Tag: writing

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” — Paulo Coelho

Bloganuary writing prompt
Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?
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I have read this prompt over and over and I keep asking myself if people have negative examples of where they have felt love? Anyway…I feel loved every day and I only realised this while contemplating a response to this prompt. I don’t think i have ever felt unloved. I have felt unappreciated and perhaps like my presence is unwanted in certain spaces (as can happen), but I have never felt unloved.

Throughout my life, I have been the apple of my dad’s eye. Knowing this, I never had reason to question whether I was loved or not. Knowing that I am loved by someone and, more recently, understanding and accepting that I am loved unconditionally by God has ensured that I don’t need to seek love anywhere. For this, I am eternally grateful, as I know that not everyone has this experience in life. I do find that I have a need to be seen, appreciated and respected. 

There are quite a few ways that this can happen that works for me. An example would be when someone acknowledges something that I have said. It doesn’t matter whether they agree with me or not; what matters is that they hear me. I don’t know why, but that is very important to me. I guess if I looked at my life through the lens of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the bottom three rungs are taken care of (physiological, safety and security, love and belonging), and I tend to look to others to take care of some of my esteem needs, in particular, recognition and respect. 

I am actually blown away that this has been quite an insightful little exercise. I think I have discovered something important about myself! Whadda you know! 🤪 I must admit that until this moment, I hadn’t quite been able to internalise the quote from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Now, I can finally say, “I get it.” 😊

Image: Created on Canva

What insights did you come up with when you contemplated this question?

Thanks for stopping by. Be blessed.

Less – an update

Bloganuary writing prompt
Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
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I entered this year with the declaration that my word for the year is “LESS”. You can read more here. It’s 16 days in, and I am thrilled to say that I have definitely made progress on the physical clutter front in particular. I’m at least halfway through.

Here are a few things I learnt since starting:

  • To be successful, it’s crucial to get rid of things fast; otherwise, they just end up becoming clutter in a different bag/packet in a different part of the house.
  • Once you commit to something, the Universe will do what it has to to meet you halfway. The things I decided to sell were sold very quickly online. I also gave some stuff away. 
Image: Created on Canva

I have to admit it feels really good to let go of all the stuff that I no longer use. There is so much space that is taken up by “things” I will probably never use and papers I will never read again. I feel lighter, and I feel excited by the possibilities. My intention is to rearrange my space to be beautiful to my eye and to my soul. It is hard to be at peace when surrounded by a mish-mash of things that do not look beautiful. Rough edges do not soothe me.

Next up is my digital clutter. That’s going to take a while, especially my inbox. No matter how much I unsubscribe from, my inbox is always full. I just don’t understand it. Anyway, I will succeed in clearing it out this time.

Thanks for popping by. By blessed!

“One cat just leads to another.” – Ernest Hemingway

Bloganuary writing prompt
What is your favorite animal?
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Where shall I start??? I love animals. Especially the warm-blooded kind. Cold-blooded animals…I am impartial, too. So what’s my favourite animal. I think our feral cat family would scratch me if I didn’t say cats.

Let me introduce you to them :

Russell

Russell

Meet Russell. He is from the first litter of 5 that his mum brought to my door. He is two years old. He is a very vocal somebody who is unsure if he is a big baby or a big gib. He tends to arrive 30 minutes before dinner time and makes a racket for at least 10 mins in the hope of being fed early. It never happens but he tries his luck every day without fail. He drives me insane but I love him anyway.

Meow Meow

Meow Meow

This gorgeous young gib is called Meow Meow because he was a very vocal kitten. He is from the second litter that his mum brought to my door. He will be two years old next month. He has grown up to be a quiet, independent soul. Russell torments him sometimes, so I think that is why he prefers to keep to himself, yet if Russell comes to call him, he dutifully rouses himself from his sleep and goes off with him. They have a weird relationship. I could always count on Meow Meow to let me know if a kitten had messed up in the house. It disturbed him when they did. He is super smart; if I ask him to tell me when a cat is at the door, he will do so. He hates being touched, which breaks my heart because he has the most beautiful, thick, soft fur coat. 

Socks and Shoes

Socks and Shoes

These are from the last batch of kittens that were brought to my door. Socks is the only female that their mum gave birth to. (Well, that I noticed anyway.) She is the cutie pie on the left. She is a very, very independent soul and prefers to be outside. Shoes, on the other hand, prefers to be inside and I sometimes have to chase him around the house when it is time for him to go. He is absolutely adorable. These two will be a year old next month. 

Bob

Bob and Socks

Bob is from the 3rd litter. Here is with Socks. These two are almost inseparable. Strangely enough, when their mother kicked Socks and Shoes “out of the nest”, big brother Bob took them under his wing and let them “suckle” on him for comfort. It was sweet of him at the time but it is just weird now because he still lets Socks do it. Poor Shoes tries his luck every time but Bob will have none of it. Meow Meow is also quite attached to the kittens and still plays with them when they need a playmate.

I have managed to sterilise the whole lot, including their mum, so thankfully, Socks and Shoes are the last kittens. Before the arrival of this lot, I was a dog person. I still am, but these guys (and doll) have taught me that cats are adorable too. They have taken over my home (at meal times) and my heart (at all times)

Thanks for stopping by. Be blessed!