Today’s theme for Photo 101 is bliss. Well, it falls in rather nicely today. Yesterday it rained ceaselessly that the school sent a mail of no school today, so yours truly started having bliss from last night at the thought that I don’t have to jump up at 4:30 in the morning. Yours truly lounged in bed. Now that is bliss 🙂
My source of bliss are derived from the simple satisfaction that I can find in the daily life around me.
I make a conscious effort to cultivate a heightened sense of contentment and each source depends totally on my frame of mind.
Something as little as seeing a happy dog, gives me a sense of joy.
Below are some things that signify bliss for me.
Putting up my feet on a lazy weekend and indulging in a good read with some nibbles.
Listening to my music and stealing in some wiggles.
A lazy day at the beach.
Eating out with my lovelies. We get to spend time chit-chatting and I get an off day from the kitchen.
Walk in nature and emptying my thoughts. Sometimes, I use that time to pray as well.
Just sitting and watch children play freely gives me joy.
Getting a pedicure with foot massage. Ah!
The sauna helps to work out the kinks in those bunched muscles. Toss in a good professional massage and I am in happy land 🙂
My new skipping rope. The previous one was a killer rope in it’s past life.
So here I am seated in-between Sugoi and Umami, two Far East Urban Cuisine/Japanese and trying to decide what to eat as well as checking my mails when I see Colette’s challenge sent to me to leap and the Daily post prompt to leap as well, so I will kill two birds with one stone.
Don’t think that I am a food addict. A girl has to eat to keep the brain cells functional and aside from a bowl of porridge and currants this morning, this is a late lunch of my decision, veggie rice and teriyaki prawns.
I enjoy the drone of voices. It’s amazing when you keep silent and just listen to the cacophonous buzz around you. My thoughts takes me back to the beginning of the year and how far I am leaping along.
Thinking about leaping made start looking at people’s feet as they passed by, for silly reasons. No one was leaping out-rightly, just a scurry, a flinch, a waddle and a slow trot.
Where have I leaped to between Jan and now?
I tried to leap high, but feared that I would break a precious bone, so I just hopped along.
I just bought a new skipping rope, a few minutes ago. Very apt for leaping out of a month. I will obviously leap a lot in March.
The last one I had was used for drilling young recruits in its past life. It kept flogging the back of my legs *no jokes* when I didn’t skip high enough, that I had to ask myself if the punishment was worth the result?
So, I finally finished collating my poetry book and hopefully, by next week, I will seek professional assistance with editing and book cover. The plan is to have it out between March and April, so it’s right on track and I can tick the box for hopping along with my set target to have four of my published works out this year.
Yes, I know its a tall challenge, but I believe in setting a high bar for myself so that even if I fail to meet all, I fail forward by achieving a good percentage.
I hopped to a writer’s critic group and asides from parting with too many dirhams buying coffee and sandwich, watching people feel snazzy and writer-like with the interesting hair-dos and streaks of colours, and a huge dragon tattoo running from one shoulder into her bosom *I didn’t get to see the bosom* but the dragon did, and a lot of Shisha smoking all around, I really didn’t get much out of the experience, so I am quite doubtful that I will repeat the experience.
I dared to submit one of my stories for a competition. The results don’t come out till March, though in all honesty, I am not expecting anything, since the whole World, their wives, pet garter snakes, dogs and cats made an appearance. A cool cat is most likely going to win the prize. I did it to push myself out of my comfort zone and get over the jitters.
The weight hasn’t shifted downwards, but it hasn’t gone up thankfully.
 Blogging is coming along nicely 🙂
I am ruminating over my personal goals for March, so let me trundle along and get cracking.
So, who would like to leap off the board with me? A short note will do just fine
Colette, thank you for making me look and appreciate my steps.
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 🙂
I am late for this party, the great book of lists challenge, considering that I re-blogged the post and was all excited. Somehow, I failed to start off last week.
However, I am still going to gate crash and hope that La Duchesse Derat won’t throw me out without as much as a mince pie and a glass of warm drink.
I love waking up early when the entire house is quiet, lying still and just listening to the breathing of my husband beside me as I think through my day and make a mental to do list.
I love my early morning brisk walks especially with crisp cold breeze on my face and my denuded face free from any artifice soaking it all in.
I love those sights of little things that I get to see when I am out and about – like a flock of birds in a feeding frenzy and the naughty Cat that came and made them run away, or a budding pretty flower – such sights are fuel to my mind.
I love the tingly foot massage that my young ones take turns to give me. It is nowhere near professional but it is so soothing. Sometimes they throw in a neck rub.
I love those little moments when my youngest keeps offering to make me his special sandwich; which equals a slathered helping of peanut butter and toast, with a nice cup of beverage and he tells me ‘I love you mummy, enjoy your sandwich.’
I love having a full pantry of food even if I don’t have money in my pocket. It always leaves me with a contented feeling and satisfaction when I do my bulk shopping for the household.
I love having people around me. It always gives me a warm feeling, even though, I occasionally hibernate, which, by the way never lasts long to deserve that lengthy word.
I absolutely love to dance to my long playlist while working out. I steal in a wiggle or two. It’s like working out two things at once; My Body and my Soul.
The gym overflows to the brim Every corner occupied to its seam The svelte and the porky The taut and the cuddly All gathered in the square space Intents burning in avid blaze Brand new gears all donned for the show Sweat trickles down and dots the brows The man with the wobbly one pack See’s in his mind a defined six pack The lady with the pouting lips Takes the 50th selfie as she takes another leap The dude with true six packs Simply shows off with all the weight racks The sage mother like I, walks sedately on a climb We offer each other a nod and a smile We huff and we puff We groan and we grunt I haven’t seen the gym this way No. Not in many months of May I know the new ‘Resolutioners’ With the Dre beats and everything new Let’s watch and see how long The new fad will continue to brew.
So much have all consumed
A little plumper, we are fattened
A clink of glass and a tipple of wine
No thoughts to hourglass, the merrier we dine.
Cheers! Make merry.
Today we eat.
Tomorrow we run.