Spidey’s Serene Sundays | But I Smile Anyway...

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #418 – Destiny or Fate

12 Mar 2023 28 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Fate, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.”
John Lennon

What a thought to ponder upon, Spidey.

I’ve been going through a lot of ups and downs in my life.

Not necessarily directly about me, but 100% affecting my life.

I keep going, as I do, but it doesn’t mean that I am not finding things tough.

Still, certain events happen which make you realise that sometimes, it doesn’t matter what you try to do to change the course of your destiny, somehow you will always end up where you were meant to be.

It feels a bit like this, right now, for me. Things are falling into place in certain areas. Some places are still a bit wobbly, in life, but what feels like an eternity, has passed and there looks to be a bit of stability where there was none.

And I believe it was meant to be.

So, Peeps, do you believe in destiny or fate? 😊

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #417 – Picking & Choosing

05 Mar 2023 35 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Picking & Choosing, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“You can do anything, but not everything.”
David Allen

Great reminder, Spidey!

Now, I don’t know if it is a perimenopause thing or just extreme tiredness, but right now, I really cannot do everything that I want to be able to do.

I go to work, and I keep the house clean, feed my family, and ensure their well-being is as good as it can be.

I keep in touch with my parents daily and my brother a little less, but still regularly.

What I also want to do is try and exercise, daily.

And write, daily.

And read, daily.

And I want to meet up with friends and have a bit of social life.

But I am finding that I am so tired that I can very often only do a bit of exercise two or three times a week, and it’s not anything strenuous, I admit.

Writing seems to be a thing I am struggling with, because my brain is so filled with other, more pressing issues, plus I am waiting on publisher feedback, and I think it is halting my progress on the third book, in case there are any big changes they want me to make…

The thought of meeting up with loved ones for an evening is wonderful, but again, it’s the energy thing.

So I make sure that if nothing else, I read. And even my reading has slowed down. You guys know me, the fifteen books-a-month type of reader, at my best, alongside writing and everything else.

Right now it can take me 4-5 days to finish a book, but that is because I am falling asleep after a few minutes, or at the maximum, half an hour of reading. I know that still sounds fast to some, but that is not me.

Still, at least I am reading something.

At least I have hit that level of maturity where I know I cannot do everything. Each thing I want to do has its time and place, and it will happen, I am sure. Just not all at once.

(I dunno, maybe I need a change-up in my HRT dosages…)

So, Peeps, are you good at realising when you need to take your foot off the pedal a bit? 😊

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #416 – Spreading His Wings

26 Feb 2023 37 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday, Spreading His Wings

“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, reasons to stay.”
The Dalai Lama

Oh, Spidey, don’t remind me…

By the time this post goes live, I will have been awake before the crack of dawn, dropping a certain (not so) Lil Man off and back, sitting there, worrying about him for the first of three days…

He’s off abroad with his college for the first time!

And I know this is where it starts.

I am so happy he is going, as he didn’t want to, but I am so aware of children needing to learn independence and share rich experiences.

But… it is so hard letting them go!

The last time he did an overnight trip, it was at primary school. He was in the country, not far away, and my colleagues were the adults supervising, so it didn’t feel so bad.

This time, he will be in a different country in charge of currency, his passport (for a short while, until the teacher in-charge takes it for safe-keeping!) and not going over his roaming allowance on his phone! (As well as looking after himself, not missing time deadlines and keeping track of his luggage!)

Nervous? Me?

Don’t be silly, of course I’m not! (I’m lying… I am really nervous!)

I just want him to have a good time, and a productive trip at the conference he is attending, as well as having fun with his friends.

The thing is, I know I have to get him to spread his wings. In fact, we are actively encouraging it. He takes his A-Levels soon and doesn’t want to go to University, so there is an element of independence that he isn’t going to experience straight away. It’s unlikely that he will leave home any time soon if he starts an apprenticeship, as, well, why would you, if you have a roof over your head and no rent to pay!

Breathe, Ritu, breathe. This is just the start!

So, Peeps, how have you coped with the kids growing up, if you have been through it? 😊

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #415 – Mothers & Daughters

19 Feb 2023 37 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: #jusjojan, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Mothers and Daughters

“As is the mother, so is the daughter.”
Ezekiel 16;44

What an apt quote today, after the last week, Spidey.

I took Lil Princess to get a haircut last weekend and had a trim, myself. I took one picture of myself, and for the first time, it really hit me how much I look like my mum!

More occasions this week corroborated the fact, as certain little people kept calling me by the name they use for my mum… innocently saying, “Sorry, but you look so much like her!”

And my brother stated with shock, I think, at how much I resemble or mother now.

That’s not a bad thing.

Each wrinkle and line has developed through the smiles and laughter in my life.

When I look at my mother’s eyes, her love shines through as she smiles, and those little lines around the edges show the depths of her love for us all.

My Mum is a beautiful person, inside and out. It’s an honour to see her so clearly in my reflection. I notice the crinkles at the sides of my eyes, the lines beginning to appear in different places.

I hope that is what others see in me, too.

And, that it is not only the outside that resembles her but what she stands for, inside,

So, Peeps, how closely do you resemble your parents? 😊

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #414 – Smile

12 Feb 2023 36 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: #jusjojan, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Smile

“Peace begins with a smile.”
Mother Teresa

What a beautiful quote, Spidey!

I’m all about the smile. That is me.

When I started uni, before we all got to know one another, I was known as ‘that smiley curly-haired girl from Birmingham’.

And, even now, you will rarely see me without a smile on my face. It may be small and contemplative or wide and manic as I navigate through a crazy day with the kids at school, but it is ever-present.

If you see me without one, you know that Ritu is broken, that day. That is very rare.

You see, I firmly believe that just the act of smiling can change the way your emotions are playing out in your mind. You can alter how you feel to a more positive direction with a smile.

And then there is the rest of the world.

I’ve always got a smile for others.

It is funny to see how strangers react, though.

A smile is the most natural form of communication, yet some people think you are a lunatic for smiling at them.

I’m not talking about a big toothy grin beaming its way to them, but just a small upturn of the lips. An acknowledgement, if you will.

A smile has started all manner of little connections in my life.

My favourite one is with John, an older gentleman. As I navigated the aisles in Asda one Saturday morning after dropping Lil Man at his football training many years ago, I passed the same faces as we all crossed each other’s paths multiple times. I’d smile if there was eye contact, but most of the time, most people’s eyes were either scanning shelves or looking down, just getting on with their shopping.

There was one man who beamed back at me every time. And after the third or fourth time, he stopped me. “Excuse me,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but thank you for the smiles. Nowadays, people don’t have the time or inclination to smile, and it makes a pleasant change.”

We would pass each other every Saturday for many months and always stop at some place for a chat. I learned about his adult children and wife, and he asked about my family. He met the kids on the odd shopping trip. One day, he said, “I have something for you!” He pulled out an old photo of a church and said, “You must show this to your son. This was his original school around 400 years ago!”

He asked how to send it to me, so I could show Lil Man. So we ended up Facebook friends, too! Over the next year or so, we would bump into one another and have a catch-up. I learned about his wife being ill, and he supported my blog and book release, too.

Obviously, Covid hit. Shopping trips were few and far between, but we still passed the odd message on Facebook. He lost his wife and has had bouts of illness, but we still stay in touch.

That’s the power of a smile.

So, Peeps, what are your thoughts on smiles? 😊