Spiking Blood Pressure!

April 8, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

I opened my overflowing mailbox and my blood pressure spikes in clicking anguish!

A mad woman in my head screams and runs off into the bushes to go and hide.

She just wants to ball herself in a fetal position and protect her head from the imagined boxes of thousands of mail being emptied on it!

Arrgh! I’ve got mail and I am swimming in it!

Miracle Garden and Fun…Echoes Of My Neighbourhood #13

April 7, 2016April 14, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha62 Comments

On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.

I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple.

Every Thursday, share a photo of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be a house, backgrounds of your neighbourhood, activities and so forth and you can tag it Echos of my Neighbourhood, add my link to your post so that I will get the ping from your post.

Every other Thursday, I will publish a post with the links of all those who participated the previous week.

This is just a fun way of getting to see more of the World around us through your eyes since we cannot all be at those places, we could, at least, see them through you.

We found time during the weekend to go to the Miracle Garden where I took tons of photos. Just sharing a bit of some of them with you and will share a bit more another time.

It’s a lovely place to spend a day. Always teeming with tourists and families especially during the weekend.

There are blooming petals everywhere and the mingled floral essence of these flowers hangs delicately in the air as you have an ice-lolly and traipse around leisurely or enjoy relaxing in one of the sit-outs or swings to be found around the perimeters.

Last Week Echoes gave us some peeks of different neighbourhoods, hop on let’s go see and we will be glad to see some of yours

Cycling to Ostpark beautiful, serene piece of Munich, Germany. A good place for a day’s outing.

Thoughts and entanglements Nature’s bursts in spades of beauty. The circle of birth and death.

Like Mercury Colliding Nature has so much in store for us and teaches us through its cycle. A Spring miracle to behold.

Mammoth Norwich Castle museum and art gallery certainly holds some ginormous treasure in them.

Doggerland I didn’t know about this until I looked at Kim’s photo and read her short presentation.

Mile of daffs beautiful miles of springing daffodils.

Thank you to all Echoes’ contributors. I am learning a whole lot from this challenge as well as having fun with it.

It would lovely to have you join us. Regards

Family · Gratitude

Killing The Fat…

April 6, 2016January 31, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha19 Comments

Virtue the say lies in the mean. In lay man’s term, I should exercise my laziness virtue in moderation.

I have been absolutely so laid back with my workouts and relaxing far too much to be of productive use to anyone except maybe by talking their ears off.

I am grateful for the rest time. Truly, I appreciate these moments of exhaling in-between hectic periods and I am not being mealy-mouthed about this opportunity, especially knowing that the good slice of indulgence will be over next week.

However, today my body got tired of me and begged me to take it for some concerted exercise.

My pillow gave a good fight but lost the battle of the senses.

I am happy and thankful that I got off my backside and got some sweating in. I killed some fat today!

I could practically feel the endorphins and dopamine galloping all the way to my brain in utmost pleasure. Ah! Quelle bliss.

My appreciation goes to all those who took out the time to take a peek at my book cover to help me make a decision.

Nothing prepared me for the fact that choosing a cover could be a pressure. A detail that I had been ignorant of. Ignorance indeed is bliss but can cost you some good sleep. It’s a good pressure and I am happy to be in such a position. I pray that my body will keep winning over the pillow so that I can murder some fat 😉

A heart that knows thanks for friends is a heart that will know many delights. Who or what gives you the delight to be thankful this day?

You can join Colline’s or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.

Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivation and Musings 51

April 5, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha20 Comments

The journey of self-help is what it is. SELF-HELP!

We need to take conscious steps ever so often and just be with ourselves, this could mean just a half hour of sitting in quiet reflection and not necessarily in a ritzy place.

Take that time to outline those reminders that your heart and mind should focus on each day.

Starting out might be difficult, but as the days go by, it comes easier with practice.

No guru, expert or counsellor can practice our self-help tactics for us. They would probably give us insights and tell us what to do, however, the work of walking through it still rests on us.

The Daily Post

Hurried Feet…

April 5, 2016April 8, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

From dusk to dawn

The flurry of feet

Hurried along the street

The needs of the day

Their desire to meet.

—–

The street is a happy place to be

With many things that you get to see

Sometimes, it might even be a clown

Or a lady wearing a frown.

——-

At times, it’s a happy looking dog

With its owner going on a jog

Or the man with the briefcase

He seems to be quite in a haste.

——-

Some streets are dark

Some streets are light

Some streets are dirty

They’ll give you a fright

——-

Yet each street has its own soul

The heartbeats

Of the passing feet

That brings it to life.

——-

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Street, The Daily Post prompt.

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

Midnight motivation and musings

Midnight Musings and Motivations # 45…

March 30, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha8 Comments

A lot of times, we have challenges that we face but lack the zeal to take them on.

Once our spirit to take them on is down, we find that the voice of pessimism and all the possible excuses will offer themselves on shiny platters for us to choose from.

However, the downturn to helping ourselves to the platter of excuses is that it’s often accompanied by a cane for self-flagellation and guilt, which will eventually show itself when the consequences of our actions or inactions dawn on us.

Sometimes, we need not have huge amounts of faith or courage.

Indeed, a peanut-sized one will suffice, but if we can dig in our heels and get started with it, you find that the zeal and courage required to continue surfaces.

Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivations and Musings 43…

March 29, 2016April 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha14 Comments

A whole lot of times, for fear of being hurt, or losing out, we choose to sit on the fence rather than dabbling and trying our best.

Easy does it quite alright and it’s essential to exercise caution before jumping into any venture or as the case may be a relationship.

However, we cannot because of previous bad experience rule out every other opportunity to try again.

Like my people would say, we cannot because of fear of shooting, avoid going to war when the need arises. For example, the fact that Tim broke your heart, doesn’t mean John will do so. For all you know, John might be that partner you’ve been seeking for.

Secondly, because one business endeavour failed, you cannot write off all other possibilities with the wave of the hand.

Rather, it makes more sense to apply the learnings from the previous experience, that way, you stand a better chance at succeeding.

The Daily Post

Concealing Concealer…

March 29, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha38 Comments

She dabbed on several layers of concealer,

In an attempt to hide her bruised cheek.

She covered her eyes with big, dark sunglasses,

So that no one would notice its pink-tinged state.

She wore turtle-necked and long-sleeved loose tops,

All bright and shiny,

To hide all the bumps and scrapes.

But what she failed to do,

Was to conceal the damage to her heart.

Conceal, The Daily Post

It’s important to note that no amount of hiding and disguising can protect or help an abused woman. If you are in an abusive relationship, seek help before it becomes too late to do that.