Passage of Time

"It's getting late, sonny boy! The school bus will be here anytime. Let me help you with the socks while you finish your breakfast." I said as I glanced at the clock.

"Mom, we are running late for the convocation ceremony. Allow me to help you so we can be on the roads soon." said the same boy, 21 years later, as he helped me with the socks due to my arthritic hips. 

Embracing the inevitability of time is crucial in navigating the waters of life. We must keep rowing our boat to make a difference in this lifetime. 

 In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a loving relationship with an adult child. What happens when a significant child in one’s life becomes an adult?  How did the relationship shift? What is the importance of the new dynamic? Go where the prompt leads!

Portrait Painting: A great way to preserve and cherish those precious memories.

A memory is something that lasts an entirety. 

It’s the pages in the scrapbook of our life.

We all know that the more colorful the pages, the better the scrapbook.

Good memories give us hope, and a bad experience makes us ponder upon thus making our life more valuable.

“Memories are special moments that tell our story.”

They liven up our life and existence, but Alas! Everything shall fade away some day with time. 

Thus it is in your best interest you choose a way to preserve and cherish these moments for an extended period.

A personalized portrait painting is a perfect way to capture the true essence and importance of memory.

A picture can serve as a great reminder too, but the visual appeal and creativity that is required for the painting will make it even more special.

It adds another layer of ethnicity to it. Apart from the stunning appeal it also has a close connection with your heart.

This is because you have lived that moment in its entire glory.

Every time you see the portrait painting, it shall transport you back to that time and place and bring an immeasurable smile to your face.

The people and time we appreciate the most should always have a special place in our hearts.

Getting a customized painted portrait is one of the best ways to remind you about those moments.

Let the colors flow free and leave an everlasting impression on the canvas because paints are only the medium and memories are the real emotions behind them.

You can get your very own customized portrait painting at Portrait flip.

They offer you a wide variety of choices with mediums which are a charcoal portrait, handmade oil portrait, watercolor portrait, acrylic portrait, pencil sketch portrait, and color pencil sketch portrait.

All of them are available to you at economical prices.

The meaningful relationships and moments you have had over time make life worth it all.

No regrets for though there may have been times when you could have done or acted better, you have had your fair share of awesome moments.

A moment or a picture may get lost into oblivion but not a moment that left us with a golden memory.

 That moment is dear to our heart and will forever be with us.

A portrait painting is, in fact, a great way to relive these memories with glory and enthusiasm and some nostalgia.

The time once gone and the stone once thrown can never return, what only stays is what we remember and how we want to remember it.

The most important thing we can gain from cherishing such memories is hope and faith.

Faith that no matter what happens there are always better times and good people to stand by your side.

It is an essential reminder to ourselves that we should remain confident and excited at every stage of our life.

There comes the point in every person’s life when he/she doubts the purpose behind his or her existence.

They doubt the fact whether something good or better will ever happen?

At such times a unique portrait painting of a moment dear to you shall provide and lend the perfect support to you.

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”

                                      -Pablo Picasso

Time may fly but the memories last forever!

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Contact them via email: portraitflip@gmail.com 

Whatsapp: +91  7904830991 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlipPortrait/

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This is a sponsored post. 

Darn Memories!

"Thank heavens it broke!" Jules said with relief as she raised her hands in jubilation. 

She was quick to call for help to clean up the mess. 

As the helper was collecting the pieces that got scattered around the room; Jules watched with a keen eye. 

Her fragile grey neurons of 80 years old were quick to make synapses as that cup's history took her to her home surrounded with laughter, and then to an old age home all alone. 

Memories were threatening to overwhelm her, but she would be seen fighting them with an expletive now and then. 


 In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about shards. You can write about the pieces, the item they once were, or who picks them up and why. Go where the prompt leads. Join in the fun at CarrotRanch

The Hermit

The sun was disappearing over the horizon. 

The noise was deafening as the waves clashed against each other but that did not deter my steps.

Was it the coolness that encouraged me to move on or was it the mind that had escaped to a location that made me a recluse.

It was just me and my memories with them as a toddler, a teen and an adult. 

"Wish Life was fair," I whispered as my tongue tasted the salt on my dry lips. "'miss our time together," let a loose tear, "while 'pray you two rest in peace!" 

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August 17, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write about an escape artist. It can even be you, the writer, escaping into a different realm or space in imagination. It can be any genre, including BOTS (based on a true story) or fantasy. You can focus on the escape, the twist or the person who is the escape artist.

Sunny Side up!

As I breathe into this body of bones and bunch of muscles that also comprise of fat; I look back!

I ponder over my childhood, my teens, my adulthood and now as a middle aged woman!


No doubt life has been unreasonable 'most' of the times. But, then it also taught me, matured my thinking as I continued to trod upon this path of life!

I have forgiven a bunch of my allies, made amendments with a handful, and also extended my hand to a few.

Nevertheless, there are some memories that refuse to fade away and still jab my heart when the mind recollects it. My mind has made home to individual memories that refuse to evaporate. Fortunately, the intellect acts upon and helps me come out of it or else I would either be drowning in my own tears or be flying high due to pride.

The places that have inhabited my brain include many sentiments such as success, birth, joy, disease, loss, death with various relationships in my lives. When the neurons get activated, emotions flow, but thankfully the judgment pours in and stabilizes me to think and evade from that matter.

Life goes on!

Life shall continue to go on until the planet Earth has an axis, and the Sun and the Moon do their jobs. With regards to these memories that have created a mini-cabin in my mind; I shall strive to look beyond them, along with the many relationships that I have made, and keep rowing my boat towards the sunny side of the planet with the reminder that the place that I belong to is my home, my family, and my loved ones!

Mantra for today: The Sun spares no part of the Earth but its' the vision of thy man that makes a spot sunny or stormy.

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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post. This week’s sentence is “The places we belong,” brought to you by the fabulous Hillary Savoie. Show her some love?

Wordless Wednesday #126

When the characters come to life in a kid's book fair.

Hallelujah!

Not only the children, even the grown ups (including me!) wanted a picture of/with them :)

Mantra for today: One Character Thousand Memories!

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A Loss and a Win

Aisha slowly opened her eyes, and bodies around her expressed joy as they thronged her bedside. 

"How are you?" 

The patient raised her eyebrows as she looked around her bed with curiosity.

After a few irregular breaths and flickers as if trying to get an answer to that question she replied irritatingly, "Who are you ?"

That query made everyone take a few steps back from the bed. 

Aghast at first but relieved that she has lost her memory thus giving her a new life, and leaving behind the images of the horrible incident that made all shiver with fright. 

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In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about someone or something that’s lost. It can be lost in a setting (storm, darkness, ocean) or it can be a feeling. Is there a recovery? What are the consequences of remaining lost? What are the opportunities?

Join in the fun at CarrotRanch

This Past Summer...

It has been in the news all over, California is facing a drought and this time it is severe since it has been four years, and the water reservoirs are depleting thus the rationing of water.

Short showers, No wasting water on landscaping or swimming pools and no fun water activities.

What a bummer, huh! 

Visualize this: School out!
High Temperatures during the summer and no fun activity revolving around water!
"Such a boring summer" as the kid would usually squeal with agony and distress.

But alas! Rules are rules thus, after a few exchange of dialogues between an adult and the kid; the conversation would die down with a usual, "oh! Man. Summer sucks!"

Sure it sucks. I totally get it!

Thus, mounting the pressure of how to keep this kiddo entertained without exposing him to lots of screen time. Thus, besides organizing play dates, night outs.

I tried out various tactics...some failed while some were partially a success while some rocked!

First off was exposing the kid to various delicacies of food and mind you none was cooked at home thus, avoiding bruising a mom's ego.

Introduced Dark Chocolate. He has been a fan of milk chocolate, but this was a totally new world for him, and I wish I could have clicked a pic of him. But now, this video will tell it all.


There was lots of Ice-Cream, Sundae Floats, Gelato's, and anything that would be freezing temperatures.

Introduced Chess. We played loads of it. I still suck, while he climbed three stairs to it. That expression of when he would defeat me....Priceless!

Music...lots of it. He played, I sang. Sometimes we allowed singers such as Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Andy Grammer to name a few in our home. The loud blaring music would throw away all inhibitions as we would jump and dance to it. Laughter was our constant companion during this practice and towards the end, we had developed a good appetite thus, giving justice to most of the cuisines that we tried.

The school started this Monday, and what I'll miss about summer is my kid's company. No doubt we argued over things, there were banging on doors, high pitched voices, but there were many smiles too! I will miss them all since good and bad is what makes the memories so memorable!!

Until next summer, which will be a water soaked fun season if and only if the El-Nino hits us this winter. I shall keep the above memories close by!

Mantra for today: Good and Bad, when mingled, leaves a distinct flavor just like enjoying dark chocolate; bitter and sweet.


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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post, where writers and bloggers gather together to share their versions of a completed sentence. This week’s prompt was “”What I’ll miss about summer…”
Hosts:
hosted by:
Me – Kristi Rieger Campbell (findingninee.com),
Lisa Moskowitz Sadikman (flingome.com) – this week’s sentence thinker-upper, and
Allison McGrath Smith (thelatchkeymom.com/)

Cheerio!

Pix courtesy: http://peopros.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Amanda-Hourglass.jpg

Recently, I got an opportunity to visit my parents and be a guest to all my friends, extended family, Uncles, and Aunts. This visit was an opportunity to say "Goodbye" to some who were old, fragile, and sick. While I got a chance to give a "Welcome hug" to my niece and nephews whom I had met for the first time.

Towards the end of my visit when I was flying back home, I was happy with the welcome hugs but was quite emotional on the goodbyes more so since departing has never been easy for me. I went about recollecting all those memories of one aunt, in particular, whose condition is chronic. She has shared the space of my life for at least twenty years and counting. 

I recollected going into splits of laughter with her, sharing a joke or two.  Admiring her cooked food and praising her for the effort she put into it. I also remembered her loud laughter that would fill up the room, and even if I would be in a foul mood, it made me join in the laughter. The way she would join her two hands when amused over things, and exclaim a loud, "Dutt tere ki!"(Wow!). 

She is a small figure, but her laughter could travel to all the rooms of our home whenever she would come visit us thus making me forget the books, and join in the fun. She used to be full of life, and would express amusement to such an extent that my laughter would be genuine, and literally tears would roll down my eyes. She could never sit still. And all age groups were welcome in her laughing crusade. I met her courtesy her daughter who was my classmate in High School. But somehow her bouncy, lively, energetic and playful attitude attracted my attention.

That day, when I visited her, she was confined to a wheelchair and would not utter a word. I was shocked. I had to stare hard and come to terms to her confinement. 

My mom had given me a vague idea of her sickness, but I had never in my dream imagined her to be in that state. She was sitting quietly with her left hand balancing her head for most of the time as if meditating on her life. She looked pensive, and yet thoughtful. I, on the other hand, was looking at her with patience with the hope that she might just clap her hands in delight over something...just darn something and laugh aloud.

Alas! That did not happen. 

Although I actively live by Gandhi's quote, "I do not want to foresee the future, I am concerned with taking care of the present."

I was devastated and was in tears while wishing if I would have known the future. Then maybe just maybe there would not be so much of heartbreak or I could have used the "Prevention is better than cure" mantra to alert my dad and other near and dear ones who also passed away after succumbing to a particular ailment.

Hugged her Goodbye and silently thanked her for the many waves of laughter and the memories that we created. 

As I was consoling myself with the memories, I contemplated about the Past, Present, and the Future. These are mere tenses that are man-made cause when the mind is enjoying a reminiscence it can lighten up a grieving heart at any moment of the time. Thus, as I continue my life on this side of the world, I pray that her family finds solace in her memories and live the present with passion as if there is no tomorrow!

Mantra for today: Memories can halt time!



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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post. Today’s sentence is “I wish I knew…”
Host: Kristi Campbell (me!) from Finding Ninee
Co-hosts: Mardra from Mardra Sikora and Jill from Ripped Jeans and Bifocals

The Bank of Memories!

Nazneen was sweating extensively as tears were rolling continuously down her cheeks. She kept swearing, cursing and nodding her head left to right as if refusing to see the truth. Just then a hand on her shoulder made her pause. She turned around, stared into his eyes, and could not resist.

Her cry now was intense, deafening; while she was trying to express some incidents with her family thus, leaving her breathless and gasping for air in between. 

Alas! Memories are known for drowning anyone in deep agony and pain while forgetting their physical self. 

Nazneen was that victim.

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 In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about a breathless moment. Write about life.
Join in the fun at Carrotranch.

Do Memories haunt you?

I have been breathing oxygen for about forty plus years, and that little sponge material on my north floor has captured, saved, seized many incidents of my life that I have experienced so far...

The falling from my two wheeler in front of some teen boys and not only tearing a muscle, but those jeers that followed. The drive with my dad to a store, and being hit by a truck, which lead to our car stand in a vertical position and then being pulled out before it caught fire. The break of a glass window in a moving car where the shattered glass was all over me. The bitterness, anguish feeling when I could not get a perfect score that I had anticipated in my academics. The loss of a friendship when she backbit. The scene of my dad laying still, and me coming to terms with his death.


Alas! Memories!

These flashbacks whether sad or evil will continue to ache my heart and make me weep when I come across similar objects in my day to day life. But, I will not stick to any memory that allow it to haunt me! 


“There is enough strength within you to overcome anything in life.” 
― Lailah Gifty Akita, Think Great: Be Great: Beautiful Quotes


Honestly speaking who has the time for it?

A proverb, "Laugh and the world will laugh with you. Weep, then you weep alone!"
Since we are social animals, we need the company of humans, thus might as well continue to tread the path that life unfolds rather than brood over our losses or griefs.


“I am more than my scars.” 
― Andrew Davidson, The Gargoyle

Sure, grieving helps, but it also helps us stay grounded. Thus, next time when you get distressed over an incident, count your blessings. While you momentarily grieve over that agony, apply balm over your pain to help soothe it, and carry on!



Mantra for today: Man is an intelligent being, and should not hold himself back over a hurdle. 

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FTSF is here. There sentence for today is: "The Memory that haunts me"
Join in the fun!

Wordless Wednesday #39

Good byes!

They are usually tough since memories are attached to them. What I realized that as we mature, they become harder.

My kid had to say his byes from his elementary classmates as he ventures onto another platform, and all those kids were as cool as a cucumber!!

Mantra for today: Memories are associated with the lack of forgetfulness; thus it is okay to blackout, sometimes!

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A decade to remember!

Man lives to make memories because if these flashbacks (pleasant or ugly) did not exist, how would our mind keep us company when sitting idle under a tree or staring at the ocean's waves. A mind without thoughts is just darn boring. 

As I look back my years of breath, I ponder upon several hurdles that I eventually lunged with a few victories that made me whistle, "sweet mama!" 

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” 
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

My favorite year was when my infant was handed into my arms and as the months rolled by, my ears would get ecstatic hearing "ma" and I would jump like a bunny rabbit to do whatever he desired (actually, do it even now!) Well along came a physical hurdle that I made my movements restricted as joints got inflamed. This crushed my spirits, but when I would see that innocent smile it would make me forget my sorrows as I would limp to him and snuggle him with my swollen and painful fingers, which he would very fondly hold them tight while I would shriek with pain. After a few months when diagnosis was done, and medicines were pumped into my system, things were getting back to normal but in the midst I lost my job. This turned out fine since; we both got to bond. 

Years rolled by, and my infant was a toddler and had started attending pre-school. For those few hours, I started thinking about myself and what I need to do in this spare time. 

Started blogging with the name Abracabadra since life so far had taught me in abundance and this autoimmune disease was keeping me grounded whenever I would stress about anything. Thought of sharing my teeny bit gyaan (knowledge) to the world with daily mantras and some uplifting talks. ~3 hours for a few hundred words was a good exchange.

“The worst memories stick with us, while the nice ones always seem to slip through our fingers.” 
― Rachel Vincent, My Soul to Save

As my toddler ventured into kindergarten, his hours in school were longer, and that gave me an avenue to write on a different platform by challenging myself further. Hubpages came along where I started to write articles and many more paths opened up as I befriended many writers on Facebook who invited me to join many writing groups, which gave me the awareness of what this writing life is all about and how a novice writer can pave the path for herself.

I crafted the art of writing by myself. I was my own teacher and guru. With a scientific background where only lab reports were expected from a scientist, writing an article of 500-1000 words was initially a challenge, but now I can ramble about it with few hurdles. I guess practice makes a person perfect, huh!

This led me to write on many platforms, and I challenged myself further to participate in NaNoWriMo, in November'2012 along with many fellow writers. The outcome is my self-published novel, titled Choices. 

My favorite decade started in 2003, and even though the tenth year was 2013; I am still enjoying this ride because of my fellow bloggers, writers that spark my grey cells and bring innovation to my writing.

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” 
― Marcel Proust

Aha! The memories made in the last decade were fun and they still keep my emotions in a static state because of the continuous ride. 

Mantra for today: Gratitude for all sorts of memories while dumping the ugly ones and carrying forward the sweet ones to another decade. 

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FTSF is here. The sentence is, "My favorite decade"

Join in the fun!

Shhh....Secrets!

I want to tell you my little secret.

This was a secret I told my friends ~20 years back, and it squeezed the pulp out of me.

Seriously! 

It was so bad that I could hardly sleep and even enjoy this little secret of mine. Then finally after a year or so I gave in. I told the world (i.e my parents) that I had a crush on a guy.

Sure, that was the 80's then and talking about crushes during that time was a hush hush or let's say at least in my family.

Saying it out loud was like a tranquilizer to me and I felt all my nerves relax as I was back to enjoying my teen years. 

“A good friend keeps your secrets for you. A best friend helps you keep your own secrets.” 

― Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall

We keep secrets within us or share it with just a handful of people cause we are embarrassed to say it out loud to the general public.

Then we fear about those secrets, and we stay cautioned about it always. It is like being on guard 24/7 and hounding like a dog over those people who know our code.

Just imagine all our energy is going wasted over people whom we confided in or just digging one's conscious over a secret we dare not whisper about it.

Research has indicated that usually woman can't keep secrets and tends to confide in people around and then repent over it. While men are from another planet, they can suck inside them way deep and thus, the reason of a pot belly!!

Either way, why keep secrets?

 Although again researchers have indicated that you ought to keep some from your friend, or a better half just to keep the relationship healthy.

Okay if you do wanna keep them...flush them down your backside cause keeping it within you will just keep eating you alive. 

Our memory is the basis of our intolerance towards anything unfavorable. Memories die hard especially the bad ones thus, difficult to eradicate from the grey cells.

I'd say, "If there is a will there is a way" 

Reason out within yourself about that little secret of yours and make a justification in your favor. This will definitely pep you up mentally and emotionally, and thus, help you let go of it. Also, if your unrevealed act is bid farewell in a positive way, chances are that whenever you do get a flashback of it. It will not haunt you or make you feel guilty.

Mantra for today: Reason within yourself for every act and justify it for a life without secrets!

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FTSF is here and their sentence for today is, "I want to tell you"

Join in the fun!