DP Daily Prompt: The Cat Says Meow Post by Ranu

Meow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once I had three cats,their personalities were completely different. J.D was sweet,but she’d show her anger if her sleep was disturbed. Alex was a jealous cat,she disliked sharing her owners with other cats.Thursday the sweetest of all,tried hard to please everyone. J.D got along with her but made sure Thursday did not take advantage . Alex did not like Thursday or J.D.,she kept her distance from them.

After observing the three for a considerable length of time, it helped me to gain some experience. I’d take Thursday’s role but will make some changes. I’ve experienced that in this world of people and animals,one cannot be too nice.It almost always backfires.

My good friend is stuck,he was always too accommodating,but finds himself in a quandary,the more he gives in the more is expected of him,it has come to a point when it is unbearable. My fear is one day he’ll snap and all his good deeds will come to a screeching halt. I foresee that day is not too far. I will not portray the change by taking his role. I’d  rather be Thursday. So here it comes!

‘This morning J.D was playing with a ball. She was having fun. I tried to join her.She hissed at me,I was livid,I did the same to her. I moved round and round to take the ball away, I pounced and got the ball in my paw,I kept meowing, I was happy to see J.D disturbed. The ball gave me minutes of enjoyment. I thought, See I had fun and made J.D miserable,this is how I should treat them’.

‘It is my turn to be nasty with Alex, I’ll scratch her,hiss at her,when she tries to be mean,I’ll teach her I’m not the same Thursday any more.  I noticed J.D and Alex are friendly with me. Will they continue to do so if I change and become the same old meek cat pushed around by those two,I do not think so!’

The lesson to learn is,  “Do not let anyone walk all over you”!

DP Daily Prompt: Super Sensitive Post by Ranu

Human ear icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hmm,good question , if I were forced to give up one sense,but gain super sensitivity in another,which senses would I choose. It is truly difficult to answer.

Let me see I need my eyesight,without it would be a dull world.I’d have to give up looking at the wonders of nature,the novels of awesome writers, will be deprived of enjoying my children growing up. I’d have a hard time choosing my food.And the list goes on.It’s settled I cannot sacrifice my eyesight.

Next in line is sense of hearing. Now a days everything is so loud,it makes me feel one of these days,I’d lose this sense. Wait a minute can I give it up totally? I think not.I’d miss hearing Celine Dionnes songs,then there is my all time favourite poet Tagore’s songs,Poet Iqbal’s beautiful poetry,Songs of Rafi,Talat Mehmood,Frank Sinatra, and oh so many others. I can’t give up this sense either.

Sense of smell is very important,it warns us of impending danger. It keeps us away from foods that are not healthy.

Touch and taste have their importance, we couldn’t enjoy food if it’s not tasty. We need to touch different things to differentiate between good and bad.

I conclude here by saying I cannot sacrifice any of these senses!

DP Daily Prompt: Luxurious Post by Ranu

English: Electric Stove Français : Cuisinière électrique (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Luxury to me is something desirable for comfort and enjoyment. Where I live now, having an electric stove to cook my food without interference  is a kind of luxury I cannot do without. There have been times when we lost power,because of inclement weather. We had no way of cooking the bare necessity,such as a cup of tea. We had a lot of problems,we had to go to the restaurant to eat. I don’t mind eating out once in a while,but six whole days was tough to take.

I would say having electricity is a blessing for me. There are other things, I consider electricity the most important,I cannot live without it.

DP Daily Prompt: Regrets,I’ve Had a Few By Ranu

There  are a few.Should I treat them as regrets or follies of my life?

When I think seriously,I probably could have avoided a lot of things that bothers me today. I wanted to help a student by letting her stay in my house. I didn’t  have to do it ,I was under no pressure. I thought I was saving her the expense of renting a place and everything else.It turned out to be  a nightmare. Out of all the regrets this probably was the worst.

DP Daily Prompt: I Am A Rock Post By Ranu

I do not have trouble asking for help if and when I need it. There are things I can do without help. But there have been times I couldn’t. I sought help from teachers when I could not tackle a particular problem in Math, I approached my older brothers when I could not quite comprehend ,’The Quantity Theory Of Money’,instead of spending too much time on it,I’d get my brother’s help. My neighbour helped me with the car,when my husband was away.

I cannot be a rock. There are things I have to do,but I require some assistance.

DP Daily Prompt: Blogger With A Cause Post by Ranu

I think I have taken care of my responsibilities. The kids are now adults. They are capable of looking after themselves,I hope they are. From the time they were infants,up to now I did everything for them. I fed them,clothed them,taught them anything they wanted I gave them.I have come to a point where I sense they are not as generous with their time as I was. This probably is my fate.

I think I’d want to do something for someone other than my family. I carried a lot of burden to raise them.When I look back I feel I’ve done more than the two younger ones deserve. It’s my time to turn to something else which would make me feel better.

I am so disappointed I don’t feel like volunteering for anything. I fear I may face another set of ungrateful people,I’d have difficulty coping if this happens.

Anyway I am seriously thinking of setting up a scholarship for kids in my area.How it will turn out I have no idea,I presume better than the two I’ve raised.This is all I think for now.It may change when I think some more.

DP Daily Prompt: Name that ……You! Post by Ranu

Garden “butchart gardens”, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am simply delighted to know,this prompt is all about our name. My name means ,”Garden”, I have no idea what made my parents choose this name. As far as I can remember the name was suggested by a very good friend of my parents.

Whether this name suits me or not, I really don’t know. My name is Chaman, it means ‘A Garden’. Let me define a garden. A garden is a beautiful place.There are flowers of every variety known to man. When one visits a garden,the sole purpose is to sit and take in the beauty of it and think of pleasant things. Poets visit gardens to get inspiration for their poems.Wordsworth,Tagore,Iqbal and others have written volumes about it. I love poetry and the ones written, keeping the garden in focus gives me enormous pleasure.

Artists paint pictures of gardens and use incredible colors, to attract the attention of scores of people.

When I think of a garden,immediately a beautiful picture captivates my mind. The flowers,the birds,butterflies,children playing,elders sitting on benches taking in the beauty of the atmosphere,all in all it’s a picture of heaven on earth.

My mother always said a name effects a person’s personality.According to her, parents should choose names for their children carefully.

I do not know whether my name suits me. I know I am friendly,I treat people kindly,I have a smile on my face when I meet new people,I have a special affinity for children. I can interact with them for any length of time. When you think of a garden, children come to mind,they enhance its beauty by their sheer presence.

When we named our children,we wanted the names to be people friendly,in other words,they were growing up in North America,it should be easy for the people they come into contact with to pronounce their names.We did that except the youngest,we originally wanted to name her ‘Sonya’,our good friend kind of bullied us into changing it to,’Fatima’. Her friends butchered the name,some called her,’Fat e ma’, and wondered why her parents did not name her,’Skinny ma’,because she was so thin.

I have read poems where the poet says, ‘What’s in a name’. I think it’s important to choose names wisely for our children!

DP Daily Prompt: A Little Sneaky Post by Ranu

Writing prompts to me is an useful exercise and can be sneaky. Take for example, the one I did yesterday about the last song I heard.I had to pick the third line and make it my post. This required a lot of pondering on my part. I tested a few,the third line was not helping me to write anything.I did write something,I felt as if the topic was taking me where I did not want to go.

It was a question of ,’Should I skip it or attempt it?’ Then the thought why not I pick a song from a language I know and translate it. To my surprise what I came up with was amazing. I ended up writing about the dearest person in the world. Although I had to exercise my brain,mind whatever you call it, the result was heartening for me. I was able to write about my Dad.The satisfaction I got from it was tremendous.

The prompts can be a little sneaky as well.There are prompts where I wrote about myself,my likes,dislikes the whole bit. It seemed at times I was writing my autobiography unconsciously. This is the part I’d call sneaky.

To sum up I must say,I enjoy writing the prompts.If I had to think of what to write, I wouldn’t write one every day.The fact I get help is truly remarkable,sneaky or not.

DP Daily Prompt: Ready For Your Close-up Post by Ranu

This is the most ordinary movie of my life. I am the middle daughter of my parents. I grew up a happy person.I liked to sing and play with my siblings.The happiness of mine was short. My Dad died when I was twelve. I cannot say if I ever thought what my future will be.I lived one day at a time.

Before I knew it was time for me to go to college. I was lucky my two older brothers took care of my expenses. I was not ambitious at all. When I completed my education,I suddenly wanted to go to England to study.I knew it was expensive, none of my siblings could help me.I have a strong belief that if you want something bad enough, Almighty God helps you out. My desire was fulfilled. I taught for sometime.

I got married,had three children. Everything worked out the way I wanted. I left my home and came to live in a foreign country with my husband. The locals tell me this is my home now. I agree with them.

DP Daily Prompt: I’d Like To Thank My Cats Post by Ranu

meeow (Photo credit: kaiser_t)

meeow (Photo credit: alexis mire)

As far as I’m concerned,awards are non-existent in my life. If by any chance it happens in an auspicious day,I’d have to thank my three cats,they meant a world to me.

At first I was not in favor of having any animals in the house,certainly not cats.Things changed when they arrived. I voluntarily took the responsibility of feeding them,cleaning the litter and taking them to the vet. I noticed I fell in love with them,they’d come to me quietly and remind me to give them food. They disliked the vet,they’d hide when they saw the cage.

My friends remarked on several occasions,they wished they were cats,they get so much attention. painters,carpenters,etc. said the same thing. My husband declared one day,” You’ll go to heaven, you take such good care of them.” This declaration topped everything else I heard.

I wondered what would be the opinion of the cats,will they vote for me for an award? Meeow is what they’d say. I’d consider it as ‘Yes’, she should.

All my cats passed away one at a time.  The opportunity to get votes from them no longer exists. If they were alive I am sure they’d keep meeowing until I got an award.So friends no award for me!