Before I Sleep

Two things I badly need to do before I sleep, to warm my icy back, and secondly the frigid toes on my feet. I wonder at why my feet change to frozen from a normal state. Why do they go ice- cold? There is no feeling of cold, but the minute I slip into bed my feet won’t get warm. They turn magically into ice bricks. Friends with solution say, “Wear socks”. Socks in bed makes me feel claustrophobic, so no socks in bed for me.

I keep on turning in bed, swishing my feet to generate warm air in the tundra like confines of my bed. Sometime later they start to thaw out to help me in getting my elusive sleep. One reason I know is that my room becomes arctic in summer is due to Son keeping the thermostat at low temperature.

For my back I keep a pillow — actually not one, but two. The pillows get warm with my back, and in turn warm my cold prone spinal cord. At night I turn between the two pillows. I wonder about my back too as to why it feels more cold there? I have not found an answer yet.

Last night when I was having my usual night walk, I could feel the pinpricks of cold on my back. I kept muttering to myself, “It’s cold”, while a warm wind blew, and people around me were wearing shorts, showing bare legs, and arms. A few minutes of brisk walking chased away the feeling of cold, I straightened my hunchback stance, and breathed a sigh of relief.

I hope not, but someday I may turn into a freak by strapping a pillow to my back to get away from the cold signals my nerves tend to give.

Skateboarding

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Son had promised IB (grandson) that he will take him to the park for skateboarding. IB’s stay with us is coming to a close. I feel sad already, wondering when we will next see him, and that is probably next year. Feeling, I must grab the moments spent with him, I got ready to go with them.

Meanwhile, IB the couch potato he is, tried his best at dissuading his father not to go out, insisting that the park where his father was taking him wasn’t meant for skateboarding. IB is totally addicted to his iPad, while we wanted him to get a few hours of air, and sun outside.

Popes Island had the children’s park. Alongside was the boat’s arena. Lucky people having their own boats. Children IB’s age were playing, but IB insisted he was too old to play there. Son, and I sat on the seesaw, while two energetic children- the same age as IB (twelve) sat beside us to push the seesaw up, and down. The boy was sweet, as he later came back again to help us in seesawing.

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This park was in Fair haven, MA. On the other side of the bridge constituted New Bedford.

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We went to Livesey Park, trying to ignore IB’s protestations that the park wasn’t meant for skateboarding. There were all sorts there — grown ups who were walking briskly on the side walks, children and grown ups cycling, teenagers playing volleyball.

IB skateboarded on the side walk till he was tired, and wanted to go back home.

Acushnet River

Looking Forward

IB (grandson) is a funny fellow. He was asking me about M1 (daughter ‘s eldest one), and when was she returning back from Pakistan? She has gone there along with her parents, and siblings to attend her cousin’s wedding. I told him the due date which is four days later.

I asked him, “Are you missing her?”

M1 is great with kids. They open up to her. Apparently it looks like I don’t have this skill. When she was here for a few days, IB wouldn’t leave her side for a minute even. If she was sitting on a sofa, he would be cuddled up next to her. When she would lie down on bed, IB would go to his bed only when lights were turned off. I think if he would have permission to sleep in her bed, he would have gladly done so.

His reply to my question was, “It’s good to have someone to talk to.”

So whose fault it is?

Certainly not mine! Looks like I have crossed over into invisibility.

Leaving Time

The New Bedford Library is a few minutes walk from where Son, and I live. Tomorrow is my due date to return the books I got from it. One of those books is Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. Back home I have got quite a collection of her books. She is one of my favorite authors.

I like her books, but there is one thing I don’t, and that is being sad. When I was younger I read all sorts of books, and could take everything in stride — sadness, death, murders and mysteries. Now all I can take is comfort in reading that the hero, and heroine got their happy after. I don’t want to read gory ends.

Jodi’s books make profound readings. Leaving Time is all about elephants, and a girl named Jenna who searches for her vanished mother till she finds her. While reading the book I learnt more about elephants, which previously I didn’t know.

I loved elephants during childhood. One of my dream was to get an elephant for a pet. My brother Lala who is eight years older than me would exploit it to no end. He only had to say that my elephant needed something I had, and I would hand it over to him unquestionably.

Mughal Kings during their time if they wanted to sentence someone, would gift a white elephant. The elephant required huge amounts of money for their upkeep, and soon the recipient of the king’s favor was reduced to poverty.

My mythical elephant still strolls the banks of River Jhelum, though Lala doesn’t requires me to give gifts for him.

Thai Red Curry

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Son, and I got a surprise visit from M1 (grand daughter). She wanted to leave her car with us, till she gets back to studies this fall in Boston. The day she was coming IB (grandson) waited impatiently the whole day for his cousin, counting minutes till she arrived quite late in the evening. She was caught in a traffic jam in Boston, otherwise she would have been with us a lot earlier. IB doesn’t have sisters, so Nola’s (my daughter) daughters fill the void.

M1 likes to cook her own food. She is quite a genius with food, and keep finding new recipes. She had brought with her nearly all the ingredients needed. This was my first taste of Thai food. M1 strongly recommended that I must try Thai vegetarian restaurants. She finds the food amazing.

Her uncle wanted to buy something for her as a gift. IB, and M1 went with Son, and I went to bed catching up on my sleep. I was awakened by a call from M1 that they were going to be late, so I should cut the chicken into pieces, and cook the rice as the accompanying dish to her curry. Earlier she had told me not to worry about what to cook, as she would be cooking for us.

As they came back home, her uncle told her to show me his gift to her. I stared perplexedly at the sandals in the shoe box. They didn’t look new, and then I glanced at her feet seeing her new foot wear. We all laughed at their fooling me.

It was marvelous eating the Red Curry. M1 added chicken as that gives a new dimension to the fantastic food. Other ingredients she added were mushrooms, spring onions, carrots, and pineapple. She omitted the kale from the recipe. The recipe can be found at

https://cookieandkate.com/2015/thai-red-curry-recipe/

Fasting

As Muslims, we are getting much nearer to the end of our thirty days fasting period — the month which is known as Ramadan. When God decreed it centuries ago for believers, many didn’t know how beneficial it was to health, but now fasting has been proven through scientific knowledge, of utmost value to our health.

One thing I can vouch for is shinning white teeth. Normally I brush my teeth thrice a day minimally, but in Ramadan probably I do more. Once I’m in the bathroom, I reach for the toothpaste almost reflexively— forgetting I’ve not eaten anything since Sehr timings. The result is that teeth shine like pearls — Masha’Allah!

When my late husband was alive, and I lived in Pakistan, every Ramadan started with Dora Quran. It was held at a friend’s house where like minded ladies gathered every Thursday to read, and gain more insight into Quran, and Islam. With the beginning of Ramadan the meeting was held every day, and we women had Dora Quran which meant a quick reading of one Sipara (one part of the Quran– there are thirty parts) each day. It used to be quite comprehensive, as it entailed various aspects of our religion.

Then dear husband died, and I got permanently shifted to the US. It has been five years now, and I missed the valuable lessons about being a better human than I initially was, and doing charity work which I learnt through our weekly meetings.

This year I got lucky that my daughter visited me just before the beginning of Ramadan. Daughter was getting audio recordings daily from her neighbor in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her neighbor held Dora Quran. My daughter asked that I should be included in getting the audio recordings daily. Jazak’Allah Khair to the lady for including me. It’s really inspiring.

It’s told that Angels are present when the Quran is read in the mornings. Normally I read two pages every morning after Fajr Prayers, and again when I’m having breakfast I read, and listen to it on my iPad.

It was a revelation to read Chapter 19, Surah Shuarah, Ayat 196 that Quran is the same book which earlier generations received from Torah to the Bible. Basically the teachings are the same except for the parts where they slung mud at the prophets, and distorted the fact that God is One only, and no other exists beside Him. Those books got muddled, and distorted through the hands of misguided zealots.

Religious fanatics against Islam are trying their best to do the same thing to Quran, but it’s almost impossible, as there are many Muslims who memorize each and every word. Even if distortions occur no one can put false interpretations in each, and every copy. A true version will be always be there till the end of time.

Visit

This photo of IB is of three years before.

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Yesterday was super exciting, because IB (grandson) was arriving from Houston for a month long visit. His flight got late, and it got to Boston at nine at night. Son had booked a ticket for IB a month earlier. Both of us would have liked it much better if IB could spend more than a month with us.

As we don’t live in Houston anymore, we are starved of IB’s company. When we lived there come every second weekend, IB would spend three days, and two nights with us. Living so far away from Houston has its disadvantages.

I wish Son’s ex was more accommodating in allowing IB to spend more than a month. It would have been simply wonderful.

IB as a baby.

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Perfection

Nothing is perfect

I have found out

A person I deemed perfect

Turned out imperfect

A home I thought perfect

Had hidden defects

A person I trusted

Was wanting in trust

Now where do I look for perfection?

Not to myself

I am no more perfect than the rest of us

(Sheen-June2016)

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DAILY PROMPT

Perfection

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/perfection/

Simplicity

When one remains simple, life  is uncluttered. I have known it to be true — but time and again I forget.

In February of this year I moved to Virginia. Got a home, but except for a few plates and cups which I had brought with me from Peshawar, there was nothing much in the house. I could have brought stuff from back home, but because of baggage restrictions I couldn’t bring more with me.

19th February was a whirlwind, and the bitterly cold night found us (my daughter and I), at Sam’s Club to buy queen sized mattresses. Kitchen gadgets and electric things were acquired from Target. I later found out it would have been much cheaper to get them from Walmart. We did get cotton sheets and pillows, towels, bathroom and kitchen accessories from there. I would have preferred Bed, Bath and Beyond but mindful of spending I checked myself.

Anyway I needed a bed while Nola told me to keep simple for the time being. My backache was growing due to bending, to lie down on the  matteress, and my left leg grew prone to sciatica. So along came my bed, a night table, a huge dresser and mirror. Why the other things? My bed did indeed needed its companions, but now I find myself in the doldrums. Why? Because of the move back to Texas due to my son’s situation.

Now I will have to spend money on a big truck to haul back my living room, dining room, bedroom stuff to Texas. If I put them on sale nobody is going to buy it at half price even. It’s barely three months since I bought them. Life gets changed in a blink of an eye. You never know what lies ahead, and what God has ordained for you.

So here is what I am saying to myself. Why didn’t I stick to remaining simple with less things? It would have been more simpler to move back.

Why did I forget?

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DAILY PROMPT: Simplicity

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. Not sure how to participate? Here are the steps to get started.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/simplicity/

 

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/