#BeWoW | But I Smile Anyway...

What is ‘Family’? #ThrowbackThursday

16 Nov 2017 71 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #BeWoW, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family, School, Work

An old post I wrote a while back that I felt like giving an airing to!

Over my life time I’ve seen many different types of family, and I’m lucky to be part of a huge, crazy parivaar (Punjabi for family) where there is no lack of love and laughter. But where you get a great amount of people, there are always going to be fallings out, and that one person, or maybe more, that you cant stand!

I think we can all relate to that!

As I said, I have been blessed with this gigantic extended family, and they took up most of my childhood, every weekend we were together, be it at a wedding, a party, or just at each other’s houses for dinner. It was character building to say the least, I was the youngest girl cousin on my Pops side out of a good 20, or so, cousins so was spoilt by many, but there were the odd ones who may not have liked the attention that being the youngest afforded me… still, I was brought up well, and wouldn’t make a fuss, I just got on with life. Then on the flip side, I was the oldest grand child on my Mum’s side, so I had a different stature there! The ‘Big Sister’ role!

But it’s my immediate family who I will always be thankful for. A father who did everything for us, to provide us with a stable upbringing, and still catering for the other families needs. A mother who was there for us, at every step of our growing up, she didn’t even follow her chosen career path, choosing to be a full time mum to us, supporting us, helping us, bringing us up when we were down, grounding us when we were too big for our boots. A brother who was the biggest irritant of my life for the first 15 years, but then morphed into one of the most trusted individuals in my life. Then beyond, his wife, my sister-in-law, who is the sweetest person I know, who has also moulded the raw man that was my brother into a most amazing husband, and fantastic father too! And not forgetting my precious little bundle of laughs, my baby nephew!

Talking of husbands, around 14 years ago, I suddenly had a new branch grow onto my family tree, and I acquired new parents, another brother, and another whole new extended family, through my husband!

Hubby Dearest, well he is my rock, and thanks to him (and a little bit of me) we created our own family, with the additions of Lil Man, and Lil Princess, and the ability to love unconditionally grew considerably in both of us. These two little people, here on Earth because of us, and looking up to us to nurture them, and hopefully encourage them to grow into strong, independent individuals with heart.

But is that all family is? Blood ties, and marriage?

I don’t think so, personally.

I seem to have little pockets of ‘family’ elsewhere in my life, my school ‘family’, my university ‘family’, my work ‘family’, my friends ‘family’, my WordPress Blog ‘family’…

Each of these groups of people have as much of a profound effect on my daily life, as my real family do, in their own way. They are all as important to me, and as essential to me being who I am today, as my parents were. The experiences I have shared with them over the years have also shaped me as a person, and made me the Ritu you see before you.

So, what is ‘family’ to me?

I think the true definition of family is those people who help to shape you as the individual you are today.

Written in response to RonovanWrites #BeWow writing initative.

What Unites Humanity?: A BeWoW Blogger’s Post

07 Oct 2017 58 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Poems Tags: #BeWoW, Annette Rochelle Aben, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Humanity, Random Acts Of Poetry, Ronovan's

Annette has sparked a poetry sharing frenzy with her Random Acts Of Poetry post!

She suggested dropping poetic lines anywhere and everywhere, and I would have done that, but being a little unwell I couldn’t… so I share one I wrote a while back for Ronovan’s BeWoW challenge!

Humanity

A simple heart, beating strong
Crimson blood running through veins long.
A pair of lungs breathing fast
A skeleton that’s built to last…

Muscles, tissues, fat, and skin
The important thing it’s all encased in

White, black, yellow, or brown…
But why do some of these raise a frown?
Why concern for some, and hate for others?
Are we not all sisters and brothers?

Is each body not the same?
Just the difference of a name?
A bit less melanin here, than there
That that makes you superior, I was not aware…

Respect life, no matter what creed
For every colour has a need
Humanity in harmony, what I’d love to see
A dream for all?… Or is it just me…

Inspired by Ronovan’s #BeWoW weekly post share

#BeWoW – Positivity Quotes

03 Jun 2015 42 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges Tags: #BeWoW, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Positivity Quotes, Thoughtd

#BeWoW prompt from Ronovan Writes, was Positivity Quotes.

Not quite a quote, but a thought…

Many people look at life with that glass half empty/ glass half full idea…

I love this analogy. There is always two ways to look at everything.

Those with the half empty glass, always see the negativity. Things are always going to go downhill…

But me, well, I’m a glass half full kinda gal!

Hadn’t you noticed? Life throws curve balls to us all. It’s all about catching and throwing back, joining in the game of life, not allowing yourself to get out, and dropping outta the whole game!

So come on peeps! Find your glass, be grateful for what it holds, and wonder at the possibilities that ‘half’ holds for you!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

#BeWoW ~ Positivity

27 May 2015 16 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges Tags: #BeWoW, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Positivity, Ronivan Writes

Another Wednesday, another chance to Be Wonderful On Wednesday, like the lovely Ronovan, of Ronovan Writes, requested that we do.

This week the prompt is How do you keep positive?

Well, that’s an interesting one.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve probably guessed that I am, in general, a pretty positive person. I’m not sure that many times have cropped up, where I haven’t been positive. It’s just the way I was brought up to be.

Now there’s a thought… Are you born positive? Or is positivity taught?

I think that we all have the capability to be positive, but your upbringing, the attitudes around you, can most definitely influence how positive, or negative, you end up, as an adult.

As a child, I saw my parents go through various situations where they were dragged through the mud, put in the firing line for no reason whatsoever, times they had to take huge responsibilities onto their shoulders, at quite a young age, and always with a smile on their faces.

It would get my mum down, but until I was quite a lot older, I only saw the smiles on her face, and the positive outlook she had, on whatever situation the family was in at the time. Once I reached maturity, and was able to understand more, what was going on, she would tell me the truth, but also explain why it was important to stay positive.

My Pops, well, he was, and still is, Mr Positive. He is someone who always sees the silver lining, in so many situations. Like when we were setting our wedding date, after a couple of years of engagement. It was all set, the venue all chosen… Then due to my Mother In Law consulting an astrologer, we had to postpone the date by two weeks. Oh My Goodness! I was upset, furious, not willing to change the date, but my Pops said “It’s not a problem Beta (dear) if they believe in something, let us do it, change dates and the best bit… I get you to stay here as my little girl for two more weeks.!” Well, that was what swung it for me! Even during the hard times when I suffered 2 miscarriages, it was his words that pulled me through…

So, with these icons of positivity around me all my life, how could I not be positive?

I wonder, if I saw them arguing, or crumbling during all the ups and downs, would I feel like I do now? Or would I tend to just give up whenever I was faced with any issues?

If, and yes, it does happen, my Hubby and I argue, or disagree, over anything, I find it important to sort it out straight away, I can’t allow the negativity to fester for days, like many people I know. I find it hard to stay angry for too long!

If things get me down, I allow myself a moment of woe, after all I was born on a Wednesday, I’m meant to be a child full of woe…(sorry to disappoint!) then I think of what my parents always taught us, I find the positive in a situation, and smile through!

#BeWoW Post – Connection

20 May 2015 23 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges Tags: #BeWoW, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Connections, Ronovan's Writes

This week, Ronovan’s suggested we talk about Connections.

My take…

The first thing that came to mind when I read the word Connections, was technological, the Internet, mobile phones, social media… You need to connect to the Internet in order for it to work, your call needs to connect with the other persons phone, to have a conversation, you need to accept a friend request to make a connection on social media platforms…

Then I thought about it, and related it to life, and our relationships. In order to keep your friendships, family connections and relationship alive, you need to ‘connect’. You need to be in touch with them somehow or another in order to allow these relationships to flourish. You need to be on the same wavelength as some people in order to ‘connect’ with them. If your thoughts, sense of humour, lifestyles are too different, you might keep,losing that ‘connection’. And with friendships, and relationships, you need to take that first step, send that friend request, verbally, to make that ‘connection’.

I ‘connect’ with many people from all walks of life, from my family, both the elders and the younger, the friends from school, university, as well as those mum friends from the schoo, run, and my colleagues from work, and the children I work with too. I think I’ve been blessed with the type of personality, where I can be both traditional, yet modern, sophisticated, yet silly, mature, yet childish, serious yet fun. I have moulded to fit all sorts of different people, in order to connect with them. Amd I am happy to do so. If this is the way for me to keep connections alive, I’ll keep on doing it.

It’s not just connections with people, though, there are those connections with my culture and my religion. Yes, I am not a Punjabi suit wearing Indian gal on a day to day basis. But I speaks da lingo, I can wear the clothes with style, and I can proudly say that I can pass many cultural and religious lessons on to my kids, in order to keep this connection alive too.

Though sometimes I think I might ‘over-connect’ too, and then I struggle to keep up with these connections. After all people start to have expectations, and I hate to disappoint… This is a lesson I am learning now, and I am trying to make sure I keep the connections that really matter, strong, and crystal clear…. Those weak, losing signal connections though, I have realised that sometimes, it’s just better to ‘cut the call’ rather that redialling on repeat. If they want to connect, maybe they can call me…or send me a friend request… And we can reconnect.