If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?
Hey…
I hope all of you are doing well…
There was a family tradition that used to take place earlier in our family, we used to get together, have drinks, cook our own food, some it was store bought, and it only required heating it a little bit..
But, it was like once maybe twice a year kind of tradition which used to take place at our residence, but people used to come from faraway places, even from neighboring states, a day or two before…
We used to have music, and used to hit steps after getting a bit tipsy, but, all in everyone enjoyed to their fullest, there would be people sitting in the corner eating and drinking, talking to each other, I would occasionally check on them and get them anything they needed, and they’d thank me for it, and the smile would stay on my face the entire night…
Until, the latter half on ’23, after battling for an entire year, and losing at the end, the life was never the same, all the point of get-together became a sham, there was no happiness whatsoever, all the sense, essence of happiness or get-together was lost, as he left us…
So, I’d invite my now deceased father, and revive the long-lost tradition of having the grand dinner once again, Or teach us how we could continue without the loss of someone so dear to our hearts, where all of us would get together, and enjoy to our fullest, once again, yet again…
What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?
Hey…
I hope all of you are doing well…
There are many strategies that I employ to make my life more comfortable, well not just mental comfort but my physical comfort too…
Daily Journaling…
One of the things that I do each day is by writing about it in my journal, and each day I read the last one, helping me determine the habits that I have, and which of them make my life better, or provide me an insight that helps me to avoid something that disrupts it…
Basking and Meditation…
On waking up, I go to my balcony and look at the sunlight, or the natural light peering through the clouds, which reminds me that the sleep is finally over as I spend a few minutes in the sunlight, someday sitting down on a mat in the balcony and meditating and reflecting on the day ahead, the types of work I have to involve myself in, and the roles I have to play this day…
Clean living atmosphere…
One of the most important things is to have a clean environment, this isn’t just about having clean surroundings or your vicinity, but my room is where it all begins from, a clean room, which isn’t messy, and the soft lighting that imitates the sunlight is used to illuminate my room; This simplifying of my environment makes it much easier to live a life that feels fulfilling and worth living tbh…
Getting to bed early…
Getting my good 7-8 hours of sleep, even if it means getting to bed and falling asleep at ten maybe 11 at night, because a good sleep helps me wake up refreshed, and with new ideas that help me on the daily, living this fast-paced life at my own pace, and with that sleeping in early comes in waking up early to involve myself in some physical activity like walking or taking a stroll around the building complex, which boosts my metabolism and gives me a chance to be one with nature early in the morning…
These are some of the ways I increase comfort and at the same time better my life with the help of options that suit me the best..!
Do you have a routine like this which helps you, Do let me know…!
Would it be weird if I told you I’m not at all excited about the future, I really have zero hopes from the future and there is nothing worse than having to face the future and its consequences, yes, the negative ones too even though all I’m trying to do is live my life in peace without disrupting others…
Does this make any sense…?
Does it make sense when I say, that when I step into the future by leaving away the present, and remembering how i was treated by it in the past, each day the flame of having a better vision of tomorrow dwindles…
The day off feels like a few hours clumped together, and within that it feels like someone snatches away half of them, the day off feels like a burden, rather than being a source of relaxation, and the work that has supposedly piled up during other days of the week, seems to hit all at once, and leaving me with no time, for myself, or my hobbies, or my friends, or even a calm night away from anyone/everyone, making the week more miserable than the last…
Something that seems like an impossible feat to cover, this week, these past few weeks, these past few months, these past few years…
One of the most memorable vacations that I ever went to spanned across two weeks…
The struggles…
It was a plan that was being put on hold for two years, and eventually, we (my friend, one of his friends and myself), got fed up with things not matching, someday it was just dates not aligning, vacation days for some, for some it was a family emergency, others were just struggling to make time from their schedule…
Impulsive acts…
So, the week before Christmas, we decided to just go along, and started to make payments in advance, to the travel guide, to the homestay, and a few days when all others bailed on us, I took my cousin with me, and my sister to the trip, so in total I booked the ticket for the 4 of us to reach the nearest state through train, from where the route was halved, and my cousin brother picked us from a railway station in Haryana, along with the taxi driver in his hatchback…
Our arrival at our destination..
The trip was complicated and messy, around six hours later we reached, but, we were a total mess, all of us throwing up, as we weren’t accustomed to the change in the atmosphere and the environment, as we climbed what seemed like an infinite flight of stairs, praying to the Almighty, holding our stomachs in pain, we finally found ourselves a place to sit outside, and wait till they cleaned the homestay…
On seeing the place where we were supposed to sit and rest it brought tears to our eyes, as we picked out spots in the room, and opened our bags and went to shower and later eat something to replenish our lost energy after throwing up, and after eating out fill, we went out for a stroll, watching the sunset, snacking on our way back, and grabbing a few bottles to drink as we came back to our homestay, and we lit a bonfire and took our solo cups and smashed 1.5 bottles within us 4 (one sober guy)..
Things We did for fun..
We went to sightseeing, climbed a hill, did adventure sports like ziplining, ice-skating (during which I took so many falls and ended up with bruises), playing in ice (My first time seeing real ice), visited a temple, and returned back to the homestay in the evening, the running waterfall was the best thing to ever see, as we took a bath and came back shivering…
Last day…
The day of our return was the saddest, as the night before we emptied all our bottles and got piss drunk and all of us fell dead asleep, on waking I saw my first snowfall, a very real event that I haven’t seen before, bringing me to tears, as we were packing to leave, we took some of the stuff that was popular in the area as a parting away gift, and a bundle of memories to remember them by…
One of the most memorable of my vacations, that I ever took, flashbacks till this day…
What an open-ended question this one is, without a context, without any relation to how we are supposed to work, romanticism in the sense of a literary writing, or romantic in a relationship sense…?
But, that’s the cue to work around the topic of this day, and we will go ahead anyways…
My definition of romantic (or romance) in a general sense isn’t clouded by the want to just get in bed with them, but, to understand them, the things that they like, the things that they hate, the way they grew up, and from that understanding, what shaped them the way they are, or how they respond to an action or a cue, which they like or don’t, helping me to stay clear off the things that haunted them in their past, all the while helping them come to terms with what they were in their past, isn’t something that is going to affect their present;
Also, showering them with gifts, taking them out on their days off, and exploring new places with them, as we walk hand in hand, traveling with them maybe using the public transport every once in a while, and gifting flowers, and dropping them home or near it, how the relationship is at that point of time…
See how I didn’t talk about having or getting your physical needs met here, because that’s how it is initially, taking it slow and knowing that in some cultures, things like these take place after marriage, and that’s acceptable, but, when things are forced, and they are coerced into doing something that they don’t agree to, or like, would naturally mean that you’re there only to satiate yourself, and then drop her after the sun rises the next day…
Due to that, this path becomes extremely tricky for both, where one has to make sure things are mutual and in agreement, with proper boundaries set…
Whereas romanticism in literary sense comes in when things like these are experienced and a person who loves to write pens his real emotions and feelings, about how they are truly, madly and deeply in love, with the said person, to the point they write (Of course in some hidden sense), about their love, their feelings, which can be mutual or one sided, but, portraying an image in a sense that’s appealing to read, and can be experienced by those who are around them, without even being in a relationship to call it something that they themselves dream of being in…
So romantic aspect is much needed in life, where a person exposes themselves, layer by layer, in a sense to a person, they intend to spend the foreseeable future with…
That’s romanticism for me, to you…
Cheers 🥂
Love Waakiye🤍
All alone they were, After a long time they were finally together, There was deep longing in those eyes, And a want, A need that needed to be expressed, But, Who would make the first move…?
The first move, After a span of three months, These months, Akin to years spent apart, Seeing only each other, And talking like strangers, Whenever they had some time on their hands, And these hands, Waited, Waited all of these days, Waited these weeks, Waited all these Months;
Now, These hands, Were in those, Where they belonged…
A bottle of Merlot, And two glasses were there, A third of the way, Maybe a sip was taken, Before things took a turn…
From kissing the back of her hand, To her shoulder blade, And from there, Those pink supple lips, He stared at himself, Her face tilted, Eyes half closed, Waiting were these lips, For a sweet little kiss..
A known flavor coated his mouth, Her born lippy lip balm, The strawberry kind, Those eyes; glowing, Overflowing with emotions;
“Cannot tell you how much I waited, Waited for this day..”
Thankfully, I haven’t underwent any surgery up until this point of time in my life, but, I’m surrounded by people, who are close to me, very dear to me who underwent surgery, To save them, or try to save them from a life-threatening disease, that was looming over their heads…
My father had to go through a colectomy, to remove a part of infected small intestine, which developed had developed into a fast-growing cancer, that had already spread through his soft tissue, but, his conditions deteriorated after the procedure, as the medications stopped working and we ultimately lost him in late ’23, extremely hard times those were, May his soul rest in peace…
My aunt had to go through multiple of them, another person stuck with cancer, first, the doctors ordered to remove her uterus, which was the center, where the problems began, later it metastasized to her other organs, and detection were made, where tumors were found in her breasts, which had to be removed too, which broke her spirit, as we eventually lost her after a year of fighting the battle against the fast-spreading disease…
One of my cousin sisters had surgery too, she was developing polyps in her uterus, which were making her life miserable, and the history of a mother who passed away with cancer, she took no risks and went ahead with the surgery before it could develop into cancerous ones, which made her life better, as she can live carefree, but, she has to work with caution, as they can develop again, by managing diet, and having routine check-ups…
Being surrounded by, the survivors and the tales left by those who have left us early, remembering and keeping all of them in our heart and minds, as they taught us to never lose hope, until the very last point…
One of the habits have been this one, to upload here daily, not a good example today because of the messed-up schedule, I had to leave early for work, and see supervise some construction going on at our workplace, and make edits in it as needed…
So, this becomes a late night post instead…
Other than this, I have a habit of having or trying new things, that includes food clothes and anything that is unique…
And, if any of those help me in expanding my horizon, by costing little money, why not experience it, in exchange of a few paper, I can attain experience that can be used whenever…
Another one, well these are related to each other, I wake up and drink a glass of water, (kept in silver or copper glass…) alternating them however it seems fit…
And after that meditating for 10 minutes at least, post which I write in my notepad, Whatever/however I feel, before and after the meditating session, what new I learn from it…
Someday, it’s a medley of colors, someday it is chasing the memories of the previous day, other days, it becomes finding the lost sense of self, after tiring myself all day…
BUT, The sense of relief comes in, when things come through, and all things go as planned, rare days, but they cover the days that, hit so hard that it seems there’s no end to them…
At last, the day ends, after asking or talking to those who are close to me, their well-being, calling them and talking to them, if they aren’t doing well, In a sense to help them pass some of the stress or sadness, away from them…
Other than that, there’s a habit of constantly seeking new thoughts and ideas…
Well, The country that I belong to, has very deep-rooted spiritual beliefs, which makes it one of the most populous, religious based countries in the world…
A place like India, which is the birthplace of many religions, including,
Hinduism
Jainism
Buddhism &
Sikhism
There are widespread religious beliefs around the place I exist, A big Hindu temple within 500 meters of my residence, A mosque within the same distance, And within a 10-minute drive, a Sikh temple called a Gurudwara, and a Jain temple too within that, and crossing the gurudwara you’ll find a church too (In opposite directions tho)…
I mean, all the hustling bustling goes on during the day, and by the night, those people who sat Infront of the religious places, begging for money, become the richest as they buy alcohol and other intoxicants, and do it yet again Infront of the said religious place and take rest on the pavement or the sidewalk, when nothing else matters, because they have already eaten their full, during the day…
This is the enabling that religion has done, Of course, when asked it’s said, “They’re not responsible for what goes outside the premises…” like they can’t physically enforce the stoppage of this, by appointing people whose sole responsibility is to deter such people…
But, things like this happen, Again and again, because they just up and move themselves away from the area, the area which they have to “keep clean”, the entire crowd moves, and the same thing happens, a few meters away… (Us Indians and our way to hack anything’s that’s enforced right…?)
Coming back to the prompt’s question…
The things like these, the hacks, the people who become these addicts by the night, the people who among the chaos, become the thieves, snatchers, took a long time ago my faith on religion…
The way, the internal management of a religious place functions, is the same as a business, they do take up cost cutting, the prasad (the food presented to the deities), is used and recycled, for those who don’t take it home, and sold to the same devotees yet again…
Being one of the most religious countries, and praying the G0ds and G0desses, and on the other hand, we hear news of a girls being brutally Rped, people being killed over little things, family disputes making people kill their own flesh and blood, but, on the other hand, this becomes a birthplace of religions, and a hub of spiritual beliefs…
The stark contrast, in what’s told, what’s heard, what’s seen, and what’s reported…
A toast to chaos, and such a widespread nature of ill management of it…
Cheers 🥂
Ashamed Waakiye🤍
A star here, Another there, another one, where it shouldn’t have been, A havan, an offering, and all of it shall go away…
The already G0d fearing, Thinks, “G0d forbid, another problem…” So, they set the appointment, and a priest appears, at the given time…
Taking place of a G0d, Or his minion, he prays and prays, and burns incense, using wood using camphor, creates a place packed with soot, and smoke, a heavenly fragrance it leaves, until its cleared, and things become the same, same as the day before…
The same chaos, the same panic, the same things, repeat the next, and the same problems, become the common, like it was the day before…
I hope this is a safe place, but most of my time is wasted doomscrolling, without even a single thought, it just feels like there isn’t a purpose, there is not a single purpose behind life itself…
It just feels like that I try to snatch time, within all of the limited time that I have left, within these 24 hours in this day…
Just this day, I woke up at 4 a bad dream perhaps, and mindlessly scrolled for around an hour, scrolling reels, some of those give me some happiness, some of them make me sad, but, they bring me up, and throw me down, to keep me in this vicious cycle, Of being constantly hooked, looking at them, one after another, until my phone runs out of battery, Or I drain myself enough…!
The constant need, of having something playing, in this ear, or, having something to see, that bombards with some valuable information, or useless, that won’t help me ever, but, the need, the unreal need of having something playing, maybe a comedy skit, maybe some informative video, to pass the time, or just something that fills the emptiness in the room, making it some noise, or some tunes playing in the background, that deter me from thinking anything/everything, at a certain point of time…
A never-ending rant, that exists within this mind, to leave it and pick it up, making me forget crucial memories, because I can’t seem to remember them anymore, like moments in my childhood, some of them are non-existent, some of them are blemishing, some of them are still there but fading, and some of them come back after remembering hard enough, but, none that is remembered off the top my head…
You’re grateful if you do, and if you don’t, in the same boat we all are…
Cheers 🥂
Love Waakiye 🤍
Another scroll, another relatable thing, Even though none of them are, it just passes my time…
As I stared at the clock, it stuck 5:30, it had already been too much, an hour and thirty minutes, scrolling…
But, it’s because there’s a need to replace, replace all things, Everything that surrounds, and this one is the cheapest, because the price is paid, not in the form that is visible at present…
A price that is paid, paid with those forgotten memories, by replacing those happy and sad times, with what brings these short bursts of happiness, becoming an addict to them, waiting for free time, or snatching it from regular schedule, a moment here, sitting on the can, or going out for a smoke break, or going out to eat because you forgot to pack yours, because of waking up late…
Maybe, maybe it isn’t so bad after all, but, the memories that I forget, or I’m trying to, maybe, just maybe, it will help, in eroding the bad ones, Unaware, the good ones entangled together are going away with them…
Well, another day another great prompt it is, my favorite historical figure…
Have you ever heard of Maharaja Ranjit Singh…?
One of the most admired figures even this day in Panjab, with such a leadership that extended from near borders of Afghanistan, Khyber Pass in current Pakistan, to Panjab’s Satluj river in current day Panjab…
The sole leader who had the power to unify Sikh factions, making the land of Panjab a secular empire where the rules of each religions were followed and respected, being a Sikh he was inclusive of all people, including keeping people from different faith in administrative and military positions, which were very important to give to anybody…
The religious sites and their protection belonging to different faiths, to the point he ordered repair of Mosques and temples, Also, The credits of modernization the forces belong to him, hiring European mercenaries and military experts to train the army, Having a special branch called Fauj-e-khas, specializing in close order formation and bayonet tactics…
Having invested in artillery, cannon foundries were built, and field guns were standardized, and that induced fear in the British Raj’s mind, which were also because of traditional Sikh fighters, called Nihangs ; known for their ferocious nature and tactics that brought enemies to their knees…
Training men and equipping them with better arms than the rest of the states, while keeping British rule at bay, And his work and life were mentioned in British curriculum later…
Respecting Hindu sentiments, cow slaughter was banned, and having a corruption free court even though diverse, that had wide focuses, and, living a modest life, He never took the title of Maharaja, But, he accepted himself as the Servant of Khalsa…
Having a court in Lahore that became a center of culture and arts, Also, architectural marvel, Known as, “SHER-E-PANJAB” “LION OF PANJAB”, remembered till this day, with deep respect by Panjabi speakers and Sikhs worldwide…
Imagine being alive at that point of time, to witness all of this…!
Waakiye 