Looking Beyond the Last Dance….

October 2, 2015October 2, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha66 Comments

At some point, especially when our dancing swag steps are beginning to sway and jive with the beats of the music; especially when our shoes feel more comfortable that we are ready to start kicking and bumping like Soul Train dancers, dawn filters through and the DJ tells you that the party is over; you wonder how time flew so fast and how much fun you had whilst the beat was going on.

At some point, the party does come to a close even if you don’t feel like leaving the club 😉
This is how Writing 101 makes me feel. Like hanging back in the warmth of these lovely beats. I am glad that I took the class!

If you are still considering whether you should participate in any forthcoming class, cease the overthinking and dawdling.

Put on your dancing shoes and just hop into the fray. I tell you, it’s one experience that you won’t regret.

Writing 101 drew me out! It drew out thoughts that were under boulders begging to be let out. It set my heart free in so many ways.

I have written far more on this blog in the past few weeks than when I started in May. This is a good thing!

I met so many wonderful people/bloggers that made me happy, thoughtful, inspired, motivated and impressed.

I read posts that made me howl in laughter (and I had to share with my hubby so that he doesn’t feel left out of my merriment), posts that made my eyes well up in tears, posts that made me hunger for certain experiences….so many posts that left something behind.

I connected with so many of you and if the truth be told, the list would get too long if I should commence enlisting all the bloggers that made Writing 101 worth my while.

You all brought something to the table and my sincere thanks to every single one of you.

You are definitely Marvelous!

Please, let us stay connected beyond this class. We have a lot to learn from each other.

Wading forward:

I shall spend the next few days catching up with my mails and clicking furiously in The Commons on blogs that might have escaped my views before the DJ shuts the door in my face.
There are several awards to catch up with and I do appreciate them. They decorate my blogging house 🙂
A bit of tweaking with some little widgets are long overdue.
Within the month, I want to inculcate a project ”POsitive TRain CHallenge” which would be thrown open for all who choose to get on board. A post with regards to this will follow suit in due course and I will definitely crave your indulgence.
Even though, I know that I am young at these blogging things and may not know so much about what it takes to be a successful blogger, I would like to throw my blogging doors open as a Hostess for a monthly blog hopping experience. Remember that ”we only get better from doing.”
A new feature for Short Stories Series (SSS) will be inculcated on my blog by next week as well.
I will be dabbling into the poetry class from next week to see what poetic lyrics I can wax – sometimes I wonder why I get myself into these things 😉
Nanowrimo is also on my radar to give my novel writing a nudge. I will give it more thought.

On a Personal Note:

I plan to laugh and laugh some more!
To devise more ways of spending quality time with my family.
To continue on my quest to loose some useless pounds that don’t aid my body in any way.
A deep contemplation of going back again through the doors of a college/university is in the offing. I am considering a Youth Leadership program or Communication Arts. I honestly don’t have it all worked it in my head, but we will see how it goes.

That’s it my good folks! Thank you for staying with me and I shall leave you with these last words:

“As we journey through diversity and different plains, may our ink-pots never run dry – Keep writing..”

Over and OUt..Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha ……Till next time 🙂

In fulfillment of Writing 101 – Day 20 Assignment: The Future

Fiction · Short story · Writing 101 · writing ideas

He Was Father’s Good Friend…a short story for you.

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha46 Comments

Today’s assignment in Writing 101 – Day 19 Assignment: Feature a Guest is actually a feature that I would like to inculcate in my blog posts going forward.

It would be a way of sharing those articles/words that ministered to me during the week, as well as serving the purpose of neighbourly recognition and encouragement.

They could come in the form of quotes, pictures, stories, experiences, anecdotes, recipes, etc.

The idea is to share my own short story followed by the links to the URL’s of those things that captivated my mind, that made me smile, ponder, cook, dance, rant in my mind, inspired and motivated me during the past few days.

He was fathers’ good friend… a short fiction.

He was fathers’ good friend, but he wasn’t mine! Even though he worked very hard to be my friend, his sweetness repulsed me! He would visit a lot of evenings and occupy space with his large frame, guffawing at every joke even those that I failed to understand.

Many attempts did he make to pinch my butt when no one looked. Attempts made to squeeze my budding chest under the pretext of an uncle-y hug. He fooled them all by his pretense to be a good one!

Armful of candies to cajole and sweeten Carols little mind, followed by his clumsy, harsh breathing hugs. As she grew up she knew what it was. The day she found him out for who and what he was, is not one that she cares to remember. Even though the foggy parts of her brain sometimes brings up these better forgotten memories….of a sleepover that turned into a night of pain.

She faltered and haltingly told mother; how she was hurt and she can remember the redness of mothers face. The string of curses that spewed from mothers mouth and her vengeful promise to deal with him.

He came calling again, his cloak of conviviality all annoying Carol’s 9 year old mind and she hid at a distance, away from his treacherous hugs.

Mother gave him good helpings of the casserole (Carol wondered why he never ate in his house, wasn’t he just the gluttonous one, wanting to covet his neighbours goods) and copious doses of wine.

He drank and he drank. Little dribbles and droplets dotted his pale shirt and stood stark like blood.

He left under the haze of wine and thereafter, and was never seen again.

Now and again Carols mind drifts and she wonders whatever became of him. How did mother get the boogie man to stop visiting?

Father seemed sad for sometime. His friend came visiting no more.

The END

The posts that I would like to share because they spoke to me:

Bring in the Light I found this quite inspiring and thought provoking. It is up to you to choose!

Its the little things I simply fell in love with this post! *Hugs* Kelly

The Orchard – Horror story Thrilled and gave me the chills too 😉

The problem was me.. This is a beautiful story Mary Lou 🙂

What value system are you instilling in your children? Am I doing a good job? One always needs to ask these questions.

Anand’s Parodies & Caricatures He brings out the chuckle in me 🙂

Lynz real cooking Easy breakfast fix that the children love and saved me some time too 🙂

Putting Flesh on the bones Thank you Wallace for tips on how to put that story together.

Am I responsible for the actions of my adult children? This got me thinking.

If you are Be the best that you can be! Short and inspiring

Thanks good people. It’s almost weekend

Yay! Dancing Time 🙂

Image Credit: Businessinsider.com

Blogging · Creative Writing · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Success · Weave that Dream

A refreshing Toast….

September 8, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha43 Comments

I am 100 today. Not in age 😉 but in blog posts. In my place, there is an old saying that “you celebrate the small things, in order to pave way for the bigger ones” and this is precisely what I am doing. I am celebrating my 100 posts, my 192 blogger friends, my 4,247 followers and my 5,220 stats on this blog.

Vividly, I recall the trepidation that I felt on May 6th when I made my first post on this blog.

I felt like an amateur fisherman who was sitting in a boat that gently rocked on a calm lake, with an occasional ripple of the water, croaks and chirps from the surrounding shrub to interrupt his concentration. He hooks a wriggly, skinny worm as bait and simply casts his line into the water, in hopeful hope to catch a fry.

His minutes turn to a slow time of humming, sipping his beer and holding his bated breath; then SNAG, the pull of a first bite tugged at the end of the pole and he nearly topples over into the water out of elation and excitement of his first catch.

Now, that was precisely my reaction when I sent out my initial 2 posts and 3 bloggers Stuart M. Perkins – Story Shucker, E. I. Wong and gpicone liked my feeble attempt at getting my toes wet in the choppy bloggy waters.

To say the least, it gave me such a buzz, that the thrill nearly jolted me out of my seat. Thus, my expedition in blogosphere began. Almost each day, like an adrenaline junkie, I return for more jolts; to write, to read, to listen and to learn. I have met lovely blogging souls on this path and I thank you all for staying with me.

Need I say more about this blogging milestone? If truth be told, the warm reception at WordPress exceeds my expectations.

I am going to go off on a festive tangent as a way of celebrating my little drops by re-blogging old posts of mine as well as posts of others that catch my eyes each day for at least a week.

Let’s keeping writing and sharing.

Regards,

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha