LOL: Life Of Leo

Image Source I recently read ' The Reading List ' by Sarah Nisha Adams and it took me down a nostalgia trip. No, I did not find any reading list in any book. The way books affect the people in the story is what I could relate to the most. For those who haven't read the book, this is the story of two unlikely friends, Mukesh Patel a recent widower and Aleisha, a teenager who works at the local library. Mukesh's wife was an avid reader and Mukesh could never understand her love for books. When he finds an overdue book, which happens to be ' The Time Traveler's Wife ', he sits down to read it and falls in love with it. With a tiny understanding of why books might have been so important to his wife, he steps into the library to return this book and borrow more.

Image Source I've been wanting to write this post since the start of the month, finally got to it now. Why? I simply did not find the time. Why? Read on. Burnout (as per Helpguide.org) - Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

Image Source  You are not supposed to do that As women, we often hear That's because if we can do it Everything about us they'll fear They'd rather not give us opportunities Instead of watching us succeed Women are meant to stay behind they say When we know we're born to lead

Image Source  ... when you are busy making other plans. That's one way to put it. The other one would be, Life shows you the middle finger when you are least expecting it. I'm just back from a glorious European vacation. This is the vacation we were supposed to take in 2020 but couldn't, due to Covid. However, it felt more special this year as we were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. When we visited Europe for the first time in 2018, it was our 5th anniversary and we had joked that let's make this a five year thing. Well, it turned out to be that way unintentionally. So, we were all set for our travel. Bags packed, pup dropped off at boarding, day to day itinerary planned, emergency food packed for the vegetarian partner etc. We boarded the flight as expected. This was the first time we were travelling by Air France. Soon we would learn, this would be the last time too.

The A to Z blogging challenge seems ancient to me now. I religiously (we seriously need a better word for agnostics like me) participated in this challenge from 2014 to 2019, six consecutive years, 26 posts in the month of April. Honestly, I did enjoy doing them. I picked great themes and was usually prepared beforehand. 2020 to 2022 barely saw any writing from me and A to Z was the last thing on my mind. Since I've been wanting to write more this year, I've decided to participate in the A to Z Blogging challenge for 2023.

  Image Source We all could do with a break From this, that and everything in between Find that peace within yourself Where you can escape and not be seen

Image Source Yesterday I read a blog post that spoke about one's blogging journey. That is when I remembered that my blogging anniversary was actually the next day. It has been a few years since I blogged regularly, so these milestones were usually missed. Forgotten even. Now, I am giving my space the credit it deserves. As of today, it has been fourteen years since I wrote my first blog post . Can you believe it? I honestly can't. I was twenty-two when I started this space and now at thirty-six, my blog has been a part of my journey through thick and thin. Since the only way I know to talk or write is by being honest and straight-forward, this space has it all. It has seen every phase that I've been in. It has given me a space to say what I want, whenever I want. That is only one of the reasons why I love this space so much.

Image Source February and I don't get along, that is established now. Over the past few years I've been noticing that the shortest month of the year always seems the longest to me and it more often than not is unappetizing. Nothing grave, but February puts me in an overall life slump. The most bleh month of the year if I might say.

Image Source Mad love sure is fun It also is overrated Loud declarations of affection Is definitely getting outdated