The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
~Elisabeth Foley
Tag: life
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Unplug? What Do You Do to Make it Happen? #dailyprompt
In today’s hyper-connected world, it is easy to find ourselves constantly immersed in a digital landscape. However, it is crucial to recognize when it’s time to unplug and prioritize our well-being.
In order to know when it’s time to unplug, it’s important to be mindful of certain signs and indicators. In my case, here are a few signs that suggest I need a break from the digital world:
Increased stress levels – Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or irritable.
Lack of focus and productivity – Difficult to concentrate, complete tasks, or stay organized.
Neglected relationships – Relationships suffer due to excessive screen time.
Once I recognize the need to unplug, I try to implement the following strategies to help me achieve a healthier balance between my digital life and the real world:
Establish boundaries – Set specific time limits for using technology, such as designating certain hours as “tech-free” or implementing a “no screens before bedtime” rule.
Engage in offline activities – Hobbies, such as reading, cooking or baking or whatever activities that don’t involve screen.
Practice mindfulness – Incorporate moments of mindfulness and relaxation into daily routines. This can involve meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simply enjoying quiet moments of reflection without any digital distractions.
Create a technology-free zone – Designate certain areas in your living space, such as the bedroom or dining room, as tech-free zones to encourage more meaningful connections and quality time with family and friends.
Embrace nature – Though I don’t get to do this here in Kuwait as often as I want to, spending time in nature can have a rejuvenating effect and provide a much-needed break from screens. Plan outdoor activities, such as hikes or picnics, and appreciate the beauty of the natural world.
In this world now dominated by technology, recognizing the signs that indicate it’s time to unplug is essential for our overall well-being. By establishing boundaries, engaging in offline activities, practicing mindfulness, creating technology-free zones, and embracing nature, we can regain a healthy balance between our digital lives and the real world. So, let us unplug, recharge, and rediscover the joys and wonders that lie beyond the screen.
Love
Love, elusive dream,
Whispered on distant breezes,
Yearning heart takes flight.
Betrayal
In shadows deep, where trust once thrived,
A haunting tale of betrayal survived.
A friendship’s bond, once strong and true,
Now shattered, lost in shades of blue.
A whispered promise, once held dear,
Now twisted by deceit, crystal clear.
Like petals plucked from a fragile rose,
Betrayal’s thorns, the heart exposes.
False smiles masked hidden lies,
Tears stain the cheeks, where hope resides.
A bond unraveled, trust undone,
In betrayal’s wake, love comes undone.
Oh, bitter sting of a trusted friend,
Whose treacherous path we failed to comprehend.
Yet in the depths of this grievous fall,
Resilience rises, mending heart’s call.
For wounds may heal, scars may fade,
But lessons learned, forever made.
In the crucible of betrayal’s strife,
We find the strength to rebuild life.
So let us forge ahead, our spirits unbound,
With caution and wisdom, our hearts surround.
For though betrayal may cast its relentless spell,
We’ll rise above, in grace, we’ll dwell.
Quote of the Week
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
~Willa Cather
Quote of the Week
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
~Maya Angelou
Quote of the Week
There is always something left to love.
~Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Quote of the Week
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
~Ronald Reagan
Quote of the Week
Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.
~ Truman Capote
Quote of the Week
The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of will.
~Vince Lombardi
Quote of the Week
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
~Nicolas Chamfort
Quote of the Week
To know how much there is to know is the beginning of learning to live.
~Dorothy West
Quote of the Week
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
~Steve Jobs
Quote of the Week
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.
~Helen Keller
Quote of the Week
There is no greater journey than the one that you must take to discover all of the mysteries that lie within you.
~Michelle Sandlin
Quote of the Week
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people.
~Carl Jung
Quote of the Week
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
~Epicurus
Quote of the Week
Everyone needs a place where they can go to just ponder for a while. Silence is important; it’s the only time you can hear the whispering of truth.
~Glenn Beck
Quote of the Week
Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.
~Michelle Obama
Quote of the Week
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
~Oscar Wilde
Quote of the Week
Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box.
~Italian proverb
Quote of the Week
Life is too deep for words, so don’t try to describe it, just live it.
~C.S. Lewis
Quote of the Week
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
~Lao Tzu
Quote of the Week
You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.
~Stephen King
Quote of the Week
You can always give something, even if it is only kindness.
~Anne Frank
Quote of the Week
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.
~Dale Carnegie
Quote of the Week
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.
~Winston Churchill
Quote of the Week
You don’t love because: you love despite; not for the virtues, but despite the faults.
~William Faulkner
Quote of the Week
Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.
~Walt Whitman
Quote of the Week
Do not let arrogance go to your head and despair to your heart; do not let compliments go to your head and criticisms to your heart; do not let success go to your head and failure to your heart.
~Roy T. Bennett
Quote of the Week
There is so much stubborn hope in the human heart.
~Albert Camus
Quote of the Week
If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and to begin again.
~Flavia Weedn
Quote of the Week
Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.
~Jack Canfield
Quote of the Week
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
~Steve Jobs
Quote of the Week
Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.
~Michelle Obama
Quote of the Week
If you have wonderful moments, don’t second guess them. Just enjoy them.
~Martin Short
Quote of the Week
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.
~Martin Luther King Jr.
Quote of the Week
Being happy never goes out of style.
~Lilly Pulitzer
Quote of the Week
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Quote of the Week
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.
~Harvey Fierstein
Quote of the Week
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
~C.S. Lewis
My First Kiss Went A Little Like This
Do you remember your first kiss? Yes, the very first! How nice was it? Or how terrible? Ideally, specially as teenagers, we expect our first kiss to be sweet and romantic! Or hot and wild! Intense! Oh dear! Locking lips with someone we like should send tingles up our spine and leave us feeling incoherent after.
Contrary to the perfect romantic first kisses I’ve either read, watched, imagined or hoped for, mine was a turn-off. Let me walk you down memory lane because my first kiss went a little like this…
My first kiss happened many moons ago, I was fourteen, he was sixteen. His name’s Andrew. He was my ultimate crush then and little did I know that he’s got a crush on me, too. We attended the same high school and we were both athletes. We’ve known each other by face and was only formally introduced to each other in a party after almost a year of smiles and hellos during training/practice or in the corridors.
We were dating for more than a month already when it happened. Since I belong to the science classes, he has to wait for me for about an hour until I finish my last class. After class that day, we went to the small garden just at the back of his classroom so he can help me with my homework. (I remember I suck in Biology and Chemistry then!) Once we’re done, we started walking while holding hands as he led me to his classroom door.
The touch: We were holding hands then he pulled me to him and pushed me gently against the classroom door then placed his left arm around my waist while his right hand caressed my face. (I liked that part!)
The ambiance: I never thought that my first kiss would be in the most romantic place in the world — in school, outside his classroom door! I mean, come on, I’ve imagined a kind of romantic setting, too. But definitely not in school!
The kiss: Well, our noses bumped at first and I was about to laugh but he kissed me right away and the first few tender brushes of his lips against mine was magic, it did really sent tingles up my spine and made all my body cells come to life until…
The tongue situation: Eeeewww! Just eeeewww! Oh boy! Was the tongue even supposed to be there??? It’s just wet! And sloppy! I was shocked! I wanted to punch him in the face!
The aftermath: Absolutely awkward. Confusing. Disappointing. In my mind, I’m trying to figure out what just happened. Funny thing is, I ended up having a very high fever that night and wasn’t able to go to school the next day!
So my first kiss didn’t happen according to plan but well, life isn’t a movie set. But in between homework and practice, the kisses got better, more quality kissing took over for the next two years.
So how was your first kiss? Was is sweet? Or was it terrible? How old were you then? Did it turn out the way you’ve imagined it to be? I’d love to hear, after all, what better time to delurk if not during first-kiss-story sharing time, right?
Quote of the Week
Your heart is a vast and tender thing; you cannot keep trying to shrink it into what someone else needs. You cannot keep pouring your love into a vessel that cannot contain it. You cannot keep pouring your love into a heart that is closed off to it. It will only leave you empty.
~Bianca Sparacino
Quote of the Week
The deepest cuts come from those we love the most.
~Mario Escobar, The Teacher of Warsaw
Quote of the Week
Knowing is better than wondering, waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure—even the worst—beats the hell out of not trying.
~Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy
Quote of the Week
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
~Mother Teresa
Quote of the Week
You make mistakes, mistakes don’t make you.
~Maxwell Maltz
Quote of the Week
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
~Marcus Aurelius
Quote of the Week
Life is short. Focus on what really matters most. You have to change your priorities over time.
~Roy T. Bennett
Quote of the Week
It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.
~Vincent Van Gogh
HappymessHappiness 