There’s no app for Life

It was such an emotional scene – Maggie had finally woken up from the year-long coma that had lasted the entire movie, and she knew as soon as she saw him that Jake was her husband, her soul-mate, the guy she was with for the past 8 years! And as we were all reaching out for the tissues, sniffing and trying to fight back the tears, some insensitive being in the front row decided it was time to check Facebook again, and *ding* there was that blinding light, flashing out and irritating everyone who was actually watching the movie.

Has this ever happened to you?

Have you ever been so drawn into a movie that you forget your reality for a while, and then all of a sudden get awaken by a mobile phone light?

Or have you been to a concert or theatre, where there you are trying to enjoy the live performance in front of you, but for the most part all you can see around you is arms stretched out waving smartphones and tablets in the air?

People nowadays are so intent on living high-tech that they forget to live at all.

Because they simply cannot stop to enjoy the things around them long enough, to actually take it all in. How often do you see tourists or even locals sitting at a beautiful square or park, yet all they do is stare at a screen – be it a smartphone, a tablet or a computer?

It is annoying. Because it seems that nothing is more important than being wired up constantly.

Even going to enjoy your favourite singer or band playing live is marred by tech-hipsters trying to record every single minute of the show – a recording they will probably never ever see. It’s a disturbance that affects you because it interferes with your enjoyment of a show you paid (sometimes dearly) to see. There is a performance happening right in front of you, yet the majority of the audience is viewing it through their screens.

Don’t get me wrong, technology is very useful and has many advantages, but that doesn’t mean you have to be so attached to it that you can’t even eat without constantly checking up online! Seeing a person for more than half an hour without a phone/tablet/computer as an extension of their hand is a rarity these days.

Sometimes, people are even so attached to what is on their screens that they don’t see things that are right in front of them. At all! Like Baratunde Thurston recalled in one of his articles, some youngsters were desperately looking for a diner, searching their phones for its locations, and asking passers-by, and he noted that had they not been glued to their phones, they might have seen the illuminated sign for the diner across the street.

It’s a shame to have all this technology at your fingertips and in essence miss out on life because you don’t know how to best use it, or more accurately, when to not use it.

Life is more than just an app on your phone; it’s what’s happening in front of you, or around you. And if you don’t pay attention, it might just slip by without you ever knowing.

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Rewriting the magic

Fairy tales always make you smile. And leave you with a fuzzy warm feeling like a heartfelt hug. Because they remind you that sometimes life can be wonderful and as dream-like as you wish it to be.

We’ve all grown up with fairy tales. But sometimes, when we’re older we like to imagine how these would be if they were given a different twist!

Prompted by H.E.Ellis that’s exactly what I did with the story of Pinocchio – you know what the story of the wooden puppet is, right? Well, you think you do! You haven’t heard this version of it before!

Because this version is modernized, to include gambling, coins (lots of them!), greed, profanity, shipwrecks, and…well, magic!

So go ahead, read this! And don’t worry, your nose won’t get bigger! 🙂

And just to make it clear, here is the link to the full story: https://mcswhispers.wordpress.com/twisted-fairy-tale/

At the start of the millennium

 

 

 

 

 

Left alone she once again let her mind wander

back in time,

when her sky was still clear

with no clouds

no rain

no tears.

When she was still optimistic

for the future…

 

Also part of Trifextra Weekend Writing Challenge: a time travel story

Chasing rainbows

It is said that in order to enjoy the rainbow you must endure the rain.

Yet, one of the often most idealistic images that springs to mind when people use the word “romantic” or “dreamer” is that of a small animal – usually a kitten or puppy – chasing butterflies in a green, flowery field. It’s the image of someone intent on chasing a target, even if they may never catch it. The personification of going after a dream, no matter how hopeless it may seem, or how futile it may appear.

It’s like going after the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

It means having the persistence, the insistence and the energy to strive for what you want. Given that you know what that is, of course. Because “if you don’t know where you’re going, you may miss it when you get there” (Kathleen Long).

Being a rainbow-chaser is fun. Because it means you can do what you love, because it will bring you closer to your dreams. To your goals. To exactly what you want from life. Or at least as close as possible to it as you can get.

It means living life to its fullest. Taking advantage and seizing every opportunity you can get.

It means experiencing the world, learning, viewing and thinking. It’s about pondering about everything around you and having the patience and the passion to go after what you’ve imagined to be ‘ideal’, ‘idyllic’, or simply wonderful.

Because once you reach that rainbow, you will see the colours pouring down upon your head. And just maybe, at the bottom you will find your pot of gold too!

 

Also part of Trifecta Writing Challenge – the prompt word was rainbow (noun):

3. [from the impossibility of reaching the rainbow, at whose foot a pot of gold is said to be buried] :  an illusory goal or hope

Trapped

 

 

 

 

 

A room full of dreams
turned into shadows dark,
and unpleasant themes.

What once was full of life
is now left empty.
With no loving hug,
no welcoming seat.

A soaring pain inside the heart
cannot be healed
without a cure;
not without a miracle,
without change.

Lost between two worlds,
what do you do
with a troubled heart?

Do you stay and fight?
or run away?

Do you plea for life?
or cry in pain?

And all she feels is left alone.
Encircled by people but so alone.
For only she can decide her fate.

She is confused, clouded, and dazed.
but what she truly feels
is trapped.

Demonstrating out of line

“Quick, put this on!”

Jessica grabbed the gas mask Edward was forcing into her hand and struggled to place it over her nose and mouth as the air around them filled with thick smoke and tear gas.

She never thought a peaceful demonstration could lead to this.

People were panicking, running disorderly, in every direction possible. Bumping into each other violently. And coughing. There was lots of coughing and shouting and screaming!

“Move! We have to get over to Place Liberté – it’ll be safer there! Come on this way!”

Edward was more assertive than her. He always had been. And he always knew how to maintain his calm in the face of panic and transmit it to her. She on the other hand simply felt lost. It was as if she had entered a trance and was not fully aware of what was going on. Edward had to pull her across the tram lines and over to the other side of the street.

Place Liberté was peaceful and quiet. They could take the masks off now. It was as if this was a different part of town. Untouched by the incidents and episodes that had suddenly broken out just across the street.

“Come, let’s go have a juice to calm down, shall we?”

Jessica nodded and followed sheepishly as they sat at a café which was overflowing with customers extending their necks out in order to get a better view of the ‘action’.

This wasn’t frequent in Townville.

Peaceful demonstrations occurred only recently with the change of government and radical reforms that were announced.

But to have tear gas, clashes with police, and petrol bombs being thrown during a protest over the closing down of illegal pet salons, well, that was an extraordinary thing in itself!

 

Also part of Trifecta Writing Challenge, with the prompt word: Mask (noun):

a : a protective covering for the face
b : gas mask
c : a device covering the mouth and nose to facilitate inhalation
d : a comparable device to prevent exhalation of infective material
e : a cosmetic preparation for the skin of the face that produces a tightening effect as it dries

Fighting back Pandora’s Box

Have you ever found yourself surrounded by people, yet felt so alone? It’s as if you’re standing in the middle of a crowd, but you can see, feel or hear no-one. As if you’re encased in a vacuum, a glass case, and left feeling more lonely than you could ever be. It’s as if you’ve trapped yourself.

So how do you get out?

Sometimes it’s good to be alone. It’s actually healthy to spend periods of time alone. Doing something you want, without having anyone to disturb you. Spending time to re-engage with your own feelings, thoughts and desires.

But as the ancient Greeks admitted, humans are social beings and need to spend time around other people.

A well-known author (Jodi Picoult) wrote that loners are not alone because they enjoy solitude, no matter what they profess. They are alone “because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”

But being disappointed with the world is no reason to step away from it.

Disillusionment is a natural feeling in today’s world. People grow up with dreams, of how the world would be like, of how their own (ideal) world would be, and of the part they would play in it. And suddenly the harsh reality sets in, making them see that the real world isn’t all sunshine and roses. Because Pandora’s Box had a lot of grief, evil and wrong hidden inside, and that spilled onto mankind, and is still continuing to diffuse all the more. And despite efforts of some to “fix” the world, there are claims we are at a point where some things simply cannot be changed. Hope, though, shouldn’t be lost as easily. Because even the most earth-shattering tremours, eruptions, tsunamis, storms, hurricanes and tornadoes come to an end. And the sun still shines the next day.

It may be true that sometimes “we live as we dream, alone”, but more often than not we should try a little harder to shine behind the clouds…

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Cut off

Searching for gold

I was climbing up this tall wooden wall. It seemed like forever until I reached the top. But uncle Crump had said it was definitely worth it. There would be gold at the top.

So I climbed and I climbed. Tip and Tat and many others also followed. But I was the only one moving with haste, yet with grace at the same time. Not to appear vain or anything, but that was what I was known for. Excelling…with style!

The top was indeed filled with gold. It was spread around as if scattered from a raincloud. Untouched and so pure. Everyone just stopped and admired the sight before digging in. Greed is universal, you see.

But the problem wasn’t getting up to the top to find the gold. The problem was carrying it back down.

So, just like all these other companions of mine, I loaded up a few pieces and set on the way down. The storage rooms where down there so we had to make the trip a few times. But that was ok. We were used to it. That was part of our life anyway. We were hard workers. Why everyone treats us so badly, I don’t understand. Coz’ the worst part is when the screaming and swearing and bashing begin…

Suddenly my companions were being swept away, flicked off the top, blown off, washed away, and it was everyone for himself now. We had to let go of many of our pieces and only hold on to the most vital ones so as not to jeopardise our own survival. There was no real place to hide…It was open air out there. And then it happened…

I was hit…

Flying into the air…

The screaming was deafening…Hers, not mine. Because I really don’t understand why Mrs Peterson keeps shrieking every time she sees us trying to help get rid of the crumbs left on her counter. We’re actually doing her a favour.

It’s tough being an ant…

 

Also part of Trifecta Writing Challenge; the prompt word was GRACE (noun):

3 a : a charming or attractive trait or characteristic
b : a pleasing appearance or effect : charm <all the grace of youth — John Buchan>
c : ease and suppleness of movement or bearing

The chicken, the monkey and the duck

Once upon a time there was a chicken. It was fluffy and yellow when it was born and everyone admired at how cute and cuddly it looked. It was the joy of the barn. Yet, the chick knew that once it grew up it would be treated just like every other chicken in the coop, and would eventually be sacrificed to feed others larger than itself.

The chick wanted to change that. It could see no reason why it could not be the pioneer in a different life for chickens. And it was determined to prove to all the other animals that laughed at it that it was possible. All it took was resolution and courage. So the chick packed a few seeds in a little bundle and set off. It was going to change its destiny.

The chick was of course unsure of what it would encounter outside the farm, but it was stubborn enough to keep going. No matter what life threw in its path, it would deal with it.

The chick entered a forest path and was enthralled by all the big trees around it with noises from all sorts of animals. Birds were singing in the trees, creepy-crawlies were sliding across the grass, woodpeckers were pecking on the tree barks, deer were grazing peacefully in the shades of the leaves. The chick stopped in its tracks, amazed at the wonders of nature. Never had it imagined how beautiful life outside the barn could be. All of a sudden, an acorn fell on its head. But this chicken didn’t fear the sky was falling and start to run like crazy. No. This chick simply looked up and saw a playful little cheeky monkey grinning at it.

Long story short, the chick and the monkey became friends. They were both young and full of energy so they decided to discover life together. And just like the chick wanted to see what was beyond the boundaries of the barn, the monkey wanted to see what was beyond the forest. The chick packed a fresh batch of seeds and the monkey a few bananas. And off they set together.

The two reached a large blue lake. It seemed so calm as if it was a transparent crystal sheet covering the land. And on it there were ducks and swans skimming across the water. There was in particular a young duckling. It was not ugly at all. And it was a duckling that would grow into a duck not a swan. Curious to see what these two were staring at, the duckling swam close to the shore, and with a hop jumped on to land. The chick and monkey were startled with this fluffy animal that was splattering water all over them.

Soon enough, the two became three, as the duckling too wanted to experience life beyond the lake.

And so the animals continued, discovering new places and new friends, growing up together and enjoying life in the fullest. Because there will always be someone who wants to live beyond the confines of their own world, and no matter how wonderful you see their world, someone else will always want to see more.

So moral of the story is: don’t be afraid to exit your comfort zone, you’d be surprised at how much more there is out there that you never even imagined!