Sitting here
Doing… not much
Relaxing after a couple of busy weeks
I don’t feel rushed to be anywhere
Don’t have to do anything at this very moment
These are the rare times of self care
When we are kind to ourselves
We all deserve a break
And my break looks like this
October 23rd, 2021
Daring to be is one of the hardest things
Daring to be exactly who you are and are meant to be
And not feel pressured by society or family
Daring not to conform to the rules
Daring not to take the beaten path
Daring to be different, to stand out and be true to oneself
Daring to be maybe difficult
But it’s the only way to serenity
October 10th, 2021
Fall is here
the carefree days of wearing sandals and dresses are gone
The scarves can come out
The verdure of the trees a waining
The magical colors of fall arrive
We will be indoors more
But we should not close our hearts
To kindness
To gentleness
To generosity
To love
Each season has its own beauty and prepares us for the one to come
Seasons change
Life goes on
And life is beautiful
If we try to bring some sunshine into someone else’s life
September 30th, 2021
Stay two meters away from each other
Don’t visit people at their homes in big numbers
Don’t fill up the coffee shops
Only so many people allowed
Sounds anti-social, doesn’t it?
But it’s our reality now and we can’t let our guard down yet
The variants are rampant
Areas that are doing well suddenly flare up
Where you can fly to and not fly to keeps changing
Some countries, you can visit only in groups
The sanitizer bottle is omnipresent
Masks still adorn our faces
How much longer?
That’s a good question
It depends a little on how much
Responsibility we will take in combating this disease
Some people still deny its existence
They refuse to wear masks and socially distance
Vaccines are out of the question for them
And on the other hand
There are countries that are having a challenge
Vaccinating a population that wants to be vaccinated
It’s a messy and dangerous situation
The hospitals are filled to capacity
The medical staff work long hours and are tired
So politicians try to give people incentives to get vaccinated
Money, lotteries, gifts, whatever they can think of
It’s a strange, strange world we live in
One we could not have imagined two years ago
September 6th, 2021
Why do we value certain activities over other ones?
Why is working in an office remunerated but not raising a child?
Why is someone’s worth equated with the job they do?
Why is a skilled worker building a house not valued
As much as the architect who designed the house?
We’ve created these categories in our minds
Certain jobs are more desirable
Certain activities more worthwhile
In reality, we need each and every occupation
For a society to function
Imagine if the garbage men go on strike
The history of what is valuable work for women
Has changed over time
From being a mother and an educator
Responsible for the affairs of the home
To working outside the home and competing with men
Perhaps we need to move to the next stage
And value unpaid work again
Rearing and education children
Keeping an orderly home
Volunteering
Artistic work
Caring for the sick and aged
Rewarding these activities monetarily would be great
But until then, we can just value them
For the real and essential ‘jobs’ they are
Any activity that serves a purpose and serves the community
Should be valued
August 30th, 2021
Beyond the wall of windows in my mother’s apartment
Is a kaleidoscope of colour, natural beauty and activity
The green of the grass
The blue of the ocean
And the white of the sailboats on the water
The grey of the high rises
And the red bricks of the walking path
People exercising
People walking their dogs
People going to work
People driving by
It’s a beehive of activity
And Vancouver’s beauty shines
In the sunshine of the morning
Everything seems to sparkle
But not everyone is happy in this city by the ocean
The sight of the homeless and drug addicted
On Main Street breaks my heart
A man whose clothes hang loose on his thin limbs
Talks to another person, a desperate look on his face
A tent is set up on the side walk
Creating a temporary place for respite
A man crosses the street on a red pedestrian light
Pushing a shopping cart containing all his belongings
One can’t look at the lights to drive across intersections
Some people with blank stares cross at any time
Oblivious of what’s going on around them
The ugliness of poverty and despondency
Coexists with the beauty of nature and the opulence
Of the high rises tastefully designed
I try to focus on the beauty
But not forget that many people
Are in need in this city of contradictions
August 24th, 2021
My responsibly as a mother is the eduction of my children
I’ve been doing that for years now
In a way that is familiar to me
With them close by
But as they get older
Their education will come from places outside the home
And I need to let go
They will be around less often
But they are on their path of learning and experiencing new things
I won’t be involved in their day to day life
But I will be there to support and encourage them
Their mode of development has changed
They need the input of the society at large
And by letting go
I’m allowing them to continue to grow
August 9th, 2021
For my brothers and sisters in Iran:
A people demanding justice
Demanding free speech
Demanding the ability to buy the basic necessities of life
Demanding better environmental policies
Their voices are loud
They can be heard in all the different corners of Iran
From Khuzestan, to Tabriz to Tehran
They are united
Their demands are clear
They don’t fear retribution
They demonstrate peacefully
Will this time the results be different?
Will they reach their goals?
Mothers whose sons died in the path of freedom and reform
Women who are tired of being told what to wear
And how to live their lives
Youth who are educated but can’t find work
Workers that haven’t been paid in months
Farmers who are suffering due to drought
Brought about by bad decisions of the leaders in the past
Parents who don’t see a bright future for their children
They are all raising their voices again
These are people who will not stay silent any longer
After all they don’t have much to lose
The near future will show the results of their efforts
May freedom and justice be their reward
August 1st, 2021
Embrace your struggle
It’s what will make you who you are
There are lessons you must learn
Gifts you must discover
And working through your struggles
Is how you will achieve those things
By overcoming your challenges
You will become the unique person who you are
They remove the veil and show what’s inside
Without toil and labor you are like a blank canvas
With them you can paint a lovely picture
So embrace the vicissitudes of life
They are gifts if you know how to open them
June 29th, 2021
These seem like the last few months of Covid if all goes well
Vaccinations are underway
Places are opening up
We can get together in our back yards
But things can change
The variants can cause some problems
We are not quite out of the woods yet
Nevertheless we see the light at the end of the tunnel
At the same time, we are so used to doing things differently
That it will take time to move forward
This has been an interesting time
Working from home is a reality now
Zoom meetings are here to stay
So much time and money will be saved
So much better for the environment
We will still go places
Being in the presence of others still has its reasons
But much more will be done online
We’ll be leaving these times behind
Realizing that our welfare depends on the welfare of others
That we should consider the needs of our neighbours
That the world is shrinking in size and the countries need to cooperate
The more privileged ones need to come to the aid of the less privileged
Our world is one
We can’t think of ourselves in isolation any longer
June 16th 2021
