I came across an award nomination from Sadje, the creator of Keep it alive, who nominated me back in May for THE VINCENT EHINDERO BLOGGER AWARD, as you can see in Sadje’s post below:
https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2020/05/10/vincent-ehindero-blogger-award/
So who is Vincent Ehindero? Well…I have no idea. But if he has an award named after him, I would imagine he is somebody to aspire to. It’s normally royalty or those with celebrated careers who have awards named after them, “The Duke of Edinburgh Award”, “The Gandhi Peace Prize” or “The Nobel Peace Prize”.
So, although I am yet to discover who Mr Ehindero is, I am rather hoping that Vincent Ehindero is a positive influence on the world at large, including the WordPress community, because it seems to be a WordPress thing – this award.
Thank the person that nominated you with a link to their blog – THANKS SADJE!
Make a post of the award
Post the rules
Ask 5-10 questions of your choice
Nominate 10-30 other bloggers
Sadje’s Questions
What’s the last movie that you watched?
Ooooh. The last movie I watched. It’s a while. But a few weeks ago, I came home from work and was very pleased to find the last half an hour of “You’ve Got Mail” was on television. So I watched that while I was eating my dinner. There are not a lot of movies I would enjoy on television…so when there is one I like to make the most of it.
I just noticed that the movie “Mannequin” is on ITV later today. Jack has said we can watch it before we go out.
What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
Normally, if I am out on rainy days, there are some amazing museums and galleries in London to visit. I have not done it for ages because of the whole …you know… but I used to like to find a comfy seat in a coffee shop and read a magazine or write to-do lists.
If I am home on rainy days, I would be very happy to do all my housework, so that when the rain ends I can go outside and do all the things I love. I love cleaning and ironing. During the past six months when I have been working extra hours, I have kept on top of my housework, but there are some housekeeping projects I would like to have more time for. I have been given so many gifts I have no use for, and I need to get rid of them. Some of them might be useful to family, others I will take to the charity shop.
If I manage to do all my cleaning and laundry and I have left over time, then I would be happy to curl up with a book and a glass of wine. I also like cooking and filling my freezer with meals I can eat when I come home tired after work. I like baking too. But since I have not been seeing as many people as normal, I have been baking less.
What are you doing to beat the lockdown blues?
I have been working throughout the social distancing restrictions. I think I may have had a lesser case of the lockdown blues than many people.
But I have been feeling tired. I have been missing my family and friends so much! I kept my mind busy by coming home from work and making phone calls or writing emails to family and friends, writing posts for my blog and reading posts from other bloggers. I have written a lot of fiction in recent months and hope to find time to edit my work into novels.
Sometimes I was too tired to do even that. I have needed lots of sleep. For a lot of the lockdown here in London, I was walking to work singling…that really cheered me up. I have drawn a lot of comfort in simple pleasures.
How long can you go without using your phone?
A week. I have been working for six days a week for months. On my day off, I like to speak to my loved ones. I prefer emails these days, which I use my laptop for. I have two phones. One is a landline and the other is a little basic old fashioned mobile. I only carry it for emergencies and occasional texting.
What do you most value in your friends?
Humility. I think it is a beautiful quality.
T
here are too many proud people demanding respect. When I see someone choose to be gracious and humble because of the kindness and love in their hearts – I see a mighty person. When they are not too proud to admit their mistakes, or carry out lowly tasks, or give credit to others instead of seeking their own glory…I see a precious being, a lynchpin in the human family.
We are a family…there should not be a spirit of competition or superiority. I have witnessed people being humble so many times and it stands out to me as very special.
I read a blogger’s post the other day. I was bemused by it. It was all about how to get ahead in the corporate world…and included advice such as making yourself look better than colleagues, not apologising, glossing over your errors by highlighting all the good things you do for the company, making it clear to others that you intend to climb the career ladder and that you are a fighter.
There is something odd about this world…it keeps sending out marketing messages like “YOU’RE WORTH IT”…”LOOK AFTER NUMBER ONE”…”FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP”…”YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS”…”DEMAND RESPECT”…”BELIEVE IN YOURSELF”…and so on. I think that those messages are mostly pants! Or at least the way people have adopted them as their mantras is counterproductive.
I have an amazing circle of friends who are beautifully humble, kind, loving, mild, forgiving, generous and encouraging. I guess there is a balance. Some people have been treated so badly, that they go to the other extreme of fighting to be better than others, demanding respect, cutting off anyone they think is a toxic influence in their life. I understand the inclination to protect yourself from being abused or bullied.
Balance involves having a healthy view of ourselves and seeing what we can give and share with our fellow human family members. Our human family have the potential for so much wonderful, but have suffered a lot due to being misguided. But some people make it a joy to be alive. Humility is one of those beautiful qualities that contributes far more than competition and rivalry does.
Do you have a favourite fictional character? What makes her/him your favourite?
One is Dorothea Brooke from “Middlemarch“:
“Her finely touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” – George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans)
There are many characters I adore in the novels I have read, but one of my personal favourites is Dorothea, as she made a deeper impression on me than most. Not just an entertaining or interesting character, she struck a chord with me and still does twenty years after I first became acquainted with her on the pages of “Middlemarch“.
I also love Anne Elliot from “Persuasion“. I have read my personal favourite Jane Austen novel “Persuasion” many times. I love it. I adore Anne Elliot! She stands out amidst so many pompous or frivolous characters. It must be so difficult to feel the man that she loves views her with bitter resentment, and that he cannot forgive her for letting him down. Especially when Jack and I were estranged, I would think of Anne. From the very start of her story, I cared for her and I wanted her to have a happy ending. However, Jane Austen left me in agony right to the very end!
They are women with such beautiful characters. They have both endured so much due to proud unreasonable people. I am so glad that both of them have a happy ending. Because through most of their story I just wanted to protect them and soothe their heartache.
Winter or Summer?
Summer. I am very much an outdoors person. Very much. So summer suits me best!
What is love, in your point of view?
In my point of view…
LOVE – in the English language that one word covers such a broad range of feelings and actions. But I am going to narrow my definition to unselfish love that does not give with the thought of reciprocation.
To me, true love is motivated by warm feelings and based on the noblest of principles. It’s not just sentiment. It’s certainly more than hormones and physical attraction. It is expressed in words, acts and deeds. We are all learners at love. Love is the reason we are alive. Our Creator first loved us. If we want to understand true love and imitate it, He provides the best possible example.
Love that is kind, loyal, patient, forgiving, humble and compassionate. Love that is far more than a feeling, it is expressed in action. Love seeks the welfare of others. Love does not demand, and is not rude or arrogant. Love is true, and loves what is true. Love endures mistreatment and yet it does not condone wickedness. Love hopes that that others will choose to be good and kind.
What is your favorite movie or TV show?
I never tire of this question!
If you could time travel, where (when?) would you go?
Back to that night. I would not have gone to the park on my own.
I should not have been on my own in a London park late at night. It was a such a foolish decision, made in a moment of pain. That night, that very night, my friends had been taunting me about Jack. That day, that very day, I had seen Jack four times, and each time he looked so hostile, so angry with me. I could no longer bear it.
I went to the park because I was overwhelmed by the scale of the gossip about the two of us, the estrangement between us and the feeling of hopelessness. Every morning I could hear his voice singing in the shower, and I thought he hated me.
But what happened to me that night took me away from where I belonged. Ever since that night I have been like a fish out of water, a bird whose wings have been broken.
If I could turn back time…perhaps I would have gone home and knocked on Jack’s door and demanded that he speak to me and we sort out what was going on between us. But I can tell you right now that it would not have gone well, we were both hurting too much back then.
However, look what happened…Jack and I – we beat all Disney Princess endings!!! That was essentially because Jack was humble enough to make contact with me to apologise and to seek peace. Humility is one of the most beautiful qualities with the power to dissolve so much pain and resentment. Humility makes people great, it certainly made Jack great in my eyes. He and I have had a chance to LEARN AT LOVE…and I am so glad!
Questions For My Nominees
- IF YOU WERE GOING TO THROW A DINNER PARTY, WHAT WOULD YOU COOK FOR YOUR GUESTS?
- WHEN YOU ARE FEELING SAD, WHO IS THE PERSON YOU WOULD CALL BECAUSE YOU KNOW THEY HAVE TIME FOR YOU AND YOU LOVE TO HEAR THE SOUND OF THEIR VOICE?
- IF YOU COULD DESIGN YOUR OWN HOME, WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE?
- HAVE THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING MADE YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU HANDLE YOUR FINANCES?
- ARE THERE ANY BOOKS OR FILMS YOU HAVE READ RECENTLY THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO OTHERS?
My Nominees
– Big Booty Chronicles
Caramel 