Meet Marietta   I’m Marietta Pereira, 61, a homemaker, a trained primary school teacher, and mother of two boys, currently living in Mumbai with my better half and navigating the empty-nest phase and silver years of our lives.   Advancing age comes with its challenges, but you're also more at peace with yourself in many respects.  I love being around kids, and my brief six-year spell of teaching first and third graders was some of the most rewarding years. Raising kids, as I learned later, is quite another cup of tea. I am what I am… You get what you see. I’ve come a long way from a shy and awkward little girl that I was to a moderately talkative woman participating in activities that keep me in the public eye to a small extent.( I serve as lector in the church I attend.)  I’m no paragon of virtue, but those who know me would say I am the proverbial ‘good girl.’ I’ve come into my own late in life, but then, as they say, “better late than never. " I c...

 Unexpected Teachers.   We grow up being taught by teachers in a classroom, our parents, friends, mentors, and books, and we believe that they have the answers to all our questions. Then life comes along, bringing lessons wrapped in  pain, joy, grief, loss, illness, silence, heartbreak,our bodies,  creatures of the earth, and it's time to take notes again. These teachers don’t stand at blackboards or wear titles and labels. You don’t look out for teachers such as these; they come to you. Nature teaches you the art of patience. You develop patience while waiting for a flower to bloom. I learnt about grief when I lost my parents. It taught the value of what I had. It has taught me to continue living and survive the loss and not break down. It has taught me to cherish the memories.  Who can teach you better about failure than failure itself? Failure is cruel but brilliant.  Failure imparts lessons in humility, resilience, and the ability to start anew....

  Productivity and Life Hacks        What is productivity? Productivity is the ratio of output to input. The more output to the given input, the greater the productivity.   Productivity Hacks   ·          Allocation of time frames for specific tasks Allocating specific time blocks for particular tasks enhances focus on productivity by minimizing distractions and reducing multitasking.   ·          Pomodoro Technique Work in 25-minute intervals separated by short breaks to maintain concentration and eliminate burnout.   ·          Two-Minute Rule If a task takes 2 minutes to complete, do it immediately to clear mental clutter.   ·          Eisenhower Technique Prioritise tasks in order of urgency and importance. ·      ...

  Nature, the teacher: Life lessons from nature   The wonders of nature never cease to amaze me. From the towering mountains to the diligent ant, there are lessons to be learned and inspiration to be found. Nature is not only beautiful but also a teacher imparting valuable life lessons.   Life Lessons from Nature:   ·         Patience and perseverance Patience is a virtue rarely practised in today’s world. Nature abounds in lessons in patience and perseverance. A seed doesn’t sprout and grow into a mighty tree overnight. It grows at a certain pace. As much as I would like my  Hibiscus flowers bloom overnight; it’s a slow process, taking its time. My patience is put to the test, but the wait is worth it. I need to have patience in life, to understand that the results of any endeavour will take their time. I cannot force anything to happen. I need to cultivate the art of being patient with my elderly parents and...

 The Things I Love About Life   Despite the many forms of ugliness prevalent in the world and the curve balls and lemons that life throws at me, testing my resilience and strength I love that life is still good to me and offers me so much in terms of beauty, joy and connection which makes the journey worthwhile. I enjoy all the material trappings that life provides, but there is so much more that doesn’t’ cost a penny, that life allows me to enjoy. "What do I love about life?"   Family and friends: I was born into a family that loved and cared for me. My parents inculcated values that have held me in good stead. I have been blessed with a good spouse and two great children. Despite the many challenges that we have faced, we are still family. I can boast of some beautiful friendships that have stood the test of time, distance and other factors. Life is beautiful. Besides loved ones, life sometimes sends strangers in strangers to help you. Such memorable moments...

  When Life Throws Lemons at You…   Life believes in raising us to be strong resilient individuals, and hence I believe, throws the odd lemon at us and asks us to turn the sour lemon into sweet lemonade. Like everybody else, life has given me my fair share of lemons and I understand that I will always have that stock of lemons. Every time I’m handed a lemon, I know there is a lesson to be learnt from the challenge.  When I first receive the lemons, lemonade is the last thing on my mind. I ‘m furious, agitated, depressed, worried and confused and I say it okay to feel that way.  Then slowly sanity and reason begin to prevail and thoughts about lemonade begin to surface. Then I’m hard at work trying to turn the lemons into lemonade.  I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned because of the lemons, whether it was health, relationships or money. The lessons have been painful but I know they will hold me in good stead for a lifetime. When life throws lemons at ...

  Honesty – Honesty is the best policy but a rare commodity today. When you are honest, you have more credibility. People can trust you and communicate with you better. When you maintain absolute transparency in your dealings, you endear yourself to others. Honesty may come with a price. You may not receive honesty in return. It’ 's a big bad world out there and some people are waiting, ready to take advantage of you. Kindness – Kindness is about treating others the way you would want them to treat you. It’s about treating others with respect, patience and thoughtfulness. Kindness is also about lifting others up and helping those in difficult predicaments without expecting anything in return.    Integrity – If you are a person of integrity you will act and speak according to your beliefs. You are trustworthy and incorruptible and will firmly adhere to a code of conduct. When your actions do not match up to your words, you are being hypocritical. If you are not co...

  Life's hardly a Bed of Roses I must tackle a curve ball every day Amid fear and hopelessness Despair and frustration Against all odds I must stand straight and tall I've got to keep the faith Believe that it is not the end of it all Never mind if situations resolve at their own pace I'll simply carry on with God's abiding grace.  This post is part of the blogchatterbloghop link. 

  Life knocks you down time and again, rings you dry. There are days when all seems well with the world and there are days when nothing seems right. What might get you through those nightmarish days?What serves as your band aid?  Music helps me take on the lemons tha t  life has been pelting at me, left, right and centre.  Josh Groban's 'You Raise  Me Up' urges me to keep the faith even when my world is falling apart. Lynda Randle's God on the mountain tells me that the God on the mountain is also God of the valley.... And sometimes I just wanna dance...I just wanna have fun with the Vengaboys...dance my blues away. This post is prt of Blogchatterbloghop link. 

This post may contradict an earlier post, 'Friends are forever.' I am 53 and have I lost any friends along the way? I read this rather interesting article about 'losing friends along the way' The writer received a forward that said, 'if you are not losing friends then you are not growing up.'  No man is an island and friends are an elixir to life. Life happens, you make friends and somewhere along the way you begin to lose touch with some of them, you find that you have very little or nothing in common, your goals and dreams differ, you walk different paths in pursuit of your goals and dreams and you make new friends along those paths.  Hence in order to achieve your dreams and goals and to grow says the writer losing friends is inevitable. "In order to move on, you need to outgrow people and situations.'You don't need to break friendships, you stay in touch but just about.   My significant other swears by the fact that your only friends a...