#535 Joys of July

 Joys of July

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop.

Finally, it’s that time of the year for me, a month that has always witnessed a lot of transformations. As I sit with a bottle of water to hydrate myself, unaware of how long this post is going to be, it’s time to spill the beans now. Every year, I eagerly wait for July as this month brings a lot of shifts/changes in my life, such as moving places, visiting family, or changing jobs. So, this year too, we moved to a relatively stable apartment in July, from a temporary sublet where we stayed throughout June. I’m in the middle of this month and this year too. This feeling is both exciting about what is about to come and nervous about how to make the rest of the year more productive.

I received this badge for completing #blogchatterfoodfest 

It's night, 11:33 PM, to be precise, and exactly the time when I write my diary entry as if the view of the dark sky from my window channels all chaos of my mind into words. Not to forget the soothing wind of a Summer night that finds its way through my window, to relax my mind.  So, I’ve picked up this time to reflect on what half of this month has brought to me. The initial days of this month were very hectic as those were spent on moving to a new apartment, setting things up, and getting groceries and other equipment. Living in proximity to Delft Station has proved to be very advantageous to me as many shopping areas are quite accessible. For example, there’s a small shopping complex just 200 meters away from my apartment, and within 2 kilometers I can find almost everything including Indian/Asian grocery stores. My love for books helped me discover a public library just 150 meters away from my apartment and to my surprise, there’s a Movie theatre just in front of it. Imagine going to the movie theatre at the end of the day with a sense of satisfaction after finishing a productive day at the library! I never knew that it was not just getting the keys to the apartment but also access to many facilities right close to me.

Swarnali quoted this line from my entry for #thewritepathbloghop

With the arrival of the monsoon in India, July witnesses a change in the season when our mother earth gets relieved from the intolerable heat of the Summer. I can very well recall the fire-like burning summer days from abroad. This year, we’ve been fortunate to witness two mega events that never happened even in centuries, the 2-day Rath Yatra at Puri and Anant Ambani’s Wedding. I feel these two events are something that we can narrate to our grandchildren in the future.

As I’ve lived the first half of July,so, I am going to share the joys that the first half of July 2024 has brought to me. I received two badges for successfully participating in two writing challenges; #blogchatterfoodfest and #thewritepathbloghop. I was so amused to receive the title "Master of Munches" for it. Through blogchatterfoodfest, I could write about some of the healthy salads that I have been including in our lunch lately. It made me realize the congruence between preparing a colourful meal and completing a painting. Both of these tasks require a lot of creativity and patience for the outcome. We can trick our minds into going with visually appealing healthy dishes.

Swarnali's comment for my participation in #thewritepathbloghop

My blogger friend, Swarnali’s bloghop, #thewritepathbloghop helped me to walk through my writing journey and relive those golden memories. I also read and connected with my fellow writers who participated in that bloghop. I was so surprised to find one of the participants, who lives just an hour away from where I live now and it’s an absolute delight to get connected with Indians living abroad. I plan to visit her soon.

Certificate of participation for #thewritepathbloghop

My father always says, “We get maximum or favorable output when we align our actions with nature.” For example, getting up early as the sun rises, going to bed as the sun sets, eating sufficiently as per the needs of the body, and working out regularly. So, to maximize the joy of July, some of which days, are still left to be enjoyed, I pledge to live more mindfully!

 

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

18.06.2024

 P.S: All the words in black and bold have been taken from the word cloud as the prompt given for #blogchatterbloghop.