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.

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.

Blog · Challenges · Poetry/Poems · Rononvan's Weekly Haiku Challenge

A Flash Dance…Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Poetry Challenge.

March 1, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha38 Comments

Ronovan knows how to pick the words. For this week, we got ‘Flash & Dance.’ I enjoy this Haiku challenge and I am glad I took it up. Thank you kind Sir 🙂

The flash of lissome thighs
As her skirt flounced with the dance
Set his spirits on high

************

His flash of false teeth
And his toupee that flew with his twist
Made her dance steps falter.

Image credit: Google images

Challenges · Creative Writing · Life · Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

A Song Of The Taste Buds… Stream of consciousness Saturday

February 27, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha22 Comments

Food. Yes. It is one thing that we all partake of throughout our lives. It evokes a whole lot of good feelings and memories in most of us.

It is used to celebrate virtually every form of congregation known to man and as a former food business owner, it is a very profitable business, but also a slave master that requires so much work to produce a piece of delicacy that is consumed in a bite.

As though Linda is aware of my last night’s secrets of eating a little more helping from the buffet, with the prompt word ‘Food,’ I might as well confess and write the thoughts that I had when my eyes beheld the arrays of edible brilliance.

The Song Of My Taste Buds

The flowing fountain of chocolate

The decadent slices of creme brulee, creamy cakes and buttery cups of cream caramel

The offerings of fish dishes, pan-fried, battered, deep-fried baked or barbecued,

They all seemed, fluffy and delicious, asking for a taste.

Rice in such designs, from vegetable, to plain, to white, to curry, it’s all nice

The sauteed meats and the not so laughing cow

Giant shrimps and huge prawns with beady eyes,

The crabs claws looks set to give the fingers a pinch

The steam rising from the chaffing dishes,

Disseminating the flavourful aroma of dishes a plenty

Mashed potatoes to go with black pepper sauce

Artichokes, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Lettuce and so much more

Pot roast, meatloaf, clam chowders oh my

All the drool inducing platters

An orchestra to ravenous appetite

The soft music plays on as we rotate round the food circle

A bite, a sip of drink and laughter

The elation on the faces of the consumers, says it all

The conviviality in the air

Our senses all dancing to the beat of our stomach

And the siren call of the food platter.

Challenges · Personal · The Great Book Of Lists

These Musical Chords That Tug My Heartstrings…

February 25, 2016February 29, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha36 Comments

La Duchesse seems to know all the good buttons to press to get my heart overflowing with good memories.

I grew up on the staple of a plethora of music from a father who adored music.

Our mornings started with music for as long as my dad was alive. Played on the Grundig turntable and then on to Bangs & Olufsen sound system.

I suspected my dad wanted to be a musical maestro and he had a gentle deep baritone.

I love music and barely discriminate except when they are offensive and filled with cuss words.

I love the oldies and the trending ones as well. Most days, I join my children in singing the new songs, especially as we drive around town and I teach them some old ones. We love turning on the radio and just having a go at it.

However, deep in my heart there are those beats that are ‘my forever’ rousing strings of chords. I shall choose 10 out of the string beats of my memories and 6 from recent ones.

They are those beats that I grew up listening to over and over as I grew up in my parents home. Their sounds always transports me right back to the butter yellow house with the red roof. The house of my childhood.

We thank thee from Jim Reeves
The Archies. Sugar, sugar
Handel’s Messiah
Kenny Roger’s Through the years
Miriam Makeba
Nat King Cole
Bob Marley
Michael Jackson
Dolly Parton
The Beatles

I rock these ones below with my children:

Dido – Life for rent
Adele – Hello
Nico Vinz – I am wrong
Afrojack – Ten feet tall
Dimtri Vegas & Like Mike – Take me to a higher place
Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk

Quotes For You · Writer's Quote Wednesday · Writer's Quote Wednesday · Writing

My Writers Cold Feet…

February 24, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

This is my first attempt at Silver’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday and I shall dip my feet into the water with this quote that resonates with me.

‘Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom we can neither resist nor understand.’ George Orwell

I don’t know how many times that I have read this quote and I care not to count. All I know is that whenever I come across it, I nod my head vigorously.

When people are reading the written works of others, they have absolutely no idea the amount of drive, discipline, zeal, craziness and a whole myriad of emotions and actions that are invested in that work.

It is an arduous tiresome and thankless task, yet the muse in you will not let your mind keep quiet or sleep if you don’t put down those words.

Most times, writing short notes, stories, poems and essays are easier by far and more fun than writing a book.

Sometimes, I set off writing something and find myself surprised at where I ended up.

I have three manuscripts of novels at different stages sitting on my desk and staring malevolently at me and yet, some days it’s just a drag to get editing and working at it.

I have run around in circles to circumvent doing this painful task and I am running out of ideas.

One is at 95% completion, the other 70 and another at 50 percent and the characters in these books are ganging up and threatening my life with all sorts of things.

I am using the excuse that I am putting my poetry book together to stall them.

I know that there will be mutiny in the near future when the poetry book and the motivational books are done.

Maybe then, they will seize my clothes!

Challenges · Hope · Life · Love · Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Sweet Painful Contractions…Streams of Consciousness Saturday

February 20, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha24 Comments

Contraction! I am doubled over in visceral pain, trying to catch my breath. Now what happened to those breathing exercises, when you need them. I am huffing and puffing, though I don’t resemble the big bad Wolf in any way.

All I feel is the pain that knife’s through me as if my insides would be turned out and I would be rendered to pieces.

It hits again. Another big contraction. In waves, without stopping. I feel battered and almost out of my mind.

This is the labour room and a true definition of the word labour. This is hard work in all it’s beauty, pain and glory. This is nature in one of it’s finest moments. Arrgh!

I want to rise from this infernal bed and run away as fast as I can. As though running away would leave the pain behind.

Nope! This is the real deal. No longer any imitation in the name of Braxton Hicks. He is ready to say ‘Hello Mama‘ and I can’t wait to see him as well, that is if these contractions don’t kill me first.

I try not to swear as a bear down. I wouldn’t like the first words my baby gets to hear from me to be; ‘Damn Contractions!’

Well that was fun to write. Linda thank you for taking me down memory lane with your prompt. I couldn’t think of anything else once I saw the word ‘contraction.’

Have a lovely weekend good people.

Family · Life · Lifestyle · Parenting · Personal story · Quotes For You · Three quote challenge

Your Harvest Comes In Heaps And Spades…

February 19, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha27 Comments

‘Icho ime ife, ime e ya ofuma.’

These wise words echoes in my ears as I write this post and it translates to mean ‘ anything worth doing, is what doing well.’

I remember growing up and having to go to our farm with my parents to till the ground for planting maize, cassava, potatoes, pumpkin and any other crop that was due to be planted. Back then we grew most of our food.

With my hoe, I would make what I considered a nice mound of red earth and when my dad comes round for inspection, he would call me by his pet name for me and in his gentle way, he would say: ‘you’ve done well, but it would be better if the mound was just a little higher’ and would complete his correction with that sentence up above.

This was repeatedly applied in so many ordinary things that we did, from our house chores of sweeping with the broom, washing plates, clothes, weeding the compound to our studies.

Thus it became embedded in my mind, that if you choose to do something, give it your best shot.

If you choose to love someone, love them without placing the conditions that they must fulfill to become worthy of your love.

If you are working for someone, do it wholeheartedly because some day, someone will probably turn around to work for you. As my people would say ‘when you respect the King, Kingship will also come to you.’

In everything that one does, they should do it to the best of their ability. Not for the sake of eye service, but for the sake of self-service.

Sow and Water and leave the bountiful harvest to providence. It always pays in heaps and spades.

Let me leave these three extra farming proverbs for you to mull over with your cup of coffee:

‘Good gardens are not made by sitting in the shade.’

‘As the farm grows, so does the farmer.’

‘If you tickle your earth hard enough, she will laugh for you with bountiful harvest.’

I would like to thank Maria Jansson for her generous invitation to participate in the quotes challenge and would like to extend the invitation to these lovely bloggers.

Melinda

Kay Morris

Sarah C

P.S. No hard rules to participate.

Challenges · Lifestyle · Parenting · The Great Book Of Lists · This Is My Life

Hang Your Bag…The big book of list.

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

When La Duchesse Derat started this challenge my thoughts wavered on whether I could cope with adding it to my list , now it’s become a feature I look forward to weekly and this also goes to prove that you can go the extra mile and further if need be.

This week’s TGBOL prompt asking us to make a list of the ‘the words that matter to me‘ is what we refer back home as ‘buying market‘ or ‘inviting the insect infected log,‘ because yours faithfully Jacqueline has a lot to say, but I shall restrict my enthusiasm to 10 quotes.

1. ‘Hang your bag where your hands can reach.’

My parents used this phrase so much *in Igbo language * to teach us how to be contented with what we have and never be greedy for that which belongs to someone else.

They taught us that if you worked hard and with integrity, that yours will come and this is so true.

I can truthfully say that I have never owed for a day in my life because at every point in time even when it requires living the life of minimalism, what I have at that point in time is always enough and I even strive to create surplus from the little bit.

I endeavour never to buy that which I cannot afford to pay for, no matter how beautiful it is and for that, I have peace.

2. ‘For my Grace is sufficient unto the day.

The grace of God is free and belongs to all who seek for it. We all live by grace.’

3.’ As a man thinks in his heart so is he.’

Those things that you dwell on consistently, gradually erodes your mind and heart and becomes you, in the sense that you exhibit them and they control you.

4. ‘Never give up on yourself.’

Even if the World fails you, it’s only over when you fail yourself and stop believing in yourself that’s when it’s really over.

5. ‘For I have not given you the spirit of fear but of love, of power and of sound mind.’ 2 Tim 1:7

6. ‘Dare to dream big for the journey of a thousand miles started with a step, but you need to take that step and keep moving.’

Let your dreams be large. Then take them on. Even if you don’t arrive at that precise goal, you will have a heck of a good time getting there.

7. ‘Be appreciative of the simple things of life and be contented, for there in lies your sense of peace.’

The love from my family and the time spent with them is beyond priceless.

8. ‘Give. Be happy to share out of your bounty as well as your scarcity and you will see even more.’

Giving is not only when you have money in your pocket to hand out. If you do, all the better, but giving starts from the mind. Give of yourself and of the little that you have. Your resources well up and brim over.

9. ‘Be the light that you would like to see shining in others and do unto them as you would like them to do to you.’

10. ‘Be bold and be strong (courageous) for the Lord your God is with you.’ Deut 31:6

Challenges · Haiku · Poetry/Poems · Rononvan's Weekly Haiku Challenge

Perfect…Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Poetry Challenge

February 16, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha24 Comments

I like the two words for this week’s Ronovan’s haiku. Maybe because I like milk and it’s smoothness as it glides down the throat. I tried my hand on several and I wasn’t sure which one I liked most 🙂