Aloneness or Loneliness?
I read an article by @HerBAE titled "Silence and solitude". He talked about how solitude is important and why we should all try to practice solitude in our lives. As a person who has felt and has eventually fallen in love with the feeling of being in positive isolation, I have been often misunderstood as someone who's shy and doesn't ***like*** associating with people. People see me as a person with many insecurities (not to deny the fact that I do have them) because according to them, people with a lot of insecurities tend to avoid people in general so that they won't get hurt, thereby ending up as lonely people. The few close friends that I have however know that I am not shy. I can be really freaky with those that I am very close with but however the sweetness of human interactions, I find the most peace in being alone.
There's a very distinctive difference between being alone and being lonely. It is very saddening and even offensive to hear people confuse the two.
Loneliness is a phenomena of the heart or some emotion. It can be likened to a feeling of emptiness and incompleteness that makes you long for something that sometimes you are not even sure of. I believe a person can appear lively and extroverted outwardly and still be the most lonely person you've ever come across. Loneliness has nothing to do with isolation, it has to do with emptiness. When loneliness becomes chronic or extreme, it spreads. Normally you feel an emptiness inside you and once in a while, a person or thing feels in that emptiness but when it's gone, you feel it again. When a person sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of loneliness, they drown. They drown in the sense that that emptiness spreads and creates more void that needs to be filled in a person's soul. If it gets worse, unpleasant stuff happens. A person could end up depressed, suffer from anxiety or worse, commit suicide to end their suffering.
Aloneness on the other hand is a feeling of wholeness and unity of being. When in solitude, there's usually no feeling of emptiness and there's no abyss to fall into. The only thing we fall into is our consciousness which is the depths of our being. In aloneness, we don't avoid people because we're insecure, we spend more time alone because we value our own company to that of others. You'll have to prove that your company is better than our solitude for you to be accepted by us, that's why introverts seem antisocial when that's not the case, at least that's not the case for my type of introvertnedness because there sure are introverts who are introverts so a very different reason. People who prioritise alone time are just more selective with the people they associate with.
Aloneness or solitude can be likened to meditation because there's this feeling of connectedness we experience. We feel connected to the deepest roots of our being, the people and things around us and nature. People who find happiness in solitude are often perceived as nerdy, weird, mystic, spiritual or religious. While any of these could be the reason, other reasons do exist. For me I value my solitude because of the spiritual journey I have embarked in. I think the journey to self discovery is one of the most intriguing and fulfilling, yet excruciatingly painful journey a person would ever embark on. It is a life long journey that has no end.
There are other differences between the two but I would like to stop here. I believe I have done some justice to the topic.
Thanks for reading,
Shout out to all my sponsors, upvoters, likers, commenters and viewers.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤
This article was originally published on hive with some editing. https://ecency.com/hive-113523/@drogomystic/aloneness-or-loneliness
How does the weather affect your mood?
I like to think that one of the reasons why we have different weathers, apart from maintaining a balance in nature is because there's always a weather than each individual happens to resonate with, some people are far more productive and fare well in some weathers while they become mostly redundant in some. I feel like if hibernation or burrowing where a characteristic of humans, I'd spend a certain weather buried underneath the earth!
I come from a family that core stoic values. My father always chants a mantra about how some things are beyond our control and we shouldn't let them affect us. They be like "if you can change it, why worry or get affected if you can? Change it!.. If you can't then why worry? Remove yourself from the situation!". I have always applied this to my entire life but I still suck applying it to how the weather affects me. I know I am not God and simply because I don't like the weather doesn't mean it would go, I can't change it either so why complain or worry? That sounds easy but it isn't at all for me.
We were recently blessed with rain and to God I am grateful, but prior to that, it felt like the roof would melt anytime soon. The heat got to a point where the concept "ventilation" doesn't exist, I mean instead of getting fresh air when you open the windows and doors, another wave of heat is blown! You might ask "so what about electricity?", well that's story for another day. At that point, I slept like a baby, even the sleep wasn't enjoyable as you'd wake up in a pool of your own sweat,coupled with the scarcity of water to take regular showers and remain hydrated, it was hell for us all. My productivity dropped significantly... and I was mostly frustrated and tend to have frequent mood swings, more frequent tuanmy usual dosage of mood swings.
When it's the harmattan however, it is a different case. Since we spend most of the time wearing heavy and warm clothes and it's all cozy in there, it is much easier to become sleepy but at least it is enjoyable compared to the heat season. I spend more time sleeping and that affects my productivity too but not as much as the heat season. I have been told by my friends that I even look more beautiful during the cold season so it generally boosts my confidence, plus the outfit I wear during the cold season is way more sexier lol😂. Confidence level=100%!! This makes me become more focused in what I am doing as there's lesser chances of being distracted since in general human interactions drop when it's cold, everyone wants to get into some warm blanket for as long as their schedule permits them.
The rainy season however happens to be my favourite weather in the sense that, just as it maintains a balance between the two extreme weathers, the heat and the cold, it also has a balancing effect on my emotions. I feel more spiritual and grouded and for it to have coincided with the Ramadan month, that's a win-win for me. I feel more connected to nature and everything else around me. I become more reasonable especially if it just finished raining. My productivity becomes top-notch and I find it easier balancing things out. I love the rainy season because I am provided endless opportunities to get wet in the rain. Whenever I have a rain bath, it feels like the water not only washes my body, but also purifies my soul and drown all the negative thoughts. You know what I mean if you've been there, this makes my creativity and experience a high quantum jump and I end up writing poetry lol😂. Rainy season all the way!!
We don't experience weathers such as winter in Africa and that's part of the reasons why I'd love to travel the world, especially Europe and Asia so that I could experience how it feels and what effects it would have on my mood.
So dear reader, how do you respond to certain weather changes, how do they influence you and which among them is your favourite? I'd love to see that in the comment section.
To all my Filipino friends and all my friends around the world who're or have experienced some sort of natural disaster lately, I pray things get better soon. May the weather get better and balanced for you out there so that y'all can enjoy it just like you are used to.
To all my subscribers, sponsors, upvoters, thumbers and viewers, I say a big thank you to you all!
Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤
What's your biggest motivation behind helping people?
Humans are very complicated beings and despite them being a he most intelligent creatures on earth, they still have a hard time understanding themselves and one another. I have often seen people help others for various reasons that suit them. It is in our nature to do things that are beneficial to us in the long run, I am not saying that everyone is selfish but what if that's what I am saying?... ***That everyone is selfish?***
A big shout out to all my sponsors. Thank you for all you do.
There's something I have been noticing about people, especially those who practise a form of religion and believe in a god/God. It's the month of Ramadan so Muslims are expected to worship God more than they do other months, as a muslim myself, I prayed into the morning. There's a special type of prayer that's held in the last ten days of Ramadan where Muslims pray from midnight to the early hours of dawn. It is called *Tahajjud or Qiyamul-Layl.*
I attended the tahajjud and on returning home among the crowds, a lot of them stopped to hand over money to homeless people or beggars which as we can all agree, is a good thing, infact it is encouraged to help people whenever we're presented with the opportunity to do so and this is even more encouraged during ramadan because it's a good deed and they are going to **earn** God's reward for it! Now I couldn't help but think, what if God doesn't promise rewards for good deeds? Would a lot of people still help others out? Those people who had helped those beggars by giving them money might have prayed during the tahajjud and are giving alms so as to hasten the reply to their prayers. They give, but is it really for the chief sake of helping others or to get rewards from God or to hasten the reply to their prayers? I think it's the latter. If so, then isn't the intent behind a subtly selfish reason?
Don't get me wrong here okay, I am not saying that we shouldn't give alms ot provide assistance in whatever form dp that you can get more blessings from God, I mean we all do so... At least I do so. I help people so that God will see the good that I do and bless me with His favors, what I am saying is that giving for giving sake is hardly the chief reason.
***So, what if you're an atheist or don't believe in a God? Does that mean that mean that you don't help people because we don't believe that some supernatural being rewards us for our good deeds?***
That's of course not true, I know atheists with generous hearts, they never miss the opportunity to lend a helping hand whenever they can, so why do they do this? I asked an atheist friend this and his reply was, "it makes me feel happy because it's the right thing to do and it's human nature to help. When I am sad and offer a helping hand I instantly lit up". Okay so does that mean that if he doesn't feel happy helping others then he wouldn't help? I did not ask him this of course. If he helps people because he feels happy about it then isn't the happiness his? Doesn't it points back to him? His happiness?..... Others help people so that they can feel good about themselves and think, "oh I am not even such a bad person" and that gives them peace of mind and a sense of protection, still it is their own.
Those of course are not the only reason we help. They are many reasons people choose to help but all of the ones I know eventually point back to the benefit of the person doing the giving, if not directly then indirectly. There's always an underlying benefit we get whether we are aware or not.
We say we help people because we love making a difference, we love seeing smiling faces and tears of joy when we help people, we love being the reason other people get better, but be honest with yourself here: most of the good things we do are done to maintain some sort of identity we have built around ourselves and we can't bear it if it starts crumbling so we have to keep it strong. It is good to be good. I strongly believe that once a person tastes the sweetness of goodness, he would do anything to keep tasting it!
Selfishness has been made to seem like a bad thing by most people but you know what? Selfishness is very good as long as you do it in a way that doesn't harm others or profits only you. When you both benefit from it, it isn't a bad thing. Even in some instances, when you're the only one who benefits, it still isn't a bad thing, like in a situation where your peace of mind is at stake, you do things to protect it even if it means leaving everyone behind as long as you don't hurt them, but you've got to analyse this carefully to be sure that it isn't your fault and they are the ones hurting themselves, not you. So guys, be selfish if need be. Be selfish in a good way.
These are all thoughts that come into the spinning wheel I call my brain, I hope you see where I am coming from. I am not saying you must help for the sole reason of helping cause even I don't do that sometimes. Keep helping the way you've been doing, it doesn't matter if you derive happiness from it as long as others benefit from it. In the end, life is mostly symbiotic.
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤
Fallen in love with a cadaver (prologue)
*One of the most fascinating things of second year of medschool is getting to see, study and dissect cadavers for the very first time. The stories told to us by our predecessors only succeeded in putting our curiosity on edge. It's the twelfth week of resumption now but still we haven't started the dissection and that kept infuriating the shit out of me and more so because the reason they gave for not having started the dissection was so flimsy. They claim that the school departments are under renovation because inspectors are coming to inspect, which is a criterion for accreditation. They have done alot of brushing, painting and scrubbing on the anatomy department and God! Did it look new! It wasn't as if it was old before, it just needed some brushing up. Somehow I understood why they had to delay it when I saw the work they had done and the day of the inspection being the next day, I was already getting ready for our inevitable dissection session next week.. ________________________*
*"Surgical gloves please"! I heard the lab attendant say in scolding tone to those who don't have it with them, making them hurry out of the lab to get theirs so they won't miss out on the fun. I, who was brimming with curiosity and excitement in my clean, ironed lab-coat with surgical gloves and plain trousers stared at the cadavers numbering up t(o twenty on tables lying on opposite sides of the rather large laboratory. I could see some young ladies on the other side cover their nose with handkerchiefs despite wearing facemasks. It was the formalin! I looked to my left and see others do the same. I couldn't believe that I was so engrossed in my excitement that I lost consciousness of the strong smell, either way I couldn't care less. The sight of the dead bodies made me rethink life, it strongly reminded me of how fleeting this life is and how we will all die. Those dead bodies once had a life like us but here they are now, used as objects to teach students and satisfy their curiosity after which they are buried in parts in the department's graveyard.*
*We were then divided into groups, a table for each and where given instructions then the short lab attendant yelled "proceed!"*
*Confusing as it was, we managed to remain organised. We brought out our dissection kits with manuals and set to work. Since we were discussing the Upper Limb, we were only allowed to work on the arm, breasts up to the upper part of the abdomen while the remaining parts of the body remain covered with a thick blanket like material. A girl from our group suddenly coughed and passed out quite quickly. The lab attendants were alerted and they rushed to the scene, they didn't look the least fazed since it is something they are used to. On the opposite side of the room, I could hear someone sweeping probably someone vomited.*
*Image Source* https://memorang.com/flashcards/79759/Anatomy+of+the+Extremities-Upper+Limbs
*I felt something tighten in my chest making me feel uneasy. The exciting atmosphere has now turned into spooky. A short, light skinned girl with snow white lab coat broke the silence "hey guys, let's get to work, the silence is getting scarier than the cadavers, I could faint from it" in her squeaky voice. Aliya is a very funny girl whose voice alone makes us laugh. We soon brightened up as we set to work. I volunteered to dissect according to the instructions of the first paragraph of the manual as I listen to the girl reading. Instinctively, I turned my head towards the exit to see the girl who fainted being taken out of the dissection hall...*
To be continued (.. or maybe not!)
PS: I am having a very busy day today hence my inactivity and because I couldn't squeeze in time to write anything today, I decided to drop the prologue of a book I had been writing based on my experience as a second year medical student(with a lill bit of fiction of course!) . I am not yet done with the story and haven't been working on it, I just found this one and was like, "oh okay yes!" 😂
Imma drop by on y'all articles when things get less noisy.
Thanks for reading,
Layla,
❤❤❤
Trials and tribulations : maybe a story.
*The very large box of insecurity and fear that sitn my chest has cost me alot on life. Wishing it would all go didn't make it any less. It kept increasing minute by minute, day by day until I created my own world of make-believe. Like a cocoon with an underdeveloped insect inside it because that's what I was, underdeveloped. I shut myself from the rest of the world having wanted nothing to do with the world or its activities. I only do things that are necessary and was that boring young girl who had no fun in her life no had any idea of how to have fun. Even when I get invited to some fun centre and have no chance of declining. I go along with them and what they do. On the outward I look like I am having fun, but inwardly it means nothing to me. It's not that I didn't know what fun is, I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy it. My heavy chest wouldn't let me.*
*I can't remember how I ended up the way I am. I recall having really terrible childhood experiences that I can't remember probably because of the coping mechanism I developed early in life, that of denial and suppression. They sometimes seek means of expression in the form of nightmares. There seem to be alot of villains in the dream. Sometimes it's my father, sometimes my mother and sometimes my doppelganger. These dream happen really fast that sometimes I can't remember them and all they leave me are waves of shock and dread. They occur every single night. I want to set my heart free, release all the weight that I have been carrying on my chest. It isn't surprising that alot of people find me strange and when a girl my age once tried to get closer to me in school, she asked me, "Fatimah, what's wrong with you?" because it was obvious to people that I am not that alright. Hearing a person ask me that for the first time felt really good despite knowing that most of them don't really care, they just want to know what's going on in your life. That was the first time anyone has asked me that question. I was suprised at the discovery I made when I tried to give her an answer. I found nothing. "I don't know", I replied. She shrugged it off and attempted to engage me with small talks but the attempts failed. The realisation was so shocking that I felt so ashamed and sad. I have always known that I am not an alright person, but I have never had the courage to search for the reason. It was at this point that I realise why all my attempts towards freeing myself have ended the way they did; in vain. How can you reset a fracture when you only feel the pain but have no idea where it is coming from? That's the most impossible thing in the world. Despite this realisation, I was hardly ready for any of that. I had no idea how to be ready and even if I was, I didn't know I was ready. The pain in my chest got sharper as a thousand thoughts swirl in my head..*
*I got home with the pain growing sharper and a terrible headache hit my head like a bulldozer truck. Mum wasn't around, "Thank God! No scolding for now". I went to the kitchen and downed some pain reliever tablets on my half empty stomach. Without showering, I went straight to my room and crashed, the girl's question replayed in my head, "Fatima, what's really wrong with you?". The expression on her face looked caring and welcoming, but perhaps that is what I imagined because of how starved I have been of that care. Perhaps she even had a smirk on her face as an indication that she things I am wierd. I don't know and don't really care.*
*"I don't know what's wrong with me, I don't know....".*
*In my sleep, I saw myself lying in a garden and suddenly, my chest opened releasing the insecurity and hurts that's been bottled in their for long. They had faces like normal humans. Insecurity was a beautiful girl with long hair and floating robe, hurt wasn't as beautiful and had a huge scar across her cheek. They disappeared back into my chest when they saw an unpleasant looking animal approaching me, the animal darted towards me and was already a few inches away when I snapped out of the dream.*
*"Not again... not again.."*
How do you get back on track?
Planning the events in our day helps us remain mindful of our activities, if we're intentional about them, our level of focus is heightened and we carry on all the activities we planned even when there's a hitch if we're determined enough. However many a times things happen that are absolutely out of our control, things we can do little or nothing about. Other times because of how flawed our human nature is, we skip things we have planned beforehand either by getting tired before we could do it, by not having the conditions we thought we would have or even something like negligence. Sometimes we mess up things so badly that all what we plan comes crumbling down on us, leaving us overwhelmed and regretful and with no other option than to start afresh which in some cases isn't as easy as it seems.
I wrote an article a day before yesterday on how I stayed up late into the night studying having not slept when I used to sleep which is between 8:00pm to 12:30 or 1:00am and ended up sleeping almost throughout the day after which means that I didn't write an article, I didn't study during the day time and didn't exercise which are all part of the plan. Wondering how four hours not well planned can ruin the rest of your day? Well you're welcome to wonder with me because I too don't get it. I have come to realise that night sleep has better quality than daytime sleep because if I am to sleep for five hours in the night, I would do just fine for the rest of the day but sleeping for five hours during the daytime doesn't amount to anything for me except dozing off as I try to do other things which as you know, doesn't work in any situation.
Four hours of actions not included in your plans can ruin your plans for the rest of the day and many more days to come if you don't do some correction. I feel like I am falling back into my nasty habit of procrastination due to this. I have been doing well coping with this habit ever since I started taking my plans for the day a lot more seriously but now that they are ruined I am gradually.... slipping back in and I hate it.
I can now only think of two options to get back on track:
**Focusing on high priority activities for the time being :**
I happen to plan my day right to the smallest of details, I know that's not usually how a plan works but it's something that helps me focus, something that I lack. If I get a firmer grip on things maybe I would just take some things down. I am thinking of removing not-so important things like reading a novel or networking for the time being so that I would drift in the time meant for those things into more important things until I finally get back on the usual track. I am afraid of doing this though as I might get accustomed and eventually erase those activities for good.
**Factory reset mode :**
Sacrifice. Like sacrificing a whole day doing nothing so that I am back to normal the next day. I am not also sure about this one because while it helps me get back on track a lot quicker, I still feel that a day spent doing nothing is a huge waste of 24 hours. Don't you think?
This just goes to show that every minute counts and in the process of doing things that don't matter, we end up sacrificing things that really matter. Not that what I was doing doesn't matter( I was studying!) but that wasn't time for that which creates yet another reminder; **there's time for everything.** While you plan your day, bear in mind a strong conviction that you will try your best to stick to it but don't push yourself too much. Remember that you're only human, not a robot and when you mess it up, you can always get it right again.
Maybe you have a better method for me that you might want to share? I will wholeheartedly appreciate it.
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Finally got wet again!
Yesterday was a lazy day for me, having spent the whole night up without batting an eyelid it is normal for me to pay my debt the next day. I stayed up all night studying without sleeping prior to 1:00am and that's to say I spent 24 hours without sleeping. My body took on all of the suffering because when I started sleeping at about 8:00am, I didn't wake up until 5:00pm. Although I would wake up in between hours but I couldn't do a thing! It felt like a thousand hot extra prickly needles are piercing back and forth into my eyes so I couldn't even reply to the comments on my previous article until this morning, let alone visit other friend's articles or even write. I opened readcash twice yesterday but the brain in my head had a totally different idea. All it kept saying was "sleep babygirl, sleep!"... It was irresistible. I had to pay my debt in full whether I like it or not.
Anyways guys, I am writing this article with happiness in my heart! Remember when I wrote about how hot it was here and how water had suddenly become gold? Well we were blessed with our first rainfall of the year in the early hours of the morning. It came totally unexpected as there was no sign of cloud, or wind or even a slight change in weather. It just started raining as if it missed its direction and accidentally fell in our area. It started raining around 4:00am in torrents! It didn't stop until it was well past 4:45 which means it lasted for more than 30 minutes! That's totally unusual for a first rainfall of the season.
Image Source https://www.twenty20.com/photos/58324646?cta=ft&cta_uid=07188173-8090-4f5e-86d6-52e263eb0b7e&utm_t20_source=partner&utm_t20_channel=reshot&utm_t20_campaign=related
I was happy and didn't hide it, even though the water isn't yet fit for storage or consumption since it will wash up all the dust accumulated on the roofs throughout the dry season, I was compelled to store some not for consumption but for... I don't really know! I just felt like collecting rainwater lol😂. I brought out my buckets and drums to collect water before it ceased...Oh I remember now, I collected the water so I would use it as a guise to bath in the rain; a habit I haven't yet given up even at my age. You see, I have always loved rain. Bathing in the rain gives me this supernatural feeling and kind of enhances my senses. The first rainfall in particular comes with this soothing smell of purity, when it hits the sand that has been made hot by the sun over the months, it makes the sand scent beautifully. I am in love with that scent, ot makes me want to eat sand sometimes so whenever you see me eating sand, you better know that it's not pica :).
Image Source https://www.ecwausa.com/2019/11/05/playing-in-the-rain/
I already for my bath and got some clothes off. It felt cold at first but as I grew accustomed to it it went just fine. I however avoided bathing below the roofs to avoid the dirt from the dusty roofs and went directly under the sky where I could feel the thudding on my bare skin. I danced and sang in the rain and even cried for no reason. Not a minute from the thirty minutes of heavy rainfall went to waste. After gathering the water at the end of the rainfall, I took a proper bath in the bathroom. The first rainfall can make the skin itch if you don't bath and I don't want that. The thrill I got from the rain will definitely last me the rest of the day.
Is there anyone here who loves rain too? Not necessarily wanting to bath or dance in it, but even for a reason as simple as listening to its drumming against your roof or how it makes the trees bow in obeisance or how it freshenes up the air.. ________________________
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤
Are you addicted to or obsessed with readcash?
About three days ago, I checked my profile page and saw that I am already 6 months old on read.cash. It felt like I joined yesterday.
I remember when I was still new on readcash(one to two months old) I used to engage alot, visit people's articles, drop good comments and upvote them. However as time went by and I had to resume school, the pressure was so overwhelming that I had to ditch readcash for while. The classes, hospital assignments, projects, practicals, group work and some personal issues. All these made my engagement and posting levels drop significantly. I would post once in a week and sometimes in two weeks. I hadn't much people visiting my articles since I don't visit articles often and readcash is like that. If you want engagements on hours, you'll have to engage on other's, a very interactive platform it is!
So after the University went on strike about two months ago, I decided to set things straight. I needed to settle my school workload since the strike presented the opportunity and I had intentions to optimise my interactions on this platform to make up for all the days I have lost, so I planned it like this:
*My day starts by 1am and ends by 8 or 9pm(assuming all things go according to plan). Since there are 24 hours in a day, divide my readcash interaction time into bits of 4 hours. I go to bed at 8:30pm after visiting articles from four hours ago. I sleep for five hours a day so when I wake up at 1am(my new day!), I visit articles from five hours ago. I then take time to pray, prepare my article for today and study. I study till 4am after which the morning prayer and then I click on the notification icon then visit articles from 4 hours ago. I then log out and go do other things outside readcash then at 8am I log in to visit articles from 4 hours ago, then I log out to do other things until it is 12pm then I post my article for the day after replying to comments on my last article then after this, I visit articles from four hours ago. At 4pm I do the same thing (visit articles from four hours ago) and at 8:00pm after Isha prayer I visit articles from 4 hours ago. Although sometimes due to circumstances, I leave it until it is 12:30am after waking up from sleep... and so it continues..*
I had to employ this strategy because I used to become overwhelmed when I see about 40 unvisited articles in my notif and I end up not visiting even one because of how overwhelming it is. I need readcash right now and I need to study too and do other things outside readcash. I admit there was a time I was obsessed with readcash making me abandon other things that needed attending to but now thankfully everything has been sorted out.
The above times I scheduled for my online gig kinda made me overconfident though so I joined Hive.blog and Blurt but it didn't work out. After spending money on both hive and blurt power I figured I will have to sacrifice and just do readcash and be content while focusing on other things regarding study and other aspects of personal development aside finances. @Princessbusayo guided me on how to start blurt and she was so kind to even give me some blurt power after I signed up, I knew instantly that it would just go to waste and I didn't know how to reply her so hanty Princess, this is the reason 😔.
Alot of us here on readcash are employees, students and housewives. All these come with serious responsibility and expectations. Time management is key to everything and never forget to create that balance in your life that should always be there. When things seem to be toppling, take your time to assess the situation so you wouldn't leave anything behind. For those who would love to engage more on readcash but are finding it difficult due to other responsibilities, my strategy might work for you or you can device yours yourself.
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤
Finding lost treasures in crannies.
I decided to do a general sanitation in my house today being Saturday. I woke up as early as 4:00am feeling very refreshed. Considering the fact that I was tired on Friday night, it was surprising!! So I decided to take advantage of the situation and do some cleaning in the house. I started the cleaning at 6:00am because I am fasting and if I had delayed it till afternoon, I may not have the energy to do so... It is 11:00am here so you could guess that I am already done with it.
While doing the cleaning, I found things I never knew were still around. Things I have looked for long ago but couldn't find and ended up giving up despite them being very important to me. I found that sometimes we use things and just toss them to a corner and they end up getting stuck crannies or crevices we have no idea exist until we really want to find them. We lose things and we sometimes think for real, they develop legs and walk out, I know people say such things in a joke attempt but there are ways some things disappear that you start thinking they are right, and then when you finally find them you go, "ohhh of course, I remember now..." Blah blah blah!!".
I started the sanitation with the parlour/living room. The parlour holds the title of the place that should always be kept clean no matter what, because that's where visitors go to when you come to visit you. They don't go to your bathroom or bedroom unless you're very close...and first impressions matter alot so you don't want your parlour looking like an untidy poultry farm. So while cleaning out the parlour, there's this heavy wardrobe that I lifted(or was lifted cos I definitely couldn't do it alone..). On swinging my broom under the wardrobe you wouldn't be believe what I brought out of it! Although it was quite heavy so I used my hand to bring it out.
It's been a long time since I last saw this book. It's a the final volume of the three Gross Anatomy textbook series. When I bought the whole collection I was using them quite alright, until there was a general strike so we had to return home. I remember putting it under the wardrobe myself so that I can meet it intact when school resumes but I forgot where I kept it when it was time for resumption so I thought I forgot it in school. I received a good scolding from my elder brother telling me how careless I am and it really saddened me. When I got back to school I set out to look for it within my room and even asked some of my close friends if any of them borrowed it but it was all futile. I had to make use of the soft copy on my phone ever since because I couldn't afford to buy another one(medical textbooks are really really expensive!). I have completely forgotten about it until today and I was like, "of course this is where I kept it, I remember now!". One thing about these kind of situations is that you immediately remember the series of events leading up to the time you last saw them. I am happy!! 😂😂
The second hitherto lost item I found was a cellphone when I went to clean the room. The side of the bed that's against the wall has this narrow opening and that's where I found it.
Although seeing the phone didn't really mean much to me I was quite surprised on seeing it. The place I found it was the last place I would think of if I was ever asked to look for the phone. The story about this phone is that it is the first phone I ever had. My brother bought it for me shortly upon my gaining admission. I was happy back then! I would play games and watch movies cos that time I wasn't that into social media. One day I just woke up and couldn't find it. They tried calling it to hear if it would ring but it didn't. It's either something pressed it thereby muffling the sound or there was an automatic power drain due to the falling impact. As you can see it has acquired a crack, but it is still in good working condition although the screen has a little stain on it.
So these are the things I found today and it was exciting! It felt like I was exploring for some sort of treasures. 😂😂
Have you ever found something you thought you'd never find again? Tell me about it in the comment section.
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤.
A fry-day (got burnt!!)
To be honest, I had no intention of writing here today as I am aware it'd turn out a very busy day for me since yesterday and that's what it is. That's why I haven't visited many articles today and last night as I had to go to bed early in preparations for today's tasks. I am to go to my uncle's house who leaves in Sabon gari(a place very far from my town) to collect and hand over some items. That has been the custom in my family for as long as I can remember. In times like this (ramadan) and special occasions, we share things and receive foodstuffs and other items within families and neighbours. So, today I travelled to my uncle's place and handed over some things. These include a mini-sack of rice, a keg of palm oil and a small bag of onions. I was expecting it to be a quick journey since it is ramadan and people do not roam about unnecessarily. I was disappointed when I was met with a heavy car traffic halfway to my uncle's place which caused about 15 minutes delay. The sun wasn't smiling either, it was shining its scorching rays mercilessly, the vehicle was over heated making us all sweat like Christmas goats. It soon cleared though and I arrived safely at my uncle's house.
After the pleasantries and smiles, I handed over the goods I brought and collected the items he gave me which included a sack of local pasta, a mini bag of beans and some fresh tomatoes as well as two crates of eggs. What he did next shattered my plans for the rest of the day. Instead of just giving me things to take back home, he gave me things to take to my other relatives who live far away from his own place making it twice as far from my place. So after taking these foodstuffs to my relatives I would then come back to his house to take mine before coming back home. Normally, this will take me about 6 hours from now to finish including reaching home but today being Friday, a rather busy day in town, if I get home after ten hours then I have all reason to thank God! Well...what other option do I have? I had expected the day to be a busy one but not this busy! The fact that I am fasting means that my corpse might reach home instead of me lol!
Right now, I am on my way to my relatives' place. She's my aunt to be precise! If things go wrong (I might not be able to come back home today!) I might sleep over, but I wouldn't want that since there are things I need to do at home today. Hmm... The sun seems to be increasing in aggressiveness and the boss is more overheated than the one I boarded on the way to my uncle's house. I could melt.
So guys, it is indeed a not so good Friday for me. I am even feeling kinda sleepy at the moment. I guess I am just gonna slumber a little before reaching my destination. I am aware I haven't replied to your comments on my last article and haven't visited most of your articles. I eill try my best to do so once things are more settled here.
Thanks for reading and for your understanding.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Poor and proud.
Back in the day, long before you and I were born and during our childhood years, it is needless to say that life was way easier then. Money had alot of value, the world was very much at peace, the love and care was real, the laughter and joy was real, and in general the standard of living was high. Our parents do not necessarily have to be well to do for them to take care of us in the best way possible. Infact many of us came from poor homes but we never lacked things that we need in terms of basic amenities like food, shelter and clothing. Most of us didn't lack anything when we were much younger, not because our parents were rich, but because things we much different back then. As we grew and things started changing around our world, economic crises, wars, inflations and stuff started affecting those standards we once had but still, we adjusted quite alright.
***Our parents were poor, but were also rich and proud.***
A big shout out to all my sponsors and supporters. May you never lack anything in life
Now as we can see, things are alot different from before. The growing obsession with wealth, trends and status have disrupted the way we used to see things. Even the dictionary seems to have a meaning for the word "poor" that is in support of the way the world is now. If you live on less than a dollar a day, then you're poor. You're only rich when them homies spot you cruising in the latest Benz or Bentley. You're only rich if you wear the latest rolex, you're only rich when you wear branded clothes ; The latest Gucci brand (Gucci gang!), Versace or Dolce and Gabbana is what is seen as rich now, flashy cars, expensive parties and all stuff rich people engage themselves in.
People who live in villages are also considered poor people. My mother grew up in the village and her family were among the richest. Her father had nothing in his safe. Her father had no money. How then did he become rich? He grew enough foods to feed his many wives and children. They never lack anything as long as food is concerned. They had clothes and a good roof over their head. My mom told me that he only tried to get money by selling some of his farm produce in the market to pay their school fees. When asked why he doesn't hold money he said, ***"the value of naira can depreciate over time, but one tuber of yam will always be one tuber of yam".***
What a wise man he was! I was very lucky to have met him before he died. So if you think having no money automatically makes you poor, I think you need to think it again.
I won't leave the fact that what people perceive as rich is subjective as everyone is entitled to his opinion, we all have different needs. Alot of people fancy the kind of lifestyle those who have alot money live: extravagant parties, spicy food, flashy cars, expensive clothes you name it, and that's their own definition of rich and I don't blame them, but restricting the word "rich" to only that is where you've got it wrong. If you have to have all that for you to see yourself as rich, then that's for you only. You don't have to make it general. As they say, prospective is indeed everything.
Me, I think a person who's able to feed well, cloth well, and have a good roof over his head and enjoy basic privileges is indeed rich and anyone who's lacking in all of these or one or two of them is poor, that's my own thinking. A person can live on less than a dollar a day and be totally okay. You don't have to have money to be rich.... and what is that statement about contented again?
Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Fine! Fine and fine!
Hello readstars! How are you all doing? How was your day and how's life in general? I hope you're doing all great.
Now alot of us here start our articles with questions like in the first paragraph, the first paragraph consists of a list of questions, and normally questions should be answered right? I mean they aren't supposed to be rhetorical questions and I didn't mean for them to be, but I can swear that those who will comment on this article won't bother to respond with "I am fine" or "I am doing great and you?". Since it's a question they have the freedom to answer non-affirmatively too and can say "I am not fine" or "I had a bad day, let me tell you about it: today I killed someone...."
My point? The question "how are you?" is more of a greeting now rather than a genuine question of interest to really know how the person is and we are all expected to reply with "fine". It's just like saying "Good morning to you!" and the other person replying "good morning to you too mate!". If you make an attempt to tell them how you really are since they are the ones who asked first it can be awkward. I mean imagine someone vomiting all the processes they had to go through in a divorce by your simple utterance of." how are you? ". They probably will never want to be around you again because they think you are weird even if they listened to all what you had to say at that time while giving you looks of "I was just trying to be nice".
Since when did it become a global tradition to ask people how they are while you don't really care and expecting "fine!" for an answer? I don't really know but I am damn positive that this has been the norm long before my parents were married, so me being born at that time is out of question.
What about those who really give a beans about you? those who really care about you like your family members and close friends? I think it's only those people who can ask the "how are you?" question without really expecting the "fine!" answer. They are the only ones that truly want to know how you really are. Still, they too can toss the "how are you?" question sometimes and expect you to say "fine!". The way a person asks the question makes you know how to reply to the person. When it is asked in a greeting tone, we by default say "fine!" because that's what they want to hear. That's what most people want to hear, for you to say fine!
The first time I thought about this made me quite sad because at that time I consider asking a person how they are kind of rude. Like meeting a person and say "high buddy, how you doing?" without really caring about how they are doing, even if you do care you don't expect me to start offloading all my problems onto you do you? So I am obliged to say "fine!" even when this can be a big lie sometimes . I still find it rude, even hypocritical in some situations. You seriously do not have to ask me that. A simple good morning is fine. There was even a time I don't answer to "how are you?" anymore and I just go silent. If the person keeps insisting I reply with "I am alive!" in a sarcastic tone.
Living in a place where the people are predominantly Muslim, I have found an alternative to this. I just say "Assalamu Alaykum" to people and they reply "Wa alaikum salaam" and that's that about that. This is translated as "peace be unto you" and "unto you too" and yeah, I think that's less cring to me, at least if I am sad you wished me peace and if I am happy you just wished me more peace since there's nothing like peace overdose. They know it's not necessary to ask "how are you" so they just wish you peace in any situation you may be. I think that's actually way cooler.
I get that's something I will have to live with though since it happens everywhere. "How are you?" is now a greeting so I guess Imma continue treating it that way by replying "fine! Fine! And fine!".
My dear readers, how are you all doing? This is me genuinely asking because I care. I care about all my friends here as I do my friends in real life so if there's anything you wanna talk about then feel free to.
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
♥♥♥♥
Hello guys. I just got met with a surprise!! A friend and course mate of mine joined read.cash three days ago and I even had no idea until I stumbled against his article. I confirmed it was him when I chatted him privately. He's a very young and talented dude and my school dad! 😂😂I bet he has alot to share with you guys including his
precious fictional stories.
Here's the link to his profile:
https://read.cash/@Ulquiorra
Sometimes you just sail..
An article I read sometime ago Princessbusayo talked about creating plans and adhering strictly to them. Creating plans is a very good and effective way to plan your day, week or even month depending on what the plans are and the duration you've set for yourself to achieve them. While planning things is one way to go about many things, **not** planning things is another way to go about it.
Is it reality?
What's the difference between a goal and a plan? Needless to say, a plan is the series of steps that are taken to achieve something, while a goal is what is achieved at the end, like an end result. Before setting of to become the master-planner, know fully well what it is that you want out of your plan. Is your goal attainable within the time frame you've set for yourself? You see, a major problem is setting of to do things without knowing or at least trying to determine how it would or is likely to end. While considering that nothing is impossible, they are things that are impossible sometimes, not because they really are but because your plan is faulty, too rigid or too tiring(your plans can be tiring too). Here's an example, an elementary one.
*I just stepped out of my friend's house and is just on my way home.*
*The goal.*
*To view my favourite program that will start airing at 4:10pm*
*The plan:*
*I am heading towards my house and the time is 3:30pm. I am quite sure that I will board a tricycle that would take me home in 10 minutes, roughly I will get home by 3:12pm. I go to the bathroom, take my bath and wash my hair then I prepare something for daddy before he gets home. I bring the goats back home and by the time I finish all these, it would be about 3:50 or 4:00pm. I have 10 more minutes to warm up for the show!*
*How it went:*
*I got home in ten minutes as written in my plan, that went quite well thank God! I took my bath and washed my hair as planned. However when I came to prepare the food I found out that I am out of gas, determined as I was to watch my TV show I borrowed my neighbour's gas so I had to hurry to avoid wasting resources that aren't mine and so that I can catch up with my show. I afterwards went for the goats but they weren't around anywhere their usual spot . After searching I found them in a field somewhere else. I drove them back home and got back home at 4:05, I tied them to a pole with a noose abs was just in time for the show to start! I viewed my show and was happy!..... The sad part however is that I ruined dad's food due to the hurry and he was upset with me when he got back home. That dulled my mood either and the show for which I did all these no longer mattered at all.*
________________________
In the above example a goal was set and plans were put into place and yes, the goal was achieve but it ended up ruining something more important than the goal, which means the plan isn't elaborate or perhaps it is the individual. I see people on readcash setting new month goals on the 1st of April. Goals like writing one article a day throughout the month. That's in no way bad, infact I also expect myself to do so but what if you're the type who interacts on readcash at night and it starts affecting your eyes? Is your eye health less important. Say, you then adjust the time and you interact during the day, won't it affect you real life job? These and other factors are things we should consider. Set goals that are possible and achievable. Sometimes it is best to just go with the tide while doing the best your body or circumstances allow you. Again, I am not in anyway saying that one should try his best, I am saying that try the best you can handle. You're only human.
________________________
Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤❤
Mother-wife rivalry.
We women not only pray for good husbands, but also pray for good mothers-in-law but unfortunately we aren't always lucky with that one. You can get the good man alright, but if the mother in law doesn't like you then there's a very big problem. This problem can lead to lack of peace of mind when you've done nothing wrong as some mothers-in-law are always on the quivive for the smallest of faults you show, they do not hesitate to scold you lr even call you names. They create rivalry where there wasn't any before. They make it seem like the wife is trying to "steal" their sons away from them, some mothers-in-law are just paranoid people, they make a fuss out of everything, they even go as far as guilt tripping the husband while throwing tantrums that are mostly uncalled for when the husbands tries to make them understand. Some of them can be really difficult human beings!
On the other hand the wife thinks that she's now the woman of the house, she's now a top priority of the man and he should put his family's need before any other thing. Wives strive to gain the respect of their mothers-in-law before the marriage so as to access the kind of person she is while the mother does the same, access the kind of woman the wife - to-be is, the point is that there's always this unspoken thing right from day one. Some wives try to gain a kind of control over their men and when their mothers sense this, they go into defence mode. "I won't let her do that to my son", "that charm cannot work on my son" blah blah blah. I sometimes wonder why this happens on many occasions.
On examining the situation of the married couple where this wife-mother rivalry exist, it seems to me this rivalry is more pronounced when the husband is the only child or son of his mother or in families where the mother is overly protective of her sons. It is okay for mothers to behave like that but they should know that the son isn't going tp marry them. They should know that he has his own life to live and will someday leave them to start his own life. I don't see how hard this reality is to accept to be honest. One of them would have to leave anyway whether or not she agrees to marry him off. They also don't know that when they do this, they aren't only making life miserable for the wife but also for the husband. Imagine coming back home from work as a man and instead of being greeted with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, you get complaints of how your mom came to your house and slap your wife for no apparent reason. Most of these sons can do anything when it comes to this because first, they can't beat their own mothers, the least they can do is explain things to them and make them see things from their point of view. When he raises his voice at her she starts saying that his wife has done some black magic on him to make him disrespect her in such a way which only grows the aversion of the mother towards the wife. The resort most of the husbands make is to travel far away from where the mother is else, it might reach a point where the wife can't take it anymore and may try to retaliate, humans do have limits. As a man, an African man to be precise, imagine coming home to the news that your wife hit your mom when she came to fight her. Now no matter how you see that from the African perspective, the wife would always be viewed in bad light.
I am not saying in these situations that the mothers-in-law are always the transgressors. In some situations some wife hardly have any basics about being a good wife from their parents so it is only natural for the husband's mother to want to teach her how to take care of her son, besides she knows him better than anyone else. If the wife is unwilling, unyielding or lazy or of a really bad character, it's only natural for the mother-in-law to spring into action to protect her son's home.
Most of these mother-wife conflict can be avoided when we learn to understand both parties and when both parties are really committed to understanding each other. Matrimonial homes don't always have to be a source of commotion. It is her home where she Should be at peace. If she doesn't have that peace in her own home, where else would she have it.
May God bless us with understanding mother-in-law and make us good wives to our husbands. May God bless the men with a peaceful home.
Thanks for reading.
P. S: The content of this article is mostly from an African perspective, I don't know if that's the situation in other parts of the world.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤❤
Water is gold.
Let me repeat it here; water is indeed gold. Imagine going a day without using water, at the end of the day you'd end up feeling like hell. You can survive a day without washing your clothes, you can survive a day without bathing, how about going a day without feeling that refreshing moisture of water on your tongue? Oh you can too? Great! How about two days? You can also? That's awesome. Three days?.... Why are you silent? 😂😂
My area is plagued with a scarcity of water I haven't experienced for ages and this has been the case for the past three to four months. Imagine having to think of the next time you will see water rather than savor the one you have in the moment, that's how bad it has gotten. People who use to bath twice a day have reduced it to once a day and coupled with the immense heat that's blowing like flames from hell, life only gets more miserable. It was bearable before the start of the Ramadan month but ever since the fasting started, things have only gotten worse. Sometimes you'd wake up to find that there's no water for you to do the sahr(early morning breakfast) with, sometimes there will not be water to break the fast.
Normally during the fasting period, people flock around cold rooms to purchase ice when it's almost time to break the fast but this time around, most of the cold rooms have been shut down since there's no water to drink let alone make ice. The few who still managed to keep their cold rooms open amidst the fierce drought sell the ice at outrageous prices. One can't really blame them. This gotta be this worst Ramadan I have ever experienced in my lifetime.
These hand trucks have been in use for a long time but are pretty indispensable now. These are used to sell water now. In the initial stages of the drought, a gallon of water costs about 50NGN($0.08) and now, a gallon of water costs about 100NGN($0.17). Some people can't afford it and resort to unclean sources of water. Sad.
Because man doesn't always have sympathy towards his fellow humans, some of this water vendors take advantage of the situation to make extra money of people. They use it to extort money from people by selling it at prices higher than necessary because they know that people will still by, you don't have any other choice. Water is water, it is not a food item that you can substitute with a less cheaper one. This way, some of them charge up to 150NGN per gallon when it should be 100NGN given the water scarcity. That's the country I live in. Everyone complains about the leaders but are sure to be even more corrupt than the leaders they complain about if they are to be in their position. No consideration for your fellow countryman. Just use the opportunity while it lasts.
When I asked an elder what was the cause of this water scarcity, he said that increase in fuel prices has adversely affected power supply (there's also a problem of insufficient power but that's story for another day). He said that since power is needed to run the turbines that generate electricity across the country, and these turbines need fuel(which is scarce now) to run its engines, there's been a reduction on activity and a subsequent decline in power supply which in turn affects those huge pumps used to pump water. That's how the water scarcity came about.
For those who have resorted to unhealthy sources of water, while some take their time to implement primary methods of purification after obtaining the water like applying lumps of alum and chlorine, others simply don't care about all that and this can be very detrimental as we all know. I sometimes try to correct them when I pass by the water body but they're mostly heedless. What do I do? I guess that's what a person has to live with when he dwells in a local area.
The rainy season isn't smiling either. By this time last year there are already signs of the coming of rain but this time around everywhere is just as hot as a furnace. Or is it that we've done something wrong and we're receiving a punishment from God?
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Writing prompt #27; time: one second gone, one limb gone.
***"With each passing second, we lose part of ourselves that we will never get back".***
The above quote just popped in my head while writing the title and I bet someone has already said it before. Some wise dude I guess. For real, even the not so smart person knows the importance of time, it's either he ignores it or gets himself "busy". Now imagine that is what really happens when each second passes, I mean imagine that you actually lose a part of yourself when a second or minute passes, that'd be scary as hell but at the same time, I can't help thinking that it'd serve as a reminder for us on how important time is, I mean seeing your ear dissolve into nothingness or seeing your once pointed nose turn into a brick isn't such a good reminder huh? When you say RIP to your ear, you are sure to say RIP to the unproductive thing you're doing right now since you know the reason why you had to say RIP to it, you would want to make good use of what killed it so that when it is no more, you'll consider it a draw and be like, "*time used my ear for lunch, but at least I cheated it by making good use of it."*
When you really think it through, you know that this isn't far away from the truth although in a less literal sense. You don't suddenly lose body parts when you procrastinate, you lose time that you can never get back. In earth, time is a factor that has and will always be there. We're beings that exist within the realm of time. Don't you watch all those sci-fi movies that show scenes of when time stops and all of a sudden, every other thing stops moving and when it gets back flowing, everything returns to normal? Infact I take back my word, time does take away parts of us in a literal sense too, I mean when you see a 100 year old grandma, you don't need anyone to tell you that she's shed some body parts: teeth, youth, maybe a little hair here and there, a stooping posture, now I don't even want to talk about the health complications she might be facing as a result of malfunctioning organs. Yet, we know that not all of us are destined to reach a hundred years old. If old age were a criterion for dying, then maybe a newborn can be a day old and 100 years old at the same time. When you know in your mind that you can become a dead duck at the very moment you're reading this, and that birthday celebrations aren't only a year old but a year closer to being six - feet deep, you've at least understand the meaning of life and the meaning of time.
Image Source https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=APq-WBvpf4VbL497WBXnsd65TYszD7sJZQ%3A1649498593947&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=clock%20with%20hands%20and%20legs&client=ms-android-gionee&fir=2WVmtngyxHACkM%252CVptIPKkKYKfWCM%252C_%253Bn_mMMrTGiVYvWM%252CxUClmqpkl51cIM%252C_%253B9-WFkyJ3UekA6M%252CJ1qWcIiKdv5OXM%252C_%253BuI0lKv9YzXauiM%252CDNc-PVE34pWASM%252C_%253BA6c805YnRG_sPM%252Ce7bRPmIYK9viSM%252C_%253B9Waaj0GEwdXuuM%252C5c1jC0Bn9ZQyNM%252C_%253BZlUIZ2GMJNcqaM%252CpVK1ITDHdnxXyM%252C_%253BI_TsIr2GGMRrlM%252CIrN4Kclw0c9DJM%252C_%253Bm6Lw4b7SBT_RrM%252CgRGJBtrmsw5g_M%252C_%253BoVK_rmKDIl1fIM%252CtqNL7BFNImXPZM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQZ3fd26mDEzdnKY0NEZ3lKV8AsXQ&ved=2ahUKEwiPnbmR3Yb3AhVQRPEDHWrXAgoQv7IFegQIARAF&biw=360&bih=559&dpr=2
I won't go on telling you to make good use of your time because that's something we already know, as I said in the first paragraph, every adult knows how important time is, and I assume the person reading this is an adult already. I can only remind us of its importance since human brains seem not to like reality at all.
In my Holy Book , God swore by time(Al-Asr) . Now we know that for those who believe in a God, we swear or take oaths in the name of God. God swears using his creations and for Him to swear by time, I don't think there's anything else left to say about its importance and significance. Even the Creator of the universe acknowledges it, a Being that isn't defined by time. ***Who then are you not to respect and acknowledge its importance, you, a being confined within its dimension. A person who doesn't value time doesn't value his existence, and he who doesn't value his existence hasn't lived at all.***
Dear readers, I am going to stop here, bur before I go, I am still going to remind us all. We're time. That's something we should never forget. It's more like we're servants of time because we're always in the position to obey it and not rebel against it. It has been there long before you were born and will remain long after you go, why not make maximum use of it while you're still existing?
Thanks for reading.
Special thanks to @yhanne and @Bloghound for the sponsorship. I appreciate it alot.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
World Health Day :Our planet, Our Health.
The 7th of April has been globally acclaimed to World Health Day, a day set aside to create awareness on the importance and indispensability of our health. On this day, health issues are discussed and attention are drawn to specific health issues troubling mankind. This day is also celebrated as the day when the World Health Organisation was established in 1948. Without a doubt, it is a day worth celebrating and looking forward to.
**Image Source** https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.news18.com/amp/news/lifestyle/world-health-day-2022-theme-history-and-significance-4945967.html&ved=2ahUKEwiBnNbcy4H3AhUg_7sIHcMUBd4Q0PADKAB6BAgEEAE&usg=AOvVaw1YXTQqQzYl-xZLsUQgmFcU
The theme for this version of World Health Day is: Our Planet, Our health. It is aimed at creating awareness on how the actions we take in our planet can adversely affect our health. Industrial wastes and general human neglect is putting the beloved planet in jeopardy and the sad thing is that we know but do little or nothing in seeing that this becomes a thing of the past. Air pollution leads to serious health complications among individuals with the more prominent ones being Respiratory associated diseases like asthma, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as lung cancer, the less known ones are stroke ans even heart disease. We also shouldn't exclude the fact that some toxic gases like carbon monoxide can have severe impact on mental health too. They can lead to depression and anxiety. So it's not only about physical health here, our mental health is also at risk. That's why people who live in busy towns tend to be more aggressive because of the never ending emotion of unwanted gases from the exhausts of vehicles as well as chimneys from industries. Noise is also a relevant factor that causes mental health issues which is also a form of pollution. Sad thing is that we aren't only destroying ourselves but our beloved planet as well, destroying the ozone layer in the process. With the way things are going now with all the deforestation and air pollution from industries, this is far from being a thing of the past.
Image Source. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://training.seer.cancer.gov/lung/anatomy/%23:~:text%3DThe%2520lungs%2520are%2520the%2520major,esophagus%252C%2520and%2520many%2520lymph%2520nodes.&ved=2ahUKEwjAm77azYH3AhVRzBoKHYEFAukQFnoECAUQBQ&usg=AOvVaw0HgNASqE56IeGoguzkgTcZ
Water pollution is another serious issue that has been troubling us for a long time now. In some places in the world, clean and safe water is gold and sometimes non-existent. People resort to drinking water from lakes and ponds that have no prior purification encounter. Industrial wastes are disposed of in this water bodies and since the commoners have that as their only source of water, they are left with no option. Drinking unsafe water causes deadly diseases such as cholera which although reduced, has a high mortality rate in Africa. Diarrhoea and dysentery aren't things of the past not to talk of protozoan infections like amoebiasis(amoebic dysentery), hepatitis, typhoid and many other parasitic diseases..
Land pollution is mostly due to the effects of water pollution. When wasted deposited in the water gets washed ashore, they enter into the land. In some places, you see piles of garbage mounted on the roadside or in places where they shouldn't be. They neither get incinerated or cleared. They emit bad smells containing sulphides and oxides detrimental to the body. Land pollution causes air pollution and water pollution. It's the father of them all so one can only imagine the list of diseases on this one.
It's time for us to stand up and fight for the planet because WE ARE THE PLANET. When we keep on destroying our planet, we end up destroying ourselves. If we unfortunately succeed in destroying the planet with our actions, we're the ones who will die off but the planet will remain and continue to house other life forms.
Our Health, Our Planet.
Happy World Health Day.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
My first(and last and never again!) smoking experience.
After reading @Kushyzee post titled "Do you smoke?" I stopped to think after reading the title and asked myself "does he mean cigarettes, pipe, cigar or shisha?"I know, the title is quite straightforward right? It's simply," do you smoke or not" without any specifications but somehow, I still wanted to confirm because I felt kind of guilty for some reason I don't understand. https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/do-you-smoke-df72ee75
The only thing I have smoked in my whole life is hookah also known as shisha. Although when we were kids, we used to cut the stem of a dried plant with a spongy core, we would make a hole through the spongy core and lit it at one end pretending they were cigarettes, hah! The good old days... But that doesn't count right or does it?
Anyways, my first experience with something smoky is when I was still in my first year of Uni. It happened when the brother of my room-mate gave her his shisha pen to charge for him since the boys' hostel didn't have power supply at the time. They had been having light problems for a long time. I was fascinated by it because of how beautiful it looked and just like a pen, it had a somewhat pointed end and some threads which you can twist to disassemble it or put the shisha flavor. My fascination soon gave way to curiosity and I found myself wanting to try it. It turned out my friend had some shisha flavor with her meaning she smokes it too, we waited until it was dark and cold to make it more "enjoyable". When it was dark, we retrieved it from her locker, it was charged to 100% which was awesome! I watched as this friend of mine professionally disassembled it, put some flavor in it(banana flavor) , screwed it back, switched it on and took the first drag. She blew concentrated smoke into the air, the fresh smell, the density of the smoke was just what it was.... fascinating! She took more drags and even proceeded to creating interesting patterns with the smoke, again it was what it was...fascinating! I took the first drag and surprisingly I didn't choke on the smoke but blew it out while swallowing some unconsciously. The banana smell was nice and somehow reminded me of when we used to pick mango in farms as kids, of course bananas have nothing to so with mangos but my brain still found a way of associating them together. I took some more drags, savour the smoke before I blew out. It was an interesting experience.
Image source. https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=APq-WBvpZPoJrfLr_UMkLsKIexlLh0ye3Q:1649251780038&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=shisha+pen&client=ms-android-gionee&fir=7hRkm6v1WPF4iM%252CKQQGZYjnz65pKM%252C_%253BmMIhdPvTJQZmYM%252CJyrmjW_q9kFZDM%252C_%253BZQ_GM5B5NGcGIM%252CZhk-U75VQFKnTM%252C_%253Be_HdMTzylIgPuM%252C_7eDtavz334JjM%252C_%253BFdH_DWeOD6CD8M%252CFWEDdL9KMD2YYM%252C_%253Bmsb3iEjTTCxosM%252C1VW3R6NYtg52RM%252C_%253B3pj_Np1JWsvnLM%252CTPt9e3QVnIjYHM%252C_%253BDP7GnvE01sfskM%252CEi6LqKwQ0kDm1M%252C_%253BTMbPTxmkqu4xwM%252CeB55Qjr8HqokCM%252C_%253B4SB67u8vwHe1lM%252CqsmqGVhAsbjoKM%252C_%253BJ18tAM6N3FIZgM%252CDArG2rTUV_co8M%252C_%253BPumC-p8Rho2kjM%252C53OHtawnBTXI1M%252C_%253BNnmnaMrrKw1x9M%252C_7eDtavz334JjM%252C_%253BQibfVul58zGGOM%252C_RoZU3k4475_zM%252C_%253BLpLjmdwhluGGyM%252C_1e-bJfUqZF-fM%252C_%253BH2oyhID4RBXoAM%252ClMfTliEz3nC5EM%252C_%253Bs6_W2zk635CC3M%252CTBSzgs6Y_6DPrM%252C_%253BO96MpBQralLIAM%252CTPt9e3QVnIjYHM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kT7VC5fsGEHy-UvdxSrz2WMpAkOYA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi65vnTxf_2AhXX_rsIHWejCwQQ7Al6BAgDEGA&biw=360&bih=615&dpr=2
For those who do not know what it looks loke, this is it above. This is however the much modern type of shisha which is the shisha pen. As you can see it looks like a pen. The colorful container contains the flavour and above it is the charger.
The Shisha pot or hookah is the more traditional one and is said to have been in use since the time of Pharaoh, now isn't that like thousands of years ago? Well it looks like it would be in existence for another thousand years to come as it is gaining more popularity than never before.
Image Source. https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=APq-WBtGv07dkDZKzRSifI2ZLD0VSOk6FA:1649252681957&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=shisha+pot&client=ms-android-gionee&fir=oAL0zoGji75f0M%252CSEw7PYCjfJyOTM%252C_%253BLZHyjHU3m74wlM%252C_O0eYEdRIKaEeM%252C_%253BQCDT5VdOxRUAnM%252C7b__Tshz30UExM%252C_%253BftM-ZsRWx-tCCM%252CGLBZuetTjNIniM%252C_%253BIsY-LXEAz5OjeM%252C9izVF3M2xWqUZM%252C_%253BwyC7ZXR2dEx5fM%252CdyPnuV30vm1yAM%252C_%253B77FMG-qawwqLOM%252CTZWu28ENk4WwxM%252C_%253BQoCjfp6Db1kRJM%252CQOIwZH_cGz0VZM%252C_%253Bb9J_F_JISoGpDM%252C4L1fvBYW_w9XGM%252C_%253BKEKNtwbe0HRyXM%252COh3HX79-W6wYkM%252C_%253BJoNLDEQJKucCYM%252Cur3xdZpc5vc2YM%252C_%253BmTW5Zn0pY_c_jM%252CRe3K7LhEnQKrRM%252C_%253BmEordnKvPcT9VM%252C5JSjYgqze7s3_M%252C_%253BbATbmI12QM57JM%252C3dxqGJYEMBQQ1M%252C_%253BZEOpPxuzU8mEBM%252CxE62NdEty8hpnM%252C_%253BeNUP0eFVyEdfFM%252Cs9vXS0RJNoAXWM%252C_%253BR1ZvoXgaiFbZuM%252CtJvMlP6Txk5B0M%252C_%253B619Kc-3_FUBYkM%252CC0gKEzfQct5FVM%252C_%253BluawigD54JXHAM%252C00F9mhAbbvbRNM%252C_%253Bp3zF4JNxSxu79M%252CCb5okFlMo0WaJM%252C_%253BHFpmEiGc9KOudM%252C3KLWFXcMIR5dpM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQbzyiunqp5ho5E3W9aEK2p9XE_dA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjIxYKCyf_2AhXrzIUKHa7sC1UQ7Al6BAgDEGA&biw=360&bih=559&dpr=2
Shisha is really cool stuff and can make parties more fun. However after taking it for the first time I vowed never to take it again. Personally I have nothing against it or those who take it but shisha is dangerous stuff. Overtime, it can lead tp serious respiratory complications because the dense smoke it produces can deposit in the lining of the lungs, making it hard for the alveoli to exchange oxygen. It can also cause angina and even stroke and heart attack. If you must take shisha, do it occasionally or better still, stay away from it all together.
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Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤❤
What childhood scars of yours are still prominent?
April 4th, 2022.
There are lots of stuff and emotional garbage we carry with us from childhood into adulthood, infact most of those childhood experiences shape and make us the people we are as adults. However in this article, I am not going to talk about emotional or psychological scars but physical scars.
An article by @jane about childhood accidents gave me an idea on what to write today, thanks to that! As children, our adventurous spirits are mostly left to run wild but of course within restrictions of our parents or guardians. Imagine if you were left to do all you want when you're just a kid. Alot of us would have been dead by now..lol.
From rigorous sports, to playing hide and seek, to playing some really dangerous games, most of our scars are gotten when we were children, mine at least. When I waa around 3 years old, I didn't go out much. I am that kid who's always kept behind closed doors and this boring routine kept on for quite sometime until I was like five, school age. This got me the freedom I needed to play outside without much restrictions.
My first serious injury was on the sprinting track. It happened during the long break when my friends and I went racing, unfortunately the track isn't all that grassy, there were patches of concrete superficially buried under. Perhaps it's because the track wasn't well constructed, but I fell unfortunately on a concrete patch, bruising my knees badly as a result. I cried throughout the rest of the school hours and it hurt for two weeks. I still have the scar till date in from of a dark circle.
The second serious scar was due to a motorcycle accident I had. It happened when my mom was too busy to take us tp school so she hired a bike to do the job. My younger sister sat on the back then I sat behind her. We then set of on a rocky road. We were already past halfway to the school when I unconsciously placed the sole of one of my foot on the already hot silencer and got scorched immediately despite my school socks being thick. I cried so much that the bike man got scared and drove us back home. On entering into our compound, my cry jolted my mom to a standing position and seeing me holding one leg up tightly from the back, she thought that my leg had been amputated and was relieved when I put it back down. I was terribly burnt so I was taken to a chemist where they would dress my wounds. I cried throughout the night and I still have the scar. It has turned into a keloid even.
The third was gotten on my chest when I was playing with fire (most of us played with fire when we were kids). I ignite a broomstick with a lit matchstick then bring it close to my mouth pretending to be a fire breather. Some how it slipped downwards and burnt my chest. That's a scar I feel worst about having.. It's still present but not as prominent as it used to be. Furthermore, I felt the most pain when the wound was still fresh. Aside the fact that it was a burn, it was on that partially fleshy part of the chest, the very core of the chest. That's why it hurt and that time I thought that was were my heart was, making me imagine more pains.
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So dear friends, there you have them. I've got more than these but these are the most prominent ones. I want to hear about yours in the comment section.
Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤
All we've got is ourselves.
3 April, 2022.
*Is it the love you think is unconditional or the one you think is being reciprocated? Is it the care you're constantly being shown by your parents, friends and loved ones? Is it the gifts you receive from them on a regular basis? Is it the priceless company or the countless opportunities we get from these awesome angels in form of people that come into our lives... Or is it something else I haven't mentioned yet?*
I sometimes think of the people I have lost to a fall-out or to an to the ultimate certainty that would reach us all sooner or later without fail: death. I mourn them deeply, feel the pain surge through me depending on the relationship we had with them. After saying bye bye to the relationship we lost or the relationship that would have been, I somehow summon courage to move on, although this time at which I move on may be extended or overly extended, I always do.
I then wonder "what of not one, not two, not three of my loved ones dye within a short period of time? (God forbid!) what if all of a sudden, within a short period of time, I lost my loved ones?(again, God forbid!) but again, if you consider it, it is isn't something that's extremely impossible. I figured that I would feel the greatest pain there's in this world but again, I will move on with time. I believe same goes for the person reading this. Remember that loved one you lost sometime ago? Yes, it may still hurt as you remember it but it is nothing compared to the pain you felt when it happened, that's because you've moved on to some extent. Humans were created resilient, although some people are better at bouncing back up than others, we all still have that ability. That's just who we are.
Where am I heading with all these? The point I am trying to make is that love, is needed for survival. Not necessarily romantic love but love in all aspects; parental love, friendly love, brotherly or sisterly love, and whatever you may think. Life is way better when we are surrounded by the people whom we love and who love us back, but we mustn't make the mistake of thinking that's how it would be for ever and ever. The bitter truth is that in this world, good times rarely last. Bear in mind that one day you will be seperated from your loved ones or they seperated from you. Anyone of them may die or you die. It is always like that. Bear in mind that at the end of the day, all you've really got is you. How many times has a person who promises to stick by you through thick and thin left you whether willingly or unwillingly? How many times have your hopes being shattered when you least expect them to go that way? How many times have you been disappointed by unexpected turns of events? Many times I guess. This should make us realise that people will fail us at some point in time, even our loved ones, but when such things happen you should look for a way tp figure it out on your own because you're really all you've got. If you're a believer in God, you've got God too by your side.
People are amazing. People are a blessing. One person in your life can change everything to the better, yes they're people like that. I am lucky to have been blessed with such a person as not many get lucky. That person touched my being jn places I never knew existed but what happened next? He died. He left me physically but is always in my heart. He thought me what I am telling you now without speaking these exact same words to me. I am all I have got. You're all that you've got. Accept the people in your life with love, joy and appreciation. However you mustn't make the mistake of getting too absorbed or obsessed with them because even if they don't leave of their own accord, death can take them anytime without seeking your or their permission. Expect the worst but do not anticipate it, live, love, appreciate and be happy for the people in your life!
Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤❤
April fool's prank: where do we draw the line?
2nd April 2022.
It's now news that a lot of human beings overstep their limits with thinking how that could jeopardise others as well as themselves in the long run. People cn go a tad too much in this thing we call jokes. People make these so called jokes while bearing in mind the supposedly "funny" aspects of the joke without considering the "unfunny" aspect of the joke and when they hurt people with such jokes, they say "that wasn't my intention" and try to guilt trip you into thinking that you just take to yourself too seriously. They have not the reasoning faculty to be able to discern what's funny and what is not.
The April fool's prank is a tradition that has stuck around for a long time and the origin of it is still unknown to me. Although it can be fun, I think some people still overdo it.
Imagine someone's mother being sick and has been in the hospital for over a month and from the look of things, she won't be put of hospital anytime because she's suffering from a really serious condition. Her child who can't afford to remain with he in the hospital because of work visits her often to know how her health is faring. All of a sudden while he's away he receives a call from his friend saying that he went to visit his sick mother and was informed that she's dead. To top it up, he was even sobbing over the phone. The son was distraught and cried his eyes out before setting to the hospital to retrieve his mother's body only to be called when he halfway to the hospital by that same friend telling him that it was an April fool's prank! I don't know ow that makes any sense to any reasonable human being. I don't know how any human being with conscience would do such a thing. This is someone's mother we are talking about here, the most important person in his world and of all things in this world that's what you wanna joke with?
Another one that I happened is when a dude called his friend who was outside at the time telling him that he just came to his house and saw his wife cheating with another man. This is someone whom was trusted by his friend so without a second thought the husband believed him instantly. He furiously drove back home, stormed into his house only to see his wife doing the dishes in the kitchen. He started asking her questions she knows nothing about and they almost had a serious quarrel. Just tune the friend called, saying that it was an April fool's prank! This dude didn't consider the possibility of destroying someone's marriage. Apart from that the wife might start feeling that her husband doesn't trust her enough for him to believe that she would ever cheat on him. This can result into a decrease in trust or even love. What about the friend? Does he think that the husband will ever take him seriously again? There's nothing as painful and regretful as losing someone's trust.. to me.
When will people learn that not everything is meant to be joked at? When will people learn that not everything deserves a laugh? Even if something isn't really offensive as long as it hurts someone, why don't you just stay away from doing it if it isn't necessary? If you think the person is easily offended leave him alone unless it is the truth and he has to hear it.
I have never really liked this April fools prank of a thing even when I was a kid. I don't really see any fun in it and view it as something childish even when it is employed in trivial things. It irks me to see adults engage in it. That's just me I guess.
Eat healthy, stay hydrated, exercise, protect your physical, mental and spiritual health and be happy!
Thanks for reading lovelies!
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Clashing of months.
We marched right out of March and here we are, already landed in April! It's been one hell of a month I think for most of us. A lot went down in the month of March that will stick around in our brains for a reasonable amount of time or so I think. Well for me, March was a month of laziness and productivity. It was an ambiguous month. The university strike was extended in March, a lot of accidents and killings happened in March, I lost three neighbours to the clutches of death in March, I started writing a book in March, three of my family members fell ill in march, me included. I do not know where to fit the month in lol😁. Well all that is in the past now, so allow me to wish you a happy new month! May the month be full of blessings and every otjeg good thing you can think of.
This new month got me feeling optimistic. First, I find it unusual that it kind of coincides with the new month on the Islamic calendar, which is Ramadan. Today is the last day of the month preceding Ramadan which is Sha'aban and it's first of April! So Ramadan and April will be finished on the same day as it is speculated that this year's Ramadan will consist of only 29 days while April is, as we all know, 30 days!
Some of you might be aware that Ramadan is the month in which believers in the Islamic faith observe their fast. Muslims dedicate the month to worshipping God, praying for all the blessings and goodness in the month through fasting and doing other good deeds. The fast starts from dawn till sunset and within this time, a person stays away from food, drink and Sexual activity. Moon sighters are hoping to sight the moon today.
My achievements on readcash in March.
To be really honest, I haven't really been giving read.cash the amount of time and dedication I would have loved to give it. It's all messed up. Before the beginning of march, I didn't bother setting any goal for march on readcash because I knew I couldn't keep up, I have been busy with school stuff despite the school being on strike. We still go to the hospital to cover for lost grounds so that we don't get slot of workload when school finally resumes. I am proud to say that I have done most of what I should do and I just need some brushing up. Again, I haven't really been well in throughout the whole of march. I have been suffering from cluster headaches due to stress(so I was told), this makes my eye itch and my head throb when I stare at my phone for a long period of time and sadly enough, cluster headaches have no drugs, you just have to wait for it to go on its own. It seems to me though that this one is here to stay as I still feel it, although it's bee reduced. However, I am grateful for the increase in the number of subscribers I have had, and also to my sponsors and upvoters anc commenters who still stuck around after all this while, despite the inconsistencies. I think that alone is an achievement. Layla thanks y'all greatly!
My March earnings.
Talking about earnings, to be honest with y'all I haven't been keeping track on that since I withdrawn often. There's a constant need for me purchase items I would need for studies and also for my personal enjoyment. I love enjoyment😂... I mean who doesn't. To estimate, March had fetched me a sum of over $45 including money spent on upvotes on posts and comments. I just decided to review my articles for March and there I got it!
Goals for April.
Okay so since it's Ramadan I don't usually overwork myself which means that I would have to cut down my going to the hospital. Even if I don't the admin will sure give us a break. It isn't easy going to the hospital in the month of Ramadan under the scorching and tormenting sun of Nigeria. You're sure to faint halfway. I am setting goals for myself this April but they are going to be very simple. No earning goals for now. I just want to engage and reconnect with other users. I also intend to engage more in hive. It's been ages since I last visited.
I have a feeling that this month is gonna be a really great one full of blessings and happiness, not just for me but for everyone around me...and I wish same for you too! Happy new month!
Be on the lookout. Don't an April fool!
Thanks for reading!
❤❤❤
Festival turned funeral.
With women chattering about the latest gossip in town amidst talking drums, with babies strapped to their backs like some kind of armor worn on the back rather than front, young boys whistling, men passing the beer around, little girls chasing one another around, the gathering seemed more like a marketplace place rather than what it truly was: a festival. Not just any festival but the King's, his wife has just given birth to a baby boy!! That's all he's ever wanted in his life, all he has ever wished and longed for, a heir to his magnificent throne. Aftee several trials by different physicians and shamans in the whole town, it finally happened!!
Even nature seemed to be jubilating with them. The air blew gently like it never did before, the sky was a deep shade of blue, the leaves on the trees appeared fresher even though it was the harmattan, a bird chirped happily from one of the tree branches as if celebrating with the crowd, so did the swans in a lake nearby which perform some awesome stunts in unison, nodding their heads towards the crowd and flipping upside down until their submerged head popped up again. The sun shine brightly but didn't scorch. In short, the weather was just in synchronity with the blissful events.
As the majestically dressed king came out of his court, silence befell the whole crowd like a sudden rain. They all fell silent as they gazed at the king in awe, with a smile plastered on his face: something they haven't seen in a long while. It was no news that the kig is approaching old age and has been worried about not having a heir. His much known frowning face had made him grow extra wrinkles more than was necessary. All seemed to have disappeared this time around. He addressed the crowd in a bold, kingly and happy tone :
*"Today signifies a cry great day for me, as well as the people. Today, I have become a happy and better man. Today, I have become ready for whatever it is that comes my way; death inclusive. Today, I have a son that shall become the next king to this kingdom; my heir apparent :Jasper!!".*
A belated king raises his son up to the sky for all to see as the sun shone against him, looking like an view of the statue of liberty when seen from a distance. The already cheerful crowed consisting of thousands of people became more cheerful, erupting into a cacophony of praises and hails, eulogies and exaltation for both father and son.
Just as he was about bringing the son to his chest, an arrow flew above the heads of the crowd, piercing right through the cheerful air and headed directly towadss the king. The two mouthed arrow pierced through Jasper neck, separating the head from the rest of the body. A horrified crowd scurried in different directions bumping into one another creating a commotion that soon turned a cheerful atmosphere into a dreadful one. The king, petrified, clutched Jasper's bloody remains unto his chest, the blood was still fresh and flowing only now it was now mixed with the King's tears, dropping unto the severed neck. His source of renewed inspiration and happiness has now been taken away from him, the only thing that has renewed his will to live, his pride, his one and only son. The thought of avenging his son crossed his mind, but his growing feeling of weakness got the better of him. Bringing out his dagger from his cloak, he thrusted at his heart, dropping backwards with his son still clutched to him..
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Thanks for reading guys,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Wondering wednesday : Do lunatics have heightened immunity?
I once asked a question in my blood physiology and immunity class about why little kids, despite being so physically vulnerable seem, to a certain degrees able to withstand the influence of infections. He expounded that kids have a larger amount of neutrophils(a type of granulocyte found in the blood that helps in curtailing the spread of bacteria from the site to other parts of the body) and White blood cells in general. So this explains why my aunt's 9 month's old infant eats sand and fine soil particles to his satisfaction without falling ill. He also eats cat's shit, but this little comrade only gets stronger. 😂😂
Today, I went to get my sister from my uncle's house (the one who I said was sick yesterday). On our way back coming back from school, we saw this madman who's quite popular in the area. I have seen him take his sand bath a couple of times while passing by. He finds a place that's very sandy, and starts rolling on it. Sometimes he smokes crumpled cigarettes. Sometimes he yells at people, other times he is sober. However what I saw today left me astonished to this moment. I saw this man vigorously, fervently and religiously drinking drainage water. The way he was drinking the water would make you think his life depended on it(well perhaps it does! :))
I stopped and was like what the heck?! It wasn't the first time I have seen a mad person do something similar, it's just that the encounter was soo gross. You will know what I am talking about if you had seem the water. I bet if you reading this drank that water, you definitely would not be able to leave the place because of the immediate pains you will encounter. This man stood up, hale and hearty and continue wandering like he always does. This made me ask a question that I have always wanted to ask "what makes mad people so reisitant?" The best reason I could think of is that it is as a result of a need to survive. Since the mad people, especially in my country aren't taken to the asylum, they are left to roam the streets and feed on whatever rubbish they could lay their hands on. Occasionally pets people give them good food but most of the times, they feed on garbage, food in waste bins, they drink gutter water, soak away water and all the unpleasant things you can think of. Since they constantly eat all these, their bodies have somehow develop a heightened immunity against what would otherwise have affected them seriously. All my life, I have encountered many mad people, but I haven't seen or heard any of them fall sick. Miraculous innit?
I have read yet another interesting hypothesis pertaining this which says that mad people aren't really mad but have tapped into a higher level of consciousness that's far greater than the capacity of the human brain making it malfunction which subsequently leads to what we call madness. That's why it is advisable to not do drugs because they can take you beyond your human capabilities since it is even said that some scientists and intellectuals experience a heightened form of thinking when they do weed😁😂. Since they aren't (in consciousness) a three dimensional human anymore, three dimensional creatures (germs) would have have any effect on them, making them immune to whatever it is that tries to attack them due to their heightened vibrations.
I bet there are other theories too, but dear reader what do you think about this if you've at all experienced something like it?
The futility of words.
***Thousands of languages, millions of dialects, yet we choose to abuse their words.***
Words, despite being the greatest means of communication, is also the most abused gift given to mankind. Words are used for unthinkable things that its true value is gradually becoming erases from the surface of the earth. The preciousness of words is such that once out, can never be retrieved, once your vocal cords work together to produce that sound, that's all cause they do not work in a reverse direction ; just like time itself, or more than time. You can do what you fail to do now later and still do it right, but you cannot say something now that you should have said later and still make sense.
Words have become futile in the sense that they have lost their power :lies, fake news, fake promises, false information, manipulative words are now the order of the day. We harness the power of words in a wrong way to suit our self interests, even if that means going against our very nature which is words. Yes we're all words, don't you know? We're the words of God created from these words. "Be" and we came into being. That's the power of words. It makes sense to say that our words hold power too since we were created in God's Image. When we misuse this power, we go against reality(what really happened), our nature and God Himself. When I say misuse of words, I am not only referring to lies or false words, I am also referring to other words that pierces the hearts of the people at whom they are directed like profanities , words of mockery, words of insults and the likes. Like lies, these words remain in the mind of those to whom it is directed, causing them hurt. No matter how indifferent you think you're when a person utters a profanity at you because of how "common" it has become , you retaliating with the same profanity or leaving the place immediately shows that you're hurt. As for lies, no one likes being lied to, that's the reason we become cautious after a few encounters with liars and manipulators to avoid hurting ourselves over and over again over the same thing.
It's only human to want to feel loved, it's human to want someone to trust. A lot of us claim we have "real friends" but deep down we see them as nothing other than acquaintances because of fear of being lied to or betrayed which is not our fault, it's just a way of trying to cushion ourselves from the true nature of humans, masked by their lies and deceits.
I have also come to realise that there are those who people sometimes prefer lies over truth, or half-truths or sugar-coated words as long as they cushion them from reality. They want to believe that these are the truths, making them want external affirmations. Don't give in to them, don't allow them make you abuse your God given power for then to feel good. It is okay to not tell them the truth in the meantime, but do not replace it with a lie, it will end up hurting you and hurting them in the long run. Lying is and can never be an option.
Actions speak louder than words you say?
I have written this after some retrospection of how words have damaged beautiful things, shattered innocent souls and made people rebellious. We tell ourselves that other people's words shouldn't affect us but they sometimes do you know, we can only stop ourselves from reacting to those words. Still, there are the words of those we will always react to, no matter how mature we think we've become.
Actions, are what follows our words. The words speak, while action only amplifies the sound. In reality, both of them are the same thing because even when you do good things to people while harbouring bad intentions (future words or actions), it's the same as coming off as bad in the first place. Words always lead, it's up to you to amplify or diminish already spoken words with actions that follow.
Silence.
That's my retreat now, I get tired of talking these days. I haven't always been much of a talker, and the increasing futility of words makes me go deeper into my retreat. For me, silence is the only thing that speaks louder than words, for in silence, all is unknown and known at the same time while in words, only what's spoken is known, which can sometimes become a lie.
Special thanks to @Mictorrani for the sponsorship renewal.
Thanks for reading.
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
For no reason.
Good day my friends!!
I woke up with a very deep sorrow yesterday, not because someone did me bad, not because I was insulted or beaten nor because something immediately went wrong. I woke up sad for a reason I don't know of! Yeah, you may ask "so how am I sure that it's not one of my thousand mood swings since I am that " female medico with a thousand moods swings "? First, the nature mood swings is well known to me else I wouldn't have been able classify them as mood swings. Second, when a feeling is real, you feel the realness of that feeling to a great depth, and you can't mistake it. It made me wonder," why are you sad this morning?" but I couldn't think of nothing. I then remembered that same goes for happiness at times. There are times when I wake up extremely happy for no reason but I don't care to question it because it's about happiness. We all want it making us get lost in it.
I strongly believe that there's a reason for everything making my curious mind currently work on this. I have asked friends and family of how frequently they experience sadness or happiness for no reason(I believe many of us experience such things) and a good number of them who reported to have had a higher occurrence over the months are people that one could say aren't really stable(psychologically or emotionally). They were people who have been through a lot and are coping through life. I then thought of something : what if it has to do with something from the past? I have read in some books that our past emotions, especially suppressed negative emotions have a way of expressing themselves in ways unexpected and inconvenient. When we keep things in our hearts for long especially negative emotions, it acts like a valve: it only let things in but doesn't let them out. When it gets filled with these negative emotions it makes it expand beyond it's ability and forces open the valve without warning, making us experience spurts of anger, sadness, sorrow or negative thoughts and other emotions we don't know the source of, but we do! That's the source! We keep things on our mind to the point when they overwhelm us. I am no psychologist but speaking from experiences, emotional instability is mostly caused by the inability to let go. The heart (mind) isn't naturally meant to store emotions making it involuntarily squeeze them out when it gets filled up.
Letting go means that you act like a filter. You filter your emotions, process them as they come, understand them and then let them go. Never you cling to them even if they are good emotions. Even the so called "positive emotions" can haunt us and may even general negative ones later on in life. Example is always wanting to be with a person because they make you feel good and experience positive emotions which you've somehow become addicted to, this can in turn lead to obsession which is a negative emotion, see? Or when we keep reliving the positive experiences we shared in our demised loved ones until we get sucked into them, making us escape our own reality and that of the world.
All these are things I think could lead to sudden outbursts of anger and sorrow or even happiness, unannounced without any warning. I am yet to know why I was sad yesterday and I don't think I can remember, but it thought me something : I will keep trying my best to let go and let God. It is really difficult but it is worth it. I am still trying to heal from the past, I am not backing out now, nor should you.
Thanks for reading,
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Unlocking the fourth dimension. Who's gonna come?
Dehydration and a headache affecting both my "heads" as well as spreading through my neck down to my back. At a point I started suspecting it as symptoms of meningitis but then I remembered the other symptoms out of both the need to calm myself as well as refreshing my memory.
This weather, hmm.. It always gets like this. When you're in the room, you feel hot, when outside you feel cold. This is the kind of weather that makes you start contemplating stuff about dimensional physics. Like since my 3D world makes me completely uncomfortable, how about taking a leap to the 4 or 5 dimension? Sounds cool huh? Of course it does! Good news, your to-be heroin is trying to discover the equation to unlock the portal to the 4-D world. Get your bags ready.
FYI, I made that deliberately blurry so that the 4D beings do not counter my actions by making the portal stronger. I heard some people on read.cash are actually aliens, I don't wanna mention names. I am not even sure if those aliens are 4D beings but, they might wanna discover it before a mere human like this does. Jokes on them!! 😜😜
Not me. I am still your girl. 😂
What I further dislike it that almost all of my siblings react adversely to this weather: me with cluster headaches, my sister with a rash on her neck, the other one with a cut on her lip.
I am not complaining though. I mean, every year we always have a weather like this but this year's seem to be very extreme. You simply can't fit in the weather into either rainy season or dry season. It's just in between. It's the detest yet the most humid. Trying to explain it makes you more confused about it. Trust we Africans haha, we have a habit of attaching a belief to something you find uncomfortable. Some people believe that the weather is an interval between the harmattan and the preceding rainy season. In this season the gates of hell are opened to release excess heat. This heat gets into the world making it very hot. The more natural ones say it's the heat that has been kept at bay when it cold, and since there's no regulator it gets unleashed into the earth all at once. I am neither a geographer nor a spiritualist so I think both theories sous cute, that's all there's to them for me.
The electricity shortage isn't helping matters either, while it not only affects the temperature of, at least the room, it also affects the water supply as well as ice business. All these are attributed to the recent rise in oil prices in my country. My only concern for now is Ramadan which starts in less than two weeks time. Hmmm... It's not gonna be funny at all. Imagine starving yourself from dawn to sunset and after accumulating all the stomach heat, you use more heat due to lack of cold water to quench it. Talk about quenching fire with gasoline. That'll only result in an explosion.... Boom!! 💥💥
I would fined it really weird if anyone declares this weather as their favourite weather. I would actually consider that person an alien.
Not really much to talk about today and it's evening already. The mosquitoes around already looking for dinner after eating mine (yes, I feed mosquitoes. I actually had one as my pet during my secondary school days, but I ended up killing it when it landed on my leg unannounced. That's how I killed the mosquito who served as my pet for three seconds). My "meningitis" gets worse when I look at the screen that's why I didn't have a chance to post yesterday nor visit articles nor even do anything with my phone.
Anyways guys, thanks greatly for reading. Hope you're good and fine? What weather are you experiencing right now?
Yours Layly,
❤❤❤❤
Thanks @Jane for the sponsorship I am wholeheartedly grateful. More wins!!
Of herbs.
The way the day started off for me is quite unusual: My uncle giving me an unexpected call telling me he wanted me to get some herbs for my sister and cousin who happened to have fallen sick at the same time and are now living with him. He's an old man, the traditional kind. To him, no matter the advancement of orthodox medicine in the future, it can never wipe away the great significance of traditional drugs. I agree with him on this one although I kinda have a problem with him when he opts for traditional drugs when the sickness could be easily cured with some tablets.
Okay so, he called me this morning about getting some herbs which include Neem leaves, mango leaves and lemon grass. These herbs can be found near a construction site in our area so I set out after doing some chores and got to the site after a short while. They've got guards there who look over the whole place, I sought their permission and set to work. I had difficulty procuring mango leaves because of how tall the tree had grown and there were no drooping leaves which I could pluck. With their help I finally succeeded in getting all the required leaves and I set off home, then transported myself to his house.
These took me quite some time to acquire. The trees are so dusty, so were the leaves. I thank God that I hadn't taken my bath before the call otherwise I would have to postpone it or riun my afterbath sparkle. I looked so dusty after the whole thing.
Normally, this is something a guy should do but ever since I went voluntarily with my brothers to one of the herbs hunting spree, I plucked better looking leaves than them. I was praised of course and my ego was massaged. I was still a little girl at that time. Ever since then it became my task. 😂😂
This is how he prepares it:
-He washes the leaves in a big bowl, making sure that the dusts and sands are off. He puts them in a big pot, depending on the volume he wants to cook.
-He then washes moringa leaves bought from the market(we don't have the trees around otherwise I am sure I would be the one to pluck them), mixing it with the Neem, mango and lemon grass leaves in the pot.
-Water is then applied adequately and this is then cooked on the stove or gas.
-After about thirty to forty minutes, when the leaves extracts have all boiled out and is well cooked, the pot is brought down and the mixture is left to cool.
There you go!
Do you know that I dislike the medicine despite being the one to pluck the leaves? It has a taste which is a mixture of bitter, sour and a kind of lingering taste that I have no words for, note that "sweet" is not part of it lol.
Whenever he succeeded in cajoling me into taking it I gulp it all at once to avoid savouring the taste. I am quite sure it has a lot of health benefits because of the leaves involved. Moringa on its own is something else.
What do you think about herbal medicines? In Nigeria, they have recognition not only within the locals but also in our hospitals. In our teaching hospital, there's even a department for herbal medicine where you find herbal medical prsctituonals . This is to acknowledge that sometimes herbal medicines can succeed where allopathic medicine fails. Indeed! God never creates an illness except that he creates the cure of that illness first. It is up to us to discover it.
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**Today is world water day!**
Celebrating the importance of water in our lives.
_#worldwaterday_
*Tips on drinking water. *
💧Carry a water bottle with you and refill it throughout the day.
💧Freeze some freezer safe water bottles. ...
💧Choose water over sugary drinks.
💧Opt for water when eating out. ...
💧Serve water during meals.
💧Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water. ...
💧Make sure your kids are getting enough water too.
_Please rebroadcast to your respective MSAs, WhatsApp statuses, group chats_ e.t.c
Thank you🧡
SCOPH-BUMSA.
Yours Layly,
💛💛💛💛💛💛
@DocLayla
