Monday 8 May 2017

Reflection post #atozchallenge

Nottingham, U.K.
Reflections-
What do they tell us about us?
Are they mirrors to our past,
Present
or
Future?

When we reflect,
do we have the courage to be honest?
Do we take off our masks
and see clearly
in the pools of pondering
or do we
choose to 
see what 
we know 
is not true?
*****

What I did in April 
(for the second time)
was the A to Z.

I cobbled together a new post every morning
followed by sharing 
visiting other bloggers
and 
commenting
and reading comments left by others.

Truth be told, it turned out to be more challenging to read than to write!
Never thought that was even possible.
But it seemed like that BECAUSE
there were so many amazing blogs out there.

Come on a tiny tour of the treasures that April unfolded:
I can't possibly mention ALL the links I clicked on in April, 
so I'll stick to the ones I found myself visiting every day, 
despite exhaustion and a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes.
Housework suffered and I gained SIX bloody pounds!
Those were the only negatives of April.

Let's move on to the good stuff then:
From stars by Sage to Eva's postcards and Phillip's envelopes 
I travelled to far off countries (on my bucket list) like Ecuador --thanks to Emily 
and Maui with Courtney
Keith rambled on about Amble Bay. I almost had an ice-cream with him.
Yes, all this from the comfort of my kitchen chair--
that's the magic of blogging.
IF you can forget the bloody pounds you've piled on.
And that ice-cream was NOT even real!

There was so much to learn and admire in April:
From Wendy's odd objects which came packed in the bubble wrap of  her funny commentary
To Sara's herbs which made Deborah and I want to tumble in lilac.
The same rolling in lilac Deborah mentioned jargogle on the day of J 
and I found myself in a state of yagiment--how can I use this word that reminds me of googly eyes in a jar? 
I haven't done any writing this week--so yagimenting continues -- but the good kind:)

I found out that there's "A day to celebrate your first kiss"--who knew it even existed? 
messymimi did.

Toni found me and when I visited her I found Frank's tree--I'll be going back to see more, I'm sure.

There were weird stories all neatly complied under the title WTFs to keep your creative juices flowing--although not always in the right direction--if you get my drift.

We all love stories and when they come in the shape of recorded history, one gets pulled into the narrative. Kristin rekindled my desire to find out about my family's history. Both sets of  my grandparents were refugees of the 1947 partition--when India was carved into two and Pakistan was born. They made India their home where I was born. 

Words are my wine, I'd said when I started this challenge.
Some people have the gift to turn their words into balm and salve our souls with them.
Thank you Susan Scott, Beth Lapin and Deborah for sharing your insights in April.

Then there were bloggers who turned into friends in a matter of few posts.
Jz, you know who you are:)

I've saved my favourite discovery for the last--
My soul mate
happened to come along into my life this April.
He goes by the name of Elliot and you can find him here, right Sue?

I bid you adieu
with a sigh.
I'll miss you guys.
But the EXTRA pounds won't go anywhere if  I don't get my butt out of this chair and on that yoga mat.

So, for the sake of a leaner me (summer is not too far away, you see) I'll leave you with a BIG THANK YOU and these lines:
"I would live all my life in nonchalance and insouciance
Were it not for making a living, which is rather a nouciance."
by
Ogden Nash
Till we meet again
in Thunder, Lightning or in....
Oh! No! the fingers are on a roll. 
HELP! 
Need to get to that treadmill---soon.


24 comments:

  1. Love it Arti! I'll have to set aside April 2018 to join in the discovery.
    Hugs xxx
    April

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  2. It was a lovely month of daily discoveries, wasn't it?
    My reading list has expanded, as has my friend list. :-D
    I soooo very much enjoyed your offerings - thank you, thank you.
    (But I'm glad we have 11 months to recuperate before we do it again!)

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    1. True Jz.
      Last year, when I finished the challenge, I had lofty plans to write a number of posts and be ready before I got on to it--BUT! So I hope I get a tiny bit wiser this year and start collecting some ideas during these 11 months.
      Cheers to 2018, then:)

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  3. It is an exhausting month but always a wonderful chance to meet other bloggers. Sounds like you visited some fantastic sites. Congrats on finishing the challenge. WeekendsInMaine

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Karen.
      I sure did. Thank you for visiting.

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  4. This post is awesome, Arti - well done! My housework suffered and I haven´t stepped on a scale but I would not change a thing :) Loved visiting your posts during April. Thank you so much for the mention! I look forward to next year.

    Emily | My Life In Ecuador | A to Z Reflections 2017

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    Replies
    1. You know what, I should've just hidden the scales--shall do so next year:) Looking forward to seeing more of Ecuador with you next year Emily.

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  5. Thankyou, Arti. For everything. It was a looooong month. I too am glad to have met some great blogs and bloggers to add to my list of things to squeeze into available time. I'm off to a zumba session!

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    Replies
    1. Love Zumba. Hope you enjoyed your session Wendy:)

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  6. I love your posts, and this is not an exception! I'm glad we found each other's blogs during the challenge. Some discoveries made the challenge worthy!
    -----
    Eva - Mail Adventures

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Eva:)
      You know you've inspired me to root through my boxes of postcards (the ones I buy and never post). I might even end up writing a post about them.

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  7. Love the reflective poetry! Congratulations on doing a marvellous job of the A-Z. And I agree with you on the reading being more of a challenge than writing. So many fantastic blogs, so little time!

    Best wishes always,
    Nilanjana.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Nilanjana. And I take your compliment about the poetry very seriously (I will be seen strutting a bit this evening in my kitchen) for I have heard yours and have been in awe.
      Shukran habibi:)

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  8. Dearest Arti,

    What an elegant and artful tribute to the 2017 A to Z Challenge. Your love flows so graciously through every phrase, it's impossible not to be uplifted when I read your thoughts. I am especially honored that Elliot has earned so high a place in your esteem. Thank you for following him down the rabbit hole. ;)

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    Replies
    1. He pulls the strings Sue.I merely follow my heart:)

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  9. Thanks for the unexpected shout out in your reflection. I am enjoying the reflective posts on the blogs I visited, even though I didn't write a similar one myself. I've loved seeing your amazing photos and reading your wonderful words. Great to have a non-mail art place to visit.

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  10. Congrats on completing the challenge! There are so many interesting blogs out there, it's quite amazing. And how wonderful you met your soul mate! I'd say that's worth a few extra pounds. ;) It was a pleasure meeting you, and thank you for the mention!

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  11. Beautifully written :-) I'm glad you enjoyed the Challenge.

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  12. I so appreciate your writing Arti, and the wonderful journey you led us on during the challenge. So much beauty to bask in. Thank you!

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