Picky Eater

IB (grandson) is a picky eater. Whatever you put in his plate multiplies by five. When you look at his plate, say after half an hour, the food is still there— all scattered into bits on the plate. By this time he is fed up with his food as well, because magically it has not been finished, so he removes himself from the agonizing sight of food, and plonks himself on the sitting room sofa.

He gets engrossed with his iPad, and completely forgets that he hasn’t done any justice to his food. After sometime he notes that nobody (means me) is watching him, he raids the pantry, or the fridge to find something else to nibble. That something maybe chips, cans of fuzzy drink, or coke, or cotton candy.

He doesn’t like onions, or tomatoes in his food. The bits of tomatoes are all fished out of the food, and left on his plate. I’m getting smart with his ways. I put the lot through a Ninja, and finely blend it to trick him into eating. He used to like pineapple on pizzas when bought from outside, but a homemade pizza with bits of pineapple on it is a total no no.

Last night, after I had served him with my homemade pizza, he told me scathingly, “No one puts pineapple on a pizza”. His father reminded him that he always ordered it to add it on for a store bought one. IB turned to me for the final word, and ordered, “You can live without it”.

He never finishes his food, but today it’s a wonder— he drank his milk, orange juice, and ate his waffles, and strawberries.

The sight of IB’s empty plate brings joy to my heart.

Manners

Good manners are the mark of royalty, that’s what I was told as a child. I was instilled with proper etiquettes — how to sit, how to walk, and most important how to behave. Sadly that’s no longer the case with most people I come across. Rude behavior appalls me, and I’m left thinking something must be very wrong with me if every time I take it to heart someone’s rude behavior.

Most of the time, I try to overlook as in the case of youngsters. I blame it on their thoughtlessness, but what about the older generation? Common courtesies are not followed, as standing when a lady enters a room, or greeting her first. It may seem trifling, but my late husband was a true gentleman in his behavior. Secretly I used to be irked when I would see other men not behaving the same way.

Back home youngsters are told to greet their elders first when they see them, even if they don’t know them. Here they don’t say a word. They behave as they are not in the room. I’ve grown immune, and I behave the same way as if I don’t see them.

Sink or Swim

  

Trying to swim through the sea of life

It’s tiring indeed

But if I don’t swim what will happen

I will sink to the bottom for the fishes to feed

I don’t know whether I will reach the distant shore

Or become a memory in a log to read

(Sheen)

DAILY PROMPT

Sink or Swim

Tell us about a time when you were left on your own, to fend for yourself in an overwhelming situation — on the job, at home, at school. What was the outcome?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/sink-or-swim/

Million Dollar Question

  
Blogging is letting go all the frustration in daily life. 

Blogging is sharing a part of your life with others letting them see that they are not alone in their problems.

Blogging is telling your story so that if you have done any mistakes, others won’t do them.

Blogging is spreading hope and peace through your words.

Blogging is for posterity that even when you are gone, your writing remains.

DAILY PROMPT

Million-Dollar Question

Why do you blog?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/million-dollar-question/

Fright Night

  
Quite a few fears are lurking inside me. They plague me more when I am down. One is fear of snakes. My son S and I would go out for our night walk. It has become a thing of the past. Either he isn’t back, or he is too tired after a long day.

Anyway I was coming back to fearing snakes. There had been rains. The pathway on which we walked has shrubbery at intervals. S suddenly called out, “Look out! There is a snake”.

 It was partly out of the small bush. I was about to step on it. What would have happened? It would have bitten me —- logical conclusion. For a moment I didn’t know what to do? Run forward, or backward.

To this day I am avoiding the place where I last saw it.

DAILY PROMPT

Fright Night

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/fright-night-2/

Trick Questions

  
Late one night some guests arrived at our home. This happened when I was about fifteen. Like all teenagers I was least bothered as to who they were, and why they had come? As our guest rooms were to one side there were nil chances of my seeing them.

Next morning I  had massaged my scalp with oil. I was gathering my clothes to take a bath, when the door to my room opened and two ladies along with a child entered. I had never seen them before. Next my step mom peeked inside and told me these guests wanted to talk with you. 

For the next hour those ladies kept asking questions, and I tried to answer whatever they asked. They would give a searching gaze to my hands and feet, and then their gaze would probe my face. I was relieved when they got up to leave.

Bath forgotten I went to look for father to ask him as to who they were, and why were they interviewing me? I found father sitting in his car in the garage. I told him that two weird ladies had come to my room, and they were really strange as to the way they stared at me.  Father didn’t answer my questions only saying that they were our guests meaning that we have to put up with them.

Those ladies were my future in-laws. I came to know much later.

The purpose of this story is that you never know what to answer or that you won’t like certain questions. It depends upon the interviewer and circumstances.

DAILY PROMPT

Trick Questions

A Pulitzer-winning reporter is writing an in-depth piece — about you. What are the three questions you really hope she doesn’t ask you?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/trick-questions/

Not Needed

  
Even seven words are not needed. Where there is a will there is a way. A lady (M) from Scotland used to stay at our home during winter months. She was teaching at a school in Murree, Pakistan. When the school closed for holidays, she would come and spend her time with us.

We had given her our guestroom free of any charges. Our paternal aunt whom we called Babo looked after us in absence of father. Babo only knew Pushto, and M spoke English. The language wasn’t a barrier between them. They carried on, each speaking their own language. 

They had devised a way to converse, and they understood each other perfectly. Sometimes when the spoken words weren’t enough, they resorted to sign language. In the process Babo learnt English, and M learnt Pushto.

DAILY PROMPT

Seven Wonders

Khalil Gibran once said that people will never understand one another unless language is reduced to seven words. What would your seven words be?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/seven-wonders/

FAQ

  
My friend for life —- my pen for drawing. Sorry, no interview.

DAILY PROMPT

FAQ

Interview someone — a friend, another blogger, your mother, the mailman — and write a post based on their responses.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/faq/

Evil

  
Yes! I do believe evil exists. How to combat it?

Seriously I don’t know. As a helpless person I ignore it and wish it will go away one day on its own.

The ones who top evilness in my eyes are those who portray themselves with holier than thou attitudes, and than go on to blast a religion and its followers to perdition. What can be worse than that?

Evil are those who promote violence and mass murders in the name of religion and creed. Evil are those who are the true face behind the upheaval created by them, and hide themselves thinking no one knows. Evil are those who breed hatred in the minds of people, and a day comes and the hatred erupts to cause loss of lives and assets.

Evil are those who create  monsters, and let them cause havoc and destruction on helpless mankind.

DAILY PROMPT

Wicked Witch

Write about evil: how you understand it (or don’t), what you think it means, or a way it’s manifested, either in the world at large or in your life.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/wicked-witch/

Fear of Heights

I had shifted upstairs after I divided the house into two portions. I was giving the lower portion on rent. The new tenant had yet to move in. My brother in law along with his wife paid me a visit.

After having tea and sitting for a while, they got up to leave. I accompanied them to the stairs. My sister in law looked scared as she eyed the stairs. While coming up she hadn’t noticed the steep climbing. She looked afraid of going down. She hesitantly took a step, but then changed her mind and pulled back.

I had to take out keys. I went down and  opened the door from inside the lower portion to the inside stairs. 

I am wondering how she is going to fare once I go back home, and she comes a calling. Will she behave exactly the same way?
DAILY PROMPT

Phobia, Shmobia

Fears evolve over time. What is one fear you’ve conquered?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/phobia-shmobia/