Lock down Stories!

Bulbul’s twenty word tale : Story

I have written 4, twenty word tales. Each can be read as an individual tale or together as one.

lighted we are all made of stories red neon wall signage inside room
socialcut@unsplash.com
  1. The pandemic scripted a sad story in the book of life. All are eagerly awaiting the end of this chapter.

2. Emotions ruled the roost of lock-down stories. Some people scripted success stories, while others had a sad ending. Life goes on…

3. Confined within the four walls of home, I sought solace in writing to avoid the constant disagreements brewing between us.

4. They knocked on my head, I opened my heart and words flowed. Never imagined to be a best-selling author.

“Trained” to be on the run…

Before the pandemic struck us, a typical scene from any city around the globe was very similar. At the end of a long day at work, a swarm of people would rush to the stations, their heads down, glued to their mobiles.  Oblivious of their surroundings or fellow passengers, most of them would be immersed in work or on a call. Sapped of energy, they would chug along to reach home, every day, defining life, in its mundanity.

The pandemic brought the life’s train to a grinding halt. The sudden impact left man totally lost, throwing him completely off track. The lock down has to a great extent, initiated a change to his perspective on life and its meaning. All this time he was chasing a mirage, mistaking success for happiness, in the bargain turning a blind eye to those little things, that added value to life.

Today, man has slowed down the pace at which he is traversing on this journey of life. He has realised if his life’s train derails and its journey comes to an abrupt end, before reaching its last station, his pursuit for hollow victories may after all be in vain.

Life is a sojourn between birth and death. One should enjoy the beauty of the changing landscape, being present each moment, for each stop brings with it an experience, before its time for us to alight at the final destination.

Sadje’s WDYS #63

Beyond The Comfort Zone!

Image credit; Billow 926@ Unsplash

Refusing to nestle in her

soft and cushy environs,

she cleared the veil of doubts and anxiety.

The urge to explore the world,

make a mark, an identity,

pushed her to take the road less travelled.

Balancing the tussle between can and can’t,

she filled her heart with hope and promise

as she treaded on uncharted territories.

Not afraid to falter,

she let her dreams take shape,

for she knew beyond fear and failure

was the key to success!

Sadje’s What to you see #54: How does the above picture inspire you?

V. J’s weekly challenge: Soft

Payback Time!

In response to Kat’s twittering tale # 121, to write a tale in 280 letters or less on the given picture prompt.

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Photo by Oleg Magni at Pexels.com

Widowed young, Meg took orders for baking, to make ends meet. Her baked goodies were heavenly and she managed a decent living, to raise her son well. Now in college, her son marketed her work on social media.

Today she has a roaring business with clients all over the world!

Lettercount: 276

Unchained….

In response to Kat’s twittering tale # 91 to write a tale in 280 letters or less on the given prompt!

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Photo by analogicus at pixabay.com

Glancing at her name on the Forbes most powerful business women in the world, Meg couldn’t be happier. She recalled her earlier life, chained to an abusive husband. Today, she was glad about her decision to break free from the shackles of her marriage and create her own identity.

Letter count : 279

Daily Prompt – Commit!

commitment-motivation
ic:google.com

Commit yourself to a cause, relationship, fitness, diet or a belief and let the results surprise you!

Conviction in your belief

Overcoming apprehension

Making way for a disciplined regimen

Meaningful path chartered

Impressive strides taken

Triumphant victory prevails!

 

The above is an acrostic poem.

Number Game Club

Recently I read in the papers that the Salman Khan starrer movie “Sultan” grossed  100 crores within 3 days of its release and so far its box office collection has crossed a staggering 230 crores!!

Why are people so obsessed with the number game???

Welcome to the “Number game club”

Rules of the game:

No. of players : No limit

Age : Age no bar

Winner : The player who scores/earns the highest *

Replace * with any of the choices given below as required.

*marks, box office collections, salary, targets, likes on FB, followers on your blog, votes

The list is endless……

Why is success always measured in terms of numbers? Chasing numbers many times forces us to compromise on quality and values. Running the race like a horse with blinkers, we solely focus on surging ahead. Reaching that magical number brands us successful.  We are least perturbed when we turn a blind eye to a sea of small little things on the way.

Is only the marks on a paper indicative of your intelligence?

Is only a mind boggling collection at the box office the criteria to declare a movie a hit?

Does a high number of likes on your FB post make you the most popular person?

Does only meeting  targets at work brand you a star employee?

I believe “Numbers alone should not define your success”. 

Now the question arises,

a) If not by numbers, how does one measure success?

or

b) Should we get out of the habit of measuring success?

What do you think???

Image courtesy : allindiaroundup.com,seclerk.com,cakart.com,123rf.com