Mira Matar

 It's the last day of October. Tomorrow is the first day of November. Finite is fact in life. If it's to be done, it ought to be moved on now.  Results may not be seen for a long time in some cases, but there is always action to be taken now. This morning when I was sharing a few thoughts with you, I could swear that you were trying to speak to me :)   I know, I know, it's like that puddle of water in the desert. A mirage. Too good to be true. No denying the range of emotions expressed though! And that amazing smile you broke into at one point! ... Later in the day today, whilst I stopped in to a building in the city centre, I saw a butterfly perched on a closed glass window of the front door. It looked like it wanted an out. Fluttering it's wings, but not moving. (Unless it had just read Jonathon Livingstone Seagull, and was making other plans). In any event, I opened the door for the butterfly. But it stayed put. It struck me that this was an example of the old saying...

There is something called the golden hour. Sometimes called the magic hour, it is a specific time of the day.  It occurs just after sunrise and just before sunset. The brightness of the sky is softer at these times, and makes for more naturally beautiful photographs. This morning I got to enjoy your personal golden hour. Actually, I will go with magic hour. Mum wanted to have a shower, and so I covered the monitoring role. Lucky for me, you woke up. It was both magic and golden. Thank you. Later in the day, a luncheon was attended by You, Mum & I.  It was organized by your Grandma's sister; your Mum's Aunt Tania. You arrived in style. (btw, that blanket that you see, and that you are wrapped in... It was handmade... By your marvelous Mum... The night before your birth!... More about that story later!) It wasn't long before you were embraced by all. Love is a beautiful thing. As to love, lunch was prepared and served with exactly that. The hot dishes of potatoes and chic...

It's the weekend. Saturday to be precise. You began the day today with conversations. Conversations with family in Australia. As words, your sounds made were indecipherable. Nevertheless, they were completely enamoring in their impact.   Aunt Rabs and her family were at the beach in North Wollongong. A call to congratulate your twin cousins (Maysoun for her speech success, and Lina for her successful composition of music for a play) followed. Aunt Leila joined in too! You can't yet read. You can't yet speak. But, you can absorb information. Part of the information put in front of you today was old school comic cartoons and poetry. Data points for your brain to choose what to do with! Whilst in your car seat en route to a lunch invite, you showcased what it means to shift rapidfire between expressed emotions. I may have already mentioned this to you, and yet there is nothing to be lost in repeating it. The creation of food is analogous to the creation of art. Today that idea...

I find it remarkable. 24-7 attention is demanded. Communication is anything but functional. Contribution is lopsided. Yet...  We'd have it no other way! You inspire hope.  You give so much more; as you ostensibly demand.  You trigger in us, the cultivation of better selves. Thank you. And then, as if that is not enough... There are the moments when you woo us completely You don't yet say words,  to express what you mean. We don't yet have words,  to describe inner scenes. 💓 --- Whilst walking from one building to another today. I spotted a very cute moment in motion. I am not sure if it was a brother and sister, two young school friends. or a something altogether different. Both kids were pint-sized relative to the bike they shared. But the young boy leading the ride showcased strength, speed and chivalry. Take a cue from this sweetheart, regarding how you are treated (especially by boys, as you grow).  Respected and protected. That is a base. Understandin...

Those are the words that Dr Eddie Chang used. "Shaping Air" is how he described the process of articulating sound. The process of bringing words to life. The magic of speech. Breathtaking!  That was my instant reaction. Yes, the irony isn't lost on me. I found utter beauty in the expression used. Words are like keys.  They are keys to unlock learning  They are keys that give access to understanding. They are keys that open up worlds of possibilities; personally and professionally. I recall when I first visited Belarus briefly in November 2008. I didn't have a single word of Russian upon arrival.  I didn't have keys. I had to rely on others completely for any learning, or understanding, or exploration of possibilities. My lack of words delimited my life. It left open the doors of ignorance, misunderstanding, and lost opportunities. Broaden your vocabulary early, and daily, sweetheart. Words will serve you well. Your life will be enhanced in ways that are unimaginab...

"Following your blog with great interest"... The words of your Honorary Uncle Waqas. Polymathic Uncle Waqas and his fabulous family (Aunt Varsha, their little man Kismet, & the sibling-in-the-making en route) send their greetings. They live in London. So fitting; given what you decided to fit into today! Your Paddington Bear outfit! We'll enjoy reading of Paddington's adventures a little later. Amongst other personal connects today, you got a call from Aunt Eky (aka Crumpet) in Australia  And an in-person visit from your maternal Grandmother!  Family is one of life's foundational pillars darling. Mummy and Daddy will always be here for you. Your Grandparents love you. So too your Uncles and Aunts... not forgetting your cousins! Lots of loved ones yet to share time with.  Time: That most precious of resources. One last thought for today relates to another precious resource: Personal Energy. You may even want to call it 'life energy'. I thought of this a...

To survive, living organisms need to be looked after. We are living organisms. The youngest living organisms depend on others, to ensure that they are looked after. In your case, that is, first and foremost, Mum and Dad. So, how did that manifest today? With a visit to the doctor, for your monthly check up! All aboard! Your heart sounded good, and then you then weighed in at a healthy 5.2kg! A little stretching out this month sees you at 57cm now! You received a couple of vaccinations after your check-up. Not the best of emotions were evoked by those needles into the thighs. You certainly needed the cuddle afterwards. And Mum also needed to recharge after the outpour of emotions. The vaccinations are an example of short term pain, for long term gain. There is a parallel here with good habits in life sweetheart. It's very often fair to say: Difficult things as habits, Easy it is to achieve life goals. Easy things as habits, Difficult it is to achieve life goals. You, and your sister...

Growing up, my most common dream was taking flight. I would fly upon demand. My arms looked like regular arms, but they worked like wings. Upon waking up, I used to be a little taken aback. Because I was forced to acknowledge that 'flight' didn't happen. What I have learnt since then is that flight doesn't necessarily mean that you yourself have to fly. You can make something else fly.  And in doing so, take flight. This was your sister Dunia, 9 years & 8 months ago today, taking a kite into flight.  It was magical to watch her make it happen. What she did is instructive to many things. She got a sense of the kite's size and weight. She made a plan. She got into motion. She held on to the corpus for as long as needed. She led it go once she had the right momentum. The kite took flight. She then moved on to management of the trajectory, and simply assisting. That was the recipe that she used for flying the kite. But the recipe applies far more widely. Take flight...

It translates as "Nothing can last forever". What the relevance to you? It means: recognise that one has limited time on earth. (Awareness) It means: value & savor your time, do what's right whilst here, and create the impact you want whilst you can. (Value) It means: when you are faced with problems, difficulties, or even with failed attempts at something, those discomforts will not last forever. (Perspective) A precious moment of eye contact. Captured as you woke from your lunch period nap. Recognition that there is art everywhere, and in every thing. The gift of extended family enjoyed. Your Aunt Viktoria, Uncle Anton, plus cousins Gleb & Yeva came to see you. We shared lunch, and quality time. Try to make sure that the time you have is spent on quality activities. Try to make sure that the time you have is shared with quality people. Try to make sure that the time you have has at it's base habits that daily build the you that you want to become. Remember, ...

Life is all about creation sweetheart. That was thought that I woke up to at 0540 this morning. Stand on the shoulders of giants. On the shoulders of generations that came before us. BEcome a creator. Pro- creation led to your very being. The creation of you was a first step. Being alive is a process of re- creation ! (also known as 'growth') Growth means one changes. It could be physical. It could be through knowledge acquisition. It could be through skill stacking.  Whatever the source of the change is, the result is the same.  There is a process of re- creation .  We evolve into the new self.  We become the being, who has that new physicality, or that new knowledge, or that new skill. For the aware individual, who faculties remain intact, this process of regeneration and moving into a new you can continue for the whole of one's lifetime. Allow that to inspire you sweetheart. Let growth inspire you. So far, I have talked to you about the creation of self. That is:...

It's amazing how poetry works. Getting to revisit fatherhood has been a stand alone stanza, since 18 August 2022. Being in Belarus for the inaugural Father's Day celebration today, gave birth to a second stanza. Could this be a step in the direction of the recognition of kids need for both parents as active participants in their lives? I recently mentioned an interview that was taken with me a couple of days back. It was linked to today's milestone. A milestone for fathers in Belarus, and for the kids who wish to celebrate their dearest dads. The article flowing from the interview, was published today. Here is the link: https://sputnik.by/20221021/vyuchil-russkiy-radi-dochki-avstraliets-10-let-dobivaetsya-obscheniya-s-rebenkom-1068234450.html As to actual celebrating today, I have a friend who's father flew in 3 days ago. We made his fly in the focus: especially in light of his status as the eldest amongst us. Ali's father is a barbecue black belt.   The old school ...