LIFE AS IT IS

I usually don’t pluck flowers. When I do pick flowers, I do it because there is inclement weather in the forecast! The photos below are from my home. The flowers? They are from my little backyard. If you have a backyard or even a balcony, consider having your own garden - you will never regret it! 

Play is the highest form of research. —Albert Einstein She collects all sorts of things for her crafts. These things range anywhere from bottle caps, egg cartons, cereal boxes, Styrofoam to ribbons, empty cans and cosmetic containers, old T-shirts and paper towel rolls. My 7-year-old daughter has taught me that you can make a new "something" out of (almost) anything. However, to let this creativity happen, you have to bear with a lot of mess, tears, frustration over failed projects, and a small investment in children's craft supplies. Don't worry, it's all worth the trouble. The Daily Star link Screens are enticing. True, they can keep your child occupied for hours. And, why not? Digital entertainment options available to children are literally unlimited! But unfettered screen time comes at a price.  Some of the negative effects of too much screen time in children include being overweight and obese for the lack of physical activity; poor vision; slee...

Have you ever experienced an intense feeling of happiness washing over you after performing an act of kindness? If yes, then you are one of those who have felt what psychologists call the Helper’s High, an uplifting feeling that helps the mind, body, and spirit.  The Daily Star Google Images This is the month of Ramadan. Muslims perform acts of charity or give to charitable causes every year, especially during this month, in the form of Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam. Although most of us give to charitable causes, the amount we donate are not always commensurate with our wealth. Therefore, it is important that we calculate our due Zakat before we pay it. I have often heard the elderly relatives in my family say, “If people paid their Zakat in full, the country would not have any poor people.” We often forget the importance of this third pillar of Islam. So even though many of us pray five times a day, fast during Ramadan, and have performed the Hajj, we ap...

This was the only hummingbird I ever touched. It was stunned after colliding with our window. I brought it home, fed it homemade nectar (sugar + water) with the help of a syringe, and kept it in a shoebox for the night. The following morning it was drinking well and was soon able to fly. I remember calling up the local wildlife rehabilitator for help. By the time one of their volunteers came, this bird was flying around the house and climbing on me.  The volunteer and I took the bird where the collision occurred and released it to its environment. I secretly wished (shhh!) that I could keep it, but wild animals “belong” in the wild...

”Circles Of life, Born from Pulses Of light, Vibrate To Breathe, While Spiraling Outwards For Infinity Through The lens Of time, And into A sea Of stars And Lucid Dreams.” #watercolor

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” I am starting to see flowers blooming around me - in my home, backyard, and in public parks. So, even though these are times of trouble, struggle, and unhappiness, I cannot lose heart. I want to give my best fight - the way a yellow dandelion fights through a crack in the concrete to have its day in the sun. #watercolor