Comfort Zone, Duty, Nondescript Items, Unmentionable Topics and the Travails of City Life - LBC POST Mashup ...er ....Catch Up!
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Duggu, my new dog. |
My comfort zone? I live in a combined Indian family. My nuclear family, meaning my husband and I (oh, don't I sound like the Queen?) and our four offspring and dog, have a couple of rooms to call our own in the family home, but owing to circumstances beyond our control, it is impossible to make those rooms completely private. My husband doesn't mind too much, but he's out of the house most of the time and not being able to shut my door completely and shut out the world is what you might call stressful at times. So where's my comfort zone? Inside my own head, that's where. Someone once told me a long time ago that it is impossible to control the outer environment. So I don't even go there. I adjust myself to my circumstances and try to be happy as best I can. And so do my children. Upstairs in our house, we have some privacy, so we enjoy that. And I'm good at switching off mentally when I need to concentrate on something. A bit too good at it, actually.
Duty? Well as a wife and mother it's my duty to put my kids and husband first always and my own needs last, right? Women who do that are praised loudly in the environment in which I live. Well, I beg to differ on that one. I do wear myself out at times taking care of my significant others, all half dozen or so of them (no, I only have one partner, I mean the kids, MIL and dog, as well), but before I go completely bonkers, I have to take time out occasionally and recharge my batteries. If that doesn't happen, I get ill. I just get that I can't do anything and have to lie down for a day or two with a headache. So taking care of myself is not selfish at all, it's a necessity. I just need to do it more, that's all.
Now as to nondescript items which have had a profound effect on my life. Many years ago, a friend of mine, Carmel, who had been a trainee hairdresser, used to help me out by trimming my hair every so often. I used to pay her for it too, as I'm not in the habit of making people work for nothing. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, as she got some money and I got my hairstyle (such as it was) maintained, quite inexpensively. My sister Bernie gifted me with a pair of sharp scissors so that I could be sure that Carmel could do the best job possible. A very practical gift indeed.Some twenty five years later, I still have that scissors. It's still working very well too. My kids use it for craft. I guess some gifts just stay with you forever, while others don't. A scissors, for heaven's sake!
Unmentionable Topics at TED? What's TED? I'm sure I have no idea. But now regarding unmentionable topics, I could wax lyrical, so to speak. I edit books and when my online boss, Serena asked me what were my preferred topics to edit, I replied that anything was fine except erotic material. Because of the kids, you know. I wouldn't want them to stumble upon anything unmentionable if they were using my computer for a school project. Besides, I don't think my other half would be too thrilled at the idea of my editing stuff like that.
Travails of city life? Well, what's the alternative? Village life? I wouldn't live in a village other than an Irish one, if you paid me a thousand Euros a week. I live in the city, but I'm mostly at home taking care of the family, doing my editing and writing my book. I don't know, half the time, whether I live in a high rise apartment or a cottage in the woods. Or a freaking spaceship. Cities have their advantages as does rural living. Six of one and half a dozen of the other.
And that's about it!
The Loose Blogging Consortium, a small group of bloggers including Rummuser, The Old Fossil, Maxi,, Shackman, Lin and Ashok, have been blogging along together for several years now, traditionally on Fridays. With my hectic life, I often don't make it by Friday, but I try to blog along nevertheless. I thank the group for the continued inspiration to blog when I otherwise wouldn't have done so.
Actually I get a kick out of your combined posts - mainly because they are like mine - off the cuff as it were. I like those first impressions of things and that's exactly how I do mine. Check the topic and let 'er rip. What you see is what you get. I like the honesty in that.
ReplyDeleteFive topics in one - that is some feat. You used to tell us a blog post took only twenty minutes to write. Unfortunately my brain did not work that was and I preferred thinking time. In fact that is why you all now have a list of topics months ahead. Congrats on all the writing projects.
ReplyDeleteI envy you only "occasionally" having to recharge your batteries. I'm not at all extrovert so I find being with other people quite tiring at times. I need to be on my own at regular intervals to re-energise. And I would find it very hard to live in a house without a single private room. Privacy is so much a part of British culture (and maybe Irish too?)
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I agree with Nick, I need a lot of private time. I would go bonkers in your situation, and I admire you for doing so well.
ReplyDeleteThat makes for reading an autobiography rather than four LBC posts! But nice. In fact, very nice.
ReplyDeleteJust one question - What do you now do for a hair stylist?
Good heavens Maria, you are a Queen. Your husband should give you praise every day.
ReplyDeleteYou have my admiration I assure you.
blessings ~ maxi
My neighbor had 3 boys that got haircuts downtown. I told her to get a clipper hair cutting set & save $$$.
ReplyDeleteShe didn't because the haircuts came out of her husband's spending budget & the clippers would come out of hers. :D
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ReplyDeleteYou do Very Well with the challenge of a mother-in-law that holds fast to the traditions of India.
More importantly she's JEALOUS. You replaced her in your husband's affection/life.
Hello... visited your blog after a long time and liked what I read. Congratulations on your new publication.
ReplyDeleteNice to see a new phrase to depict your joint or rather undivided family
Maria, you deserve an award. "A Mother of The Year Plaque" actually.
ReplyDeleteI would be crazy in two days with that little privacy.
blessings to you ~ maxi
Thanks for writing such a good article, I stumbled onto your blog and read a few post. I like your style of writing...
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