Heartwarming Reads This Week
My weekly roundup of inspiring posts — 18
It has been an unusual-ish week where I seemed to be busy but didn’t really have much to show for it. Ever experience that? No complaints though. I had a long to-do list that I made enthusiastically but did not get around to accomplishing anything on it.
And then, the week went to *&^% because nothing worked. As in — whatever I set out to do was unsuccessful. That’s not enough to freak me out because, you know, life happens, but the little things do add up and Thursday found me just a little exhausted from trying.
Usually, when this happens, I work it out of my system with housework. So I scheduled some deep cleaning and made some plans only to find it was raining heavily when I woke up the next morning, thus dousing my enthusiasm. This describes perfectly how I felt:
Curious minds might wonder why the rains would affect anything I planned to do indoors. Well, what can I say? Except that the torrential outpour put off the motivating fire. So we stand at the status quo.
I thought, why not revamp my profile page on Medium? Well, after trying to upload a header photo for the better part of two hours, I gave up. Medium simply refused to cooperate. As if that were not enough, a story draft I was working on just disappeared.
While commenting on posts, the page would auto-refresh and I would lose the comment. Even then, I found a way. I would write the comments in a notepad and copy them onto the comment fields. Then, while typing, the words wouldn’t appear. What’s up with that? Early Halloween?
It takes a lot to drag me down, if at all. But by Sunday, I gave up after I saw 400 notifications under the bell. I could not access the notifications because they simply wouldn’t open. Truly overwhelmed, I thought, forget it. Still, I was grateful to see the number — after all, love was being showered on me!
Fortunately, I had something to play with. I had ordered a cute shelf that needed to be DIY-ed to set up. I have been coveting this for years now. Finally gave in and got it. But thanks to the postponing of the great cleaning, it stands in the middle of my living room clutter. All in good time, eh?
I also had the good sense to settle down and binge-watch some episodes of TVD, thus enjoying ogling at Damon Salvatore. What?! Don’t judge me, please! I did mention before that I love a show with a hot star or three!
I also read a lot of posts but I am guilty of not commenting on some thanks to a glitchy Medium. But I have enough to showcase this week ❤ As always, I am over-awed by such talented writers who speak to my soul, my heart — so much that it feels like I’ve known them all my life.
Enjoy!
Starting this edition on a musical note, JM Heatherly’s post about the Beatles brought back solid nostalgia, especially this song — which I’ve performed in college several times. The Beatles were the group of choice to belt out, with the audience joining in. So sing-able!
I loved Julie Gaeta’s welcome post on her profile! A rich collection of posts in her index. She’s a brilliant writer.
Liberty’s interview with Witchy made me laugh and love her even more. The illustrations are charming, the writing is captivating as usual. I just can’t get enough of Liberty’s words.
More laughter with Barb’s post as she answers the TBIN’s September interview questions. It’s hilarious!
Speaking of laughter, here’s a giggle-fest with Srini’s post about Medium’s highlight feature. I know he’s joking most of the time, but I secretly thought — that’s how I really feel! And by the way, Srini is the nicest, kindest commenter ever. His life goal seems to be to lift my spirits.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mary Chang Story Writer’s post — do read it and know more.
Sujona asks an important question in her post that will make you reflect and take action.
I love Trista’s writing and this post is no exception. She suggests five ways to enjoy your time.
Winston explains why you should start your own publication, with five good reasons. He makes some interesting points. Right now, the only thing stopping me is laziness.
Evelyn Lim’s post is about how a gratitude practice can boost your financial well-being. Get started with these 6 gratitude prompts.
Zeenat explains how simplicity and spirituality are two sides of the same coin.
James Beaufait’s post is as lyrical as it is beautiful to read, with an important message.
Ali Hall suggests you pick up a pen and paper for this exercise to boost your self-compassion. I loved it!
Pene Hodge cautions you about ensuring that you’re getting the right body part treated in her post.
Thief’s poem, The Divide is a fantastic read as usual.
And oh, I was truly stunned when I saw an email alert that B.R. Shenoy had mentioned me in a post — and it turned out to be a post about me! I read it through blurry eyes.
I wish I could add at least 50 more posts to this list — I have an ever-growing reading list that I am hoarding. Sigh. But I do have a workaround for that. Will tell you what it is in another post.
Have a fantastic week!
Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles ❤ Did you smile today?
I love Medium and the wonderful writers I engage with. Sadly, the Medium Partner Program is not open to writers based in India. One of the reasons I write is to support underprivileged children. Would you consider buying me a cup of coffee? Thank you so much!
