LOL: Life Of Leo

Image Source This is a post that has been in the making for a decade! As an avid reader and a more avid list maker, I note down points about reading with the intention of translating it into a post someday. Better late than never, right? Books have been an integral part of my life since I introduced myself to it three decades ago. Over the years, I've matured as a reader and as a person thanks to the diverse books that I've read. I've already spoken about the importance of reading before. Today I want to talk about the dos and don'ts of being a reader.

Image Source This Sunday, there was this interesting article in the paper . Of mothers and others. Just the title made so much sense. I'm not a mother, so I guess I must be the other. The word sounds offensive or not, is a debate for another day. My partner and I did talk about kids while we were dating. We had even thought of names and how we would bring them up. Still, there always was the question if we would feel the need to have one. Once we got married a couple of years later, we were clear that we wanted to be child-free. It was purely a personal choice, something that the both of us have discussed often and this is our decision alone. I don't think anyone else has a say in this. Yes, we do revisit our decision once in a while if some situations or scenarios pop-up and we always end up sticking to our original decision. We've been married for a decade now. We are voluntarily child-free and happy.

Image Source  Pause is an important word It is time to give it its due Learn to slow down intentionally You'll come out feeling new Life is all about a balance At times, it is okay to do nothing Rushing through life with blinders Is often what comes back to sting

Image Source I've been a sustainability practitioner for many years now. I'm still quite far away from where I intend to be, but I'm glad I've made a start. One of the main reasons why my partner and I are childfree is that we aren't sure how well equipped the earth would be a few decades down the line. We know that natural resource depletion is real and it can drastically impact human and animal lives. If basic livelihood is threatened, we wouldn't want to add to the population. We wouldn't want our kids to wonder why were they brought into this world.

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

Image Source I watched Pathaan the day it released in spite of my mighty claims after watching Zero . The movie is a below average no-brainer, yet, I loved watching it for one reason alone. The sole reason why the movie is faring so well at the box office. One man. Three words. Shah Rukh Khan.

Image Source I just came back from a mini vacation and I'm thrilled. Not only because I had a great break, but because this was the first time in my whole life where I did nothing for a few days. It was a short road trip with our pup and we had a nice little house with a lawn for ourselves. While I had carried my books and the Kindle, I didn't even touch them. My partner and I talked endlessly, watched random movies, ordered in food, played with our pup and caught up on some much needed sleep. It was the best time ever.

Image Source Don't judge me, don't ask me why, but I recently started watching this show on Netflix called Dubai Bling. Half way through the most ridiculous first episode, I stopped and asked myself as to why I was doing this. There was a plethora of other content out there, but yet I decided to watch this one. Honestly, I was just curious and I thought it was about the magnificent city of Dubai. I do love watching documentaries on big cities, mega kitchens, crime, famous personalities etc. Turns out, it is a reality show about a bunch of richie richs' of Dubai. A woman who lives pretty much in a palace, but wants to move to a bigger place due to lack of closet space. Her Indian husband smartly asks her to have another baby and expand the family before expanding the home. There is a female real estate Mogul who feels the need to repeat "I came to Dubai from Lebanon with $300 and I'm a millionaire today" time and again. She also happens to be the co-owner or so

Image Source Circa 2004. The time when you needed an invite to join Facebook. I was so excited to receive one and before I knew it, I was pretty much updating every bit of my life out there. "What's on your mind", was taken very seriously and looks like I felt the need to answer that every thirty minutes or so. Things only got worse a few years later. I had just started working and was nursing a heartbreak. Internet access became more easy at work and I apparently was good at finding quotes on pain, crying, heartbreak and sharing them. Some of the memories that pop-up these days make me want to cringe and die at the same time. Long story short, Facebook has been a vital part of my growing up.

Image Source If there is one thing that I want to focus on in 2023, it has to be writing. I wrote just 5 posts in 2022 and I'm embarrassed and sad. Embarrassed because I'm ashamed of not being dedicated in pursuing something that I love. Sad, well, same reason. As someone with a genuine "have to be in control" problem, it doesn't go down well on me that I'm not able to do something. Especially something that I want to do. Now that I look back, I realize that it did not bother me as much as I thought it would. Perhaps, it no longer was a priority. How and when that happened, I'm not sure of. One thing I know for sure now, I want to get back to writing and I have a plan in place. I intend to stick to it, come what may.