to impossible in and of itself… So you see? A few loyal friends is way heavier than a multitude of fair weather friends who desert you when you’re at a low point in your live; just the time when you need your friends the most!

They have done more than keep…

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Family · The Great Book Of Lists

Celebration and Acts of Love….The Great Book Of Lists.

April 3, 2016January 31, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

La Duchesse Derat gave us two themes for this week’s Great Book Of Lists and as usual, they are topics that bring out the joy in us.

I am a very expressive person and I believe in appreciating those around me whether in little or big ways. What matters is that over time, those little things compound into something that they hold on to as a good memory.

The little Acts of love that I indulge in often are:

I am a hugger: Embracing my children, my husband and those whose are close to me always give me a warm buzz and it costs nothing.

Buying little tokens or giving a gift card: A lot of times I might stumble on a little item that makes me smile and think of someone, from a painted little vase, a book, or a card. I buy it and give to the person.

Occasionally, I indulge in gift cards that don’t cost the World – a 10, 20 or 50 dollar gift card depending on how buoyant my pocket is at that point in time and give them out in appreciation. There are times when I have a little bit extra to spare, I could buy up to 5 gift cards and just keep in my purse and give them out as my spirit moves me.

Cooking: Celebration calls for arrays of food. It always gives me pleasure to watch everyone eat, drink, laugh and generally enjoy the offerings that I made with a lot of love and sweat 🙂 There is this bond and camaraderie that eating together builds.

Calling and texting: I always endeavour to call or text family and my close friends to find out how they are doing. Now BBM, Whatsapp etc have made it cheaper to do so. It gives me an uplift in the spirit after a nice, warm chat.

I listen, I counsel and I pray: I always offer a listening ear and as much as possible, try to offer an objective advice that’s not biassed. If it requires praying, I would partner in prayers and counselling. If issues need to be straightened out, then as much as possible I will tell you my mind as gently as I can. I don’t believe in enabling someone to behave badly and unfortunately, this has once or twice not gone down well with one or two friends who sought my advice and expected me to side them in their bad behaviour…telling my friend that she’s wrong to wish her husband harm and going out of her way to his office to make a scene did not earn me any badges, but it’s not a friendship that I particularly miss. I will only proffer an advice that which I would probably resort to myself.

When it comes to celebrating:

I dance. I love to dance and possibly sing along to the music. Sometimes, when I feel very glad, it’s not uncommon to just play my loud jams and dance. Occasionally, my husband takes me out to go dancing and dining afterwards.

Going out with my family for a good time.

Take my body wholeheartedly to a spa and get a little pampered. There’s nothing like a deep tissue massage to work out the kinks and a relaxing pedicure to make you feel as if loads has been lifted off you. I love to paint bright red colour on my toes at such times. It makes me feel like revving my engine 😉

Indulge in some cheap home treat of reading, eating dark chocolate, running a nice hot tub and just feeling good.

I share my good news. I believe so much in the power of positive aura and when I have positive vibes to share, I do so.

Fiction · Personal · Poetry/Poems

Dear Husband Of Mine… personal

April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha49 Comments

Sometimes, I keep quiet
Searching for the words
To say that I love you.

Sometimes, my heart combusts
With the fullness
Of knowing you.

Sometimes, I doubt if word’s
Can really say
What I feel for you.

These times,
I utter words of thanks
To God who brought you to me.

Sometimes, I love you
Seems to be so small
A word for what you mean to me.

You mean the World
And so much beyond
My husband. You are a good man.

This time
I can’t keep quiet
But shout it from the rooftops.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Uncategorized

Glorious Earth…

April 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Humans · Photographs

Everyday Beautiful People # 6….

April 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

“It is good people who make good places.” Anna Sewell

#Most people are inherently good.

Midnight motivation and musings

Midnight Motivations and Musings // 48…

April 2, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha23 Comments

Opportunity is taking the situation that you are in and turning it around on its head to make some sense out of it. Opportunity is not going to traipse lazily and knock on your door begging you to pick it up.

Opportunity is not going to traipse lazily and knock on your door begging you to pick it up and it’s not everyone that will have a Cinderella story to tell. Some will have to work their way out of the grate of cinders with all the smoke and never a pair of dainty slippers to lose or Prince galloping to the rescue.

Some will have to work their way out of the grate of cinders with all the smoke and never a pair of dainty slippers to lose or Prince galloping to the rescue.

Adapting to the situation that life presents us is the first key to getting ahead.

Finding the positives that such a situation has to offer and tailoring it to serve some worthwhile purpose in your life is turning an ordinary occasion into a great and well-optimized opportunity.

Your story is an opportunity. Your life is an opportunity. Your art is an opportunity. Your photos are opportunities. Your speaking strength could be an opportunity. Your baking is an opportunity. Your cooking is an opportunity. Your parenting is an opportunity.

Opportunity abounds. Use them as well as you can.

Family · Little rants · Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Be Wise, it’s possible that I’ve been foolish!…Streams of consciousness Saturday.

April 2, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha37 Comments

‘Be wise,’ this caution repeats in my head so many times in a day, sometimes as early as when I rise up in the morning, that I am beginning to question myself to find out where my foolishness lies and why the caution keeps popping into my head.

How I wish the repetitive caution ‘be wise,’ jangled hard with cymbals and vuvuzela when I am about to help myself to a second slice of pie or cheesecake.

I have no problem with being wise after all, that’s what aging is meant to bring, even though I am beginning to question some older people’s sense of reasoning these days.

Some of them seem to have sold their sense for two cents that common sense is becoming less common in the quarters where you expect to see it.

Be wary of slick-tongued politicians. They make promises that they can’t keep. All their bluster is simply empty air. I guess a nation can’t live without leaders to direct their affairs, but the current state of affairs of my dear country Nigeria makes me wonder what those old men garbed as politicians are doing in there?

They are selling the nation short and robbing it blind. Could they just be honest for once in their lives?

I guess not. It’s simply not in their best interest to be pillars of honesty, otherwise, they can’t become thieves.

Besides Nigerian economic and political woes, these days, I have become more cautious with listening to news that simply raises my angst.

I have basically whittled it down to the barest minimum. I barely bother to listen to CNN anymore because all I get to hear is American political brouhaha and we have till November to suffer through such news, not that they used to show better things in the first place

Anyway, before I become dour and boring, let me heed to my inner voice of be wise and save myself some foolishness.

This weekend, I am going to be absolutely and decadently lazy. I am going to be doing some ‘me introspective time’ and generally chilling with my brood.

Life is certainly beautiful and as Linda’s prompt suggests, I am just going to ‘be’ing and not doing.