Under a scorching sun

©Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

In the scorching heat of the Egyptian sun, culture demanded an attire contrary to the weather. They abided because that is what you do when you’re a stranger in a foreign land.

The group visit was on a tight schedule to view all the noteworthy places and historical artefacts the organiser had planned. But in this heat, they were all already half-suffocating, staunched by the towering sun.

The significance of the place they were now stepping inside seemed elusive to them. Their minds were already elsewhere: somewhere cooler and shaded.

But that’s when their eyes first met. And everything changed.

Also part of Friday Fictioneers

Rainpour

When everything seems to be going just fine, we innately have an inexplicable fear that the wheel will turn to upturn it all.

We end up with nightmares that terrify us in our sleep and various thoughts that haunt us during the day.

We become clingy, vulnerable, insecure, and upset. Easily irritated by the slightest of things. We give importance to issues that shouldn’t matter and we are affected by every little detail around us.

We seek attention to alleviate the burden of the world we feel on our shoulders.

We desire to feel prioritised and important so we can regain part of that self-confidence that was drowned in those disturbing contemplations we create in our heads.

What we want is a person’s time – our person’s time – but that goes beyond the moments we simply spend together. It’s those instances when there are no other distractions around, and they devote their presence to you completely. That’s what we want. The other’s attention and energy. The feeling that for those (few) moments, you are their utmost priority, and there is nothing that can change that.

We want to feel special and loved, particularly at our most vulnerable state. When it starts to rain and it pours. When we view life under a dark cloud and can’t decipher that light at the end of the tunnel.

We want a hug that will wipe it all away.

A few soft works that speak to the heart.

A caring gaze that relights the spark in our eyes.

We want to feel the loving care we sort of lost along the way, that got pushed aside by the fear that if it’s too good, something bad is lingering in the shadows.

We need the confidence to believe that everything will truly be all right, because that is what we deserve; we’ve worked for it and we’ll get there. Eventually.

We want to trust that we’re not alone on that path there.

But most of all, we need to transform ourselves from using our energy to worry and moan, to believing, creating, trusting, healing, manifesting, and growing.

It’s the only way to stop the rain and bring back the sun.

Surviving the jungle

It’s amazing how the smallest of things can trigger the biggest outbreak you’ve ever had. How all that sadness and anguish that for so long you’ve been burying inside of you can come trickling out like molten lava from a dormant volcano that suddenly erupts. It doesn’t really take that much in the end to make the world tremble.

Sometimes, no matter how much or how far you run, emotions catch up with you. And it usually happens faster than you think. And certainly when you least expect it.

So you’re up from the break of dawn one day sending emails and catching the wrong bus, trying to orientate yourself in this jungle we call world. You go about your business, suppressing any thoughts that might jeopardise this pretentious sanity that you demonstrate. And then suddenly, when everything seems to be going right for you, you take a left turn. You accidentally fall onto an old message. One that reminds you of tender times. Of just a few months ago when everything was so different.

And then it comes.

The eruption.

You begin to question everything.

And can forget nothing.

The tragically funny thing is that we always run back to times when everything was OK, forgetting the hardship that we once had to go through to get there. Because in the end that is not what matters. It is not so much the bad, but it is the good that remain imprinted in your heart. The hard moments are there to make you stronger, wiser and more resilient. They are there so you can learn to appreciate more the good times.

So all you really have to do is ride out the storm. The sun will shine again soon enough.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Set It To Rights

Captain James’ Journal, day 134

I woke up to a stormy sea today. I almost fell out of bed and my back is so sore. I feel as if I’ve been carrying the weight of the entire boat on my shoulders. It’s cloudy outside and the sun can barely shine its rays past the thick cover of cotton surrounding it. As I climbed onto the dock I realized the whole crew was gone. They weren’t missing because they were still in bed. They were simply gone. They had preferred to jump overboard and be swallowed up by the raging waves, than stay onboard and fight through them.

It’s hard when you lose hope like that. When you simply surrender. It’s as if you’re giving up your entire life and everything that matters, simply because you have no more energy to fight.

I’m still struggling.

There are moments where I too wish a tidal wave would just gulp me and my ship away. But then I dream of something so much better. Of reaching a land as peaceful and as prosperous as I imagine it. And as I lay on my hammock, enjoying an exotic cocktail, a slim, elegant figure would approach. I would only be able to see her shadow as she would be standing right in front of the sun, her dark hair waving in the wind. I would be mesmerized from the first moment I laid my eyes on her. And as she came closer, I would be able to distinguish her stunning features. Her emerald green eyes, deep as the ocean itself. Her diamond smile that could bring light to even the darkest of nights. And that voice of an angel. I could stare at her for hours, days even. How fortunate I would be to have such a woman on my side. We would talk, flirt and laugh. And when night came we would salsa on the beach at the sounds of a live band. And hot as we were with excitement we would continue the interaction elsewhere. And sunrise would find us wrapped in each other’s arms, with only a white sheet for cover.

I think of this and regain some element of hope. Because without that there is nothing keeping me from walking the plank – even if I don’t see any sharks waiting for me on the other side. At least not yet.

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

A unique azure blanket

Norah was standing out on the balcony looking at the view. The sea was spread before her like a tranquil azure blanket diffusing into the sandy coast. She let her mind wander into the horizon, beyond the ships anchored outside the harbour. It was amazing how something as simple as water, billions of tonnes of water, could calm her so soothingly.

“Norah, let’s go!”, Diane called out to her.

It didn’t take long for her to grasp the excitement in that prompt. She cleared the clouds from her mind and let the sun diffuse its rays onto every inch of her body. Besides, she could use a tan!

The guys were already playing volleyball on the beach and the girls quickly grabbed a towel, sun lotion and their hats and rushed to join them.

Summer was about having fun. About swimming in the sea, playing on the beach with friends, relaxing and enjoying yourself. Letting your mind wander away from the painful reality of everyday life.

It’s up to you whether you let it wander back though…

 

Also part of Trifecta Writing Challenge – the prompt word was grasp:

GRASP (verb)

1: to take or seize eagerly
2: to clasp or embrace especially with the fingers or arms
3: to lay hold of with the mind : comprehend

Dreaming of change

 

 

 

 

Clouds embrace the sky

As the wolf howls to the moon

And darkness spreads anew

Engulfing the edges of the world.

 

Trying is no longer good enough

As tiredness overwhelms your soul

And you’re waiting for a glimpse of sunlight

As tears run down your waterfall.

 

Disillusioned by all you thought you knew

Disappointed by hopes and dreams

Depressed by the lack of virtue and truth

You fall asleep wishing for a different world.

 

And as you wake transformed by your thoughts

You imagine life in a different universe

Where penguins are truly emperors

and fantasies exist.

 

Where people obey to whims of others

Not their own selfish desires

Where you can aspire for change

And believe that it can happen.

 

Where you can be true to yourself

And not feel ashamed

Where the sun shines in your heart

And a smile can once again form on your pretty face.

 

Those who should don’t and those who needn’t do

August is the holiday month. It’s the time when everything stops working, when cities seem deserted and beaches are packed, when hotel resorts are full, when people plan their trips to exotic places, when the sun is shining brighter and you actually notice it. It’s the time when you can – or rather should – go on holiday. To relax, recharge your batteries, and plan the next season ahead. But what is very often overlooked during this time of year, is that not everyone really goes on holiday. Shocking as it may seem, some people work throughout the summer – and this not only applies to the cafés and beach restaurants you hang out at, or the hotel staff that are there to accommodate your every need. Some people simply need to work. Or may even have to. So it usually ends up that those who don’t really need a holiday are the ones who go on a prolonged vacation, whereas those who should go on a holiday to relax, clear their minds and actually get some rest, don’t.

Those who should don’t and those who needn’t do. That is what it adds up to. Royalty, who practically do nothing all year except run around from gala to event, to charity ball, to special ceremonies, are the ones taking vacations in the Bahamas or Seychelles. Diplomats and civil servants who earn thousands a month fly to exotic places to lie on the beach in the sun all day, experiencing a change from the routine of lying around in the office. Government officials even take private means of transport to other continents and use state funds to holiday, under the pretext of state business or promotion of the state. All the while, the hard-working middle class remain in the office keeping the state machinery running, the business afloat, the company producing, and dreaming of a vacation in another land. With the notice board full of pictures of sandy beaches, exotic islands, waterfalls, snowy mountains and all such places that seem unreachable, people imagine what it would be like to actually be able to go where you only dream to be. Due to a variety of reasons, ranging from no money, no time, no days of leave, people are constrained to the hot, humid city during the summer with only relief being the beach a few kilometres away – if you are lucky, that is.

It’s hard not being able to do what you want. It’s even harder watching everyone else do it. And it’s frustrating not having the time or money to do exactly what you plan, or at least wish to. It always seems that when you have the time to do something you never have the money, and when you in fact have the money, you lack the time. Life is short, as everyone keeps saying, and it is a shame not to live it out to the fullest. To enjoy every moment of it. To be with people you love and make you happy. And most importantly, to be exactly where you want to be. In every sense. Life will only have meaning, when you wake up and reality is actually better than your dreams…