My North Star
What is my North Star?
What do I want to do with the rest of my life?
Write for sure
Without writing I don’t know who I am
Without writing I will shrivel up and wilt
What else?
Be with my family and serve them
My children are adults now
That took some getting used to
I want to be in their lives
I want to be close to them
What else?
Continue to grow spiritually
That’s why we are in this earth
That’s the purpose of our lives
What else?
Serve my community
Continue serving the Shrine
The jewel of Montreal
What else?
Take care of my health
My health has always been fragile
So many ups and downs in my life
But I’m grateful for where I am
And want to continue looking after myself
March 26, 2026
My idyllic world
The most idyllic time in my school years was my elementary school time
Grades one to grade five
The American school I went to
Boys and girls playing at recess in the yard
No uniform
Classes in English and Persian
By learning English and my introduction to the West
My world opened up
I could see beyond the confines of Iran
I could see how other people lived
What their concerns were
I learned about pollution and the plight of African Americans
I realized there was much more freedom in the West
For women and girls
I learned there was no religious prejudice against Baha’is there
We had Halloween parties
end of the year plays
Art and gym class
And all this took place is a large home where the principal of the school lived upstairs
The woman an American
The man a Persian
I couldn’t get enough of the English language
I wanted to read English books and talk to English speaking people
As if English meant freedom to me
My gateway to thee world
March 9, 2026
My dream
I walk down the stairs with my phone in my hand, blaring out the latest news from Iran
Khamenei is dead
That was yesterday’s news
What people were asking for has come to pass
Iran is leaderless and thankfully it will difficult to fill Khamenei’s shoes
He was killed in his own home in broad daylight
As if they knew exactly where he was that fateful morn
There is dancing in the streets
Cars honking till past midnight
Both in Iran and outside Iran
The person responsible for so many deaths is gone
Can it be?
And the bombing continues
Taking out military and intelligence sites
Many high level politicians and commanders have been killed
And Iran has retaliated against the Gulf states
If there is to be a regime change in Iran
We have a long way to go
Dismantling a regime that rules by force and kills its own people is not an easy feat
But I imagine an Iran that doesn’t jail its dissenters and religious minority members
I dream of an Iran that I will be able to visit one day
I dream of a country where the government works for its people
And where corruption is not the norm
I dream of an Iran were capable people run the companies and the ministries
I dream of an Iran that is not at war with the West
I dream of an Iran that is prosperous
And takes its place among free nations
I dream of the end to indoctrination
May our dreams come true
Feb 28, 2026
Red and Orange
Guess what colors died first in my markers
The markers I have been drawing with for a long time
I was surprised but not surprised
Orange and yellow were the ones
I think I’m attracted to these colors
It makes sense
Orange, for the rays of the sun
Red for the warmth of love and friendship
It so happens that I have two favorite mugs in which I drink my morning tea
And one is orange and one is red
These colors mean happiness to me
Laughter and joy
Smiles on faces
Warmth in one’s heart
And yes, I have many red tops
And orange in my summer dresses
Orange and red
Joy and love
February 18th, 2026
frustrated
Check-in before you go to the airport
Says the machine
Then a bunch of questions show up
We need your reservation number
Not to be mixed up with your flight number
Although we will need that too, later
Then you need to scan your passport
Oh, something went wrong
Try again!
Success!
What is your return date by the way?
Enter it in this digital calendar
If it doesn’t work the first time
Try again
You know how digital forms are
We need the address where you will stay
And the Zip Code is just numbers, no State required
Now your Visa information
Visa?
Actually with a Canadian passport you don’t need a Visa
But the information is required anyway
How are you feeling?
A little frustrated?
Well, you can finally check in now
Pause
Code: PDSPQ something went wrong
See you next time
January 31st, 2026
Mornings of calm
A few ways to recharge your batteries:
After a busy period of having to leave the house early to be at appointments
Or various places
Sit at your desk
With your cup of tea
Sip your tea
Focus on its taste and fragrance
And wait till you feel bored
No rush to go anywhere
Nothing urgent to do
This is your go-slow day
After you feel bored
Do something fun
Write a poem
Draw a drawing
Or whatever your heart desires
This will feed your soul
Energize you
Gladden your heart
Slow time down
You deserve days like this or at least
Mornings like these
Mornings of calm
February 12, 2026
Awful times
These are awful times
Innocent people are being killed in the streets
In hundreds and thousands
Theses are historic times
Their cry for freedom can be heard across the country and across the world
These are uncertain times
Where are we heading and how?
These are awesome times
Seeing the whole country rise and demand their rights
These are hopeful times
Because we have passed the point of no return
January 24, 2026
Brush strokes
Strong brushstrokes of colour
Two slashes in a yellow canvas
A cacophony of colours on metal in three dimensions
As I walk through the contemporary art floor of the Museum of Modern Arts
A strange feeling overtakes me
I should be painting or writing too
These artists are well known but we are all artists in our own way
We can be inspired by the art of others
And we can inspire others
What a great feeling to be surrounded by art
January 4th, 2026
My books
My several bookcases located
In the different rooms of the house
Are full of books
I’ve even given some away to make room
There was a time that I had a ‘reading chair’
And I read book after book
Lots of biographies, some historical fiction
The odd fiction book
Some self help books
I remember one time I was at a bookstore looking for a new book
One of my criteria was the number of pages
The more the better
So it wouldn’t finish soon
I read about political figures and actors
I read about people from other cultures
But now, it’s a different story
I buy a book, read a few pages
And then it sits in my room
Why am I not reading as much any more?
I miss it
Want to go back to it but
The world has changed with social media
The all-consuming social media
I read articles on my phone
But many articles, one book does not make
Times have changed and so have I
I look with envy at the books on my bookshelves now
It helps that I have published a few books of mine
But I wonder if I’ll ever read like before
December 10, 2025
lida's musings 