Tag Archives: support

When Your Whole World Is Turned Upside Down

JUST A LITTLE REMINDER – I AM STILL RE-PUBLISHING POSTS FROM 2018 BECAUSE WORK IS INTENSELY BUSY. I CAN TELL BY SOME OF THE LOVELY COMMENTS I HAVE HAD THAT I AM CONFUSING SOME OF YOU!

This exquisite picture (the picture prompt for today from The Haunted Wordsmith) instantly gave me an idea for a post. But I am going to be straight with you. I have just returned from doing some work on an assignment I have had these past few months. It is one o’clock in the morning over here in London and all I should be thinking of is having a shower and climbing into bed.

I will give myself fifteen minutes and then close my lap-top!

world upsdie down

If you have read even just a handful of my posts I am sure you know that I am happy, safe and busy. But of course for those of you who have been glancing over my posts for a while now, you are aware that almost three and a half years ago…one night I went to a London park and essentially my whole world was turned upside down.

AmbulanceI am not going to dwell on what happened that hot dry night….or the two years of hostility from my ex-flatmate that led to me forgetting my personal safety and putting myself in danger’s way. But the thing is that night, my life drastically changed. The security guard who found me called an ambulance to take me away from that nightmarish night…but somewhere in between the park and the hospital…my whole world turned upside down.

At first all that mattered was recovering from the physical injuries I had received. Then came the emotional ups and downs of what was done to me that night…which took a few months for me to get to grips with, and then the dismay that my ex-flatmate was stony silent after all that had happened and still had not attempted to apologize. It magnified all the hurt of the last two years.

For almost a year I was away from London staying with family members. They were a huge support to me and I am so glad I had their help at such a turbulent time for me. But I was determined to come back to London. I came back and the first six months were full of challenges. I should share more of what happened during my first six months back in London – they were immensely overwhelming and studded with horrid events and horrible people. Then I came here to the little nest. It’s been a relief. It is almost two years that I have been here for and it has helped me to settle and feel I could spread my wings again.

My difficulty is…my world is still upside down. I have just become very proficient at living upside down. I feel as if I am walking on my hands instead of my feet, and although I am doing a great job of that, it’s odd.

I am so determined to get back to the other side of London to my career and home and my world.

That world is precious to me…it is only the ordeal with my ex-flatmate that does taint some of my treasure chest of memories and experiences.

Without a purpose my world will always be upside down. I need my purposeful, active, richly rewarding life back. Until then…I am doing a fantastic job of walking on my hands in my upside down world…but it is not where I belong. However…don’t be sad for me…I am happy, safe and busy. I just have to be patient.

There are other people who have had their world turned upside down in a far more frightening way or grievous way than the way my world went belly up. I am sure they know what I am talking about when I am describing a sudden drastic event that changes everything, turns your world upside down and requires you to learn to become adept at walking on your hands.

Fifteen minutes flew by…in fact it is more like twenty minutes! Shower! Bed! Goodnight!

I’m A Little Unsteady

robin and annie7“Jack” has been very supportive with regards to me wanting to spend time with my family member in Wales who has cancer.

In some ways being with him in his car for several hours whenever he has driven me up to near the Welsh border has given me a boost. He has always fortified me in some way to face anything that might make me anxious. He has faced the worry of a family member battling cancer himself. In fact when we lived together, one of his closest relatives was very ill. (I didn’t know that at the time, but he has told me since, that it added to the stress he was under back then.)

rob and annie 8He has met the family member of mine who is ill, a number of times (in the past I mean -when Jack and I were housemates). I can’t tell you how much I appreciate his thoughtfulness and kindness throughout these anxious times. I have been a little unsteady, and he has been a great support.

He is definitely a keeper! I am really looking forward to sharing him with my family. I know they might be puzzled at first after what happened in the past. In fact, I know some are probably have firm reservations about him. But when they hear what he has been doing, and how much he cares about my family, I am sure they will be eager to give him a warm welcome.

Laura Bailey And Rory Matier Have Nominated Me For The Solidarity Blogger Award

solid

What Is The Solidarity Blogger Award?

SIWO (Success Inspirers’ World) is an International Friends Blogging Forum. The idea is to encourage team work and to blog together as a community. As an international friends blogging forum, Success Inspirer’s World provides an opportunity that every blogger is looking for – the opportunity to get more exposure and find more followers and readers.

The Rules:

1. Write a post on your blog thanking the person who nominated you – THANK YOU LAURA! (AND RORY TOO!)
2. Paste the award in the post.
3. Provide a link to the blog of the person who nominated you.
4. Tell Success Inspirers’ World, SIWO what you think about solidarity blogging. Is it worthwhile?
5. Nominate 10 bloggers for the award and inform them.

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I received this lovely nomination from Laura M Bailey, the creator of All The Shoes I Wear. As I looked through my drafts folder, I realized that I was also nominated a while back for the same award by Rory, the creator of A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip!

Their original posts with their nominations are below. Feel free to have a gander at them:

https://alltheshoesiwear.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/solidarity-blogger-award/

https://aguycalledbloke.blog/2018/12/06/solidarity-blogger-award-nomination/

I was extremely impressed by the award image just above that Laura created – isn’t it great!

So I have been asked the question: What do I think about solidarity blogging? My first thought was: what exactly is solidarity blogging? I have not really thought about it that way before.

I guess it relates to the feeling that there is an audience of other bloggers out there, that is pleased that you are blogging. Most bloggers are an absolute pleasure to interact with. I know there is the occasional odd scary blogger, but most are great fun and make blogging a very merry experience.

But it’s easy to understand Solidarity Blogging when I think of the phenomenal amount of support I have received in the eight months that I have been blogging. I must admit there are times when I don’t consciously make the effort to think about how I can be a supportive blogger, I just naturally respond to posts I have enjoyed with a like and a comment. That’s great though. That is the primary way any of us qualify for Solidarity Blogger recognition.

But one aspect of blogging I do appreciate and put a lot of effort into is nominations for awards. I was absolutely thrilled to receive my first ever blogging nomination. These are a super-duper way to tell other bloggers that you are really glad they are around. They are also a great way to tell the blogging world a bit more about who you are as a person. The people aspect of blogging is one of the best bits! There are some sparkling gems out there – and some rough diamonds!

solid

I feel that the SOLIDARITY BLOGGER AWARD has made me stop and think about how I can more pro-actively look for ways to support other bloggers and contribute to the blogging community. Bloggers can have good days and bad days. We are all human after all – I think. We all appreciate some positive feedback and encouragement.

I hope that all find support and solidarity and if you are struggling to find that – then I have included a few tips below which I hope will help any new bloggers enjoy blogging even more!

My Nominees

But first here are my ten nominees who I believe are certainly full qualified to be recognised for the Solidarity Blogger Award:

 

Tips For New Bloggers

  • Be patient.
  • Enjoy writing and creating posts.
  • Read the posts from other successful bloggers and think about what makes their posts appealing and attractive. Learn from them.
  • Be a positive, encouraging breath of fresh air.
  • Be persistent. Try to publish a little something on a regular basis.
  • Get involved with commenting on other bloggers sites, and participating in challenges. We all like to know there is friendly human being behind the blog-site. Be safe and security conscious, but do share a bit of your personality.
  • Be patient – your statistics might be rather discouraging for a long time. So enjoy your writing and the interaction with other bloggers while you wait for more readers.

When you are new to blogging, the blogging world can be a bit like turning up at a party where everyone else seems to know each other and you don’t know them. So be polite, be personable, be appealing. There are bound to be other bloggers who will warm to you when you make an effort to interact. Back that up with creating your own great posts, so that when they check out your posts they want to keep coming back.

Enjoy the party!

If you are ever struggling – it’s ok to ask a blogger for help and advice. Other bloggers are human. It’s endearing when a new blogger is a little lost and asks for advice.

Nominated For The Blogger Recognition Award By Isaiah46Ministries

 

I have been nominated for a lovely award: The Blogger Recognition Award by Douglas and Regina the creators of isaiah46ministries   isaiah46ministries, as you can see from their post below:

https://isaiah46ministries.com/2018/09/04/blogger-recognition-award/

I have been enjoying their posts for some time…but I thought I would read Isaiah Chapter 46 today as I was wondering why they had chosen to include this chapter in their site name.  I found some very beautiful expressions:

“You whom I have supported from birth and carried from the womb. Until you grow old I will be the same; Until your hair is gray I will keep bearing you. As I have done, I will carry you and bear you and rescue you.”

That is so gorgeous…and for many, I am sure those words will be deeply meaningful as although they were originally addressed to a nation, they speak to a person who invests in building a friendship with their Creator.  I am sure that Douglas and Regina and many other bloggers allow their faith to illuminate their life.

I know not all bloggers have the same beliefs, indeed we are a very multi-cultural, multi-ethnic bunch with different minds and hearts, but there certainly are some very beautiful posts and sites out there inspired by great faith and love.  It is a wonderful thing when a blogger or writer takes deep sentiments from their heart and expresses them in a way that others find inspiring and captivating.

I also read these thrilling words:

 

From the beginning I foretell the outcome, And from long ago the things that have not yet been done. I say, ‘My decision will stand, And I will do whatever I please.’

I love these words…because people are alarmed at world affairs today, alarmed at who has been entrusted with authority, alarmed at the state of the oceans and the air we breathe, alarmed at the disregard for the human suffering and the scale of injustice and abuse, that are frankly disturbing.  But to know the Creator states, He will not be stopped, nobody and nothing in the universe can prevent Him from accomplishing His original purpose for this earth and for humans.  To me, there is an amazing sense of power and purpose in those words that is comforting in this incredibly upside down, inside out world.

It is an amazing chapter to read, both touching and comforting and it also imparts huge confidence and optimism. I can see why Douglas and Regina chose to include it in the name of their site.

Thank you Douglas and Regina for including me in your list of nominees for this award.

Just in case you don’t know, my website is:

 

I have been publishing posts about incidents in my life, mostly very happy ones, lots of wonderful memories with my family and friends, lots of lessons learnt as a child, at work and in relationships.  The “crushed” part of Crushed Caramel refers to a challenging situation which crushed her and led to a very regrettable incident from which Caramel is still recovering physically and emotionally.

The rules of the award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.

2. Write a post to show your award.

3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.

4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.

5. Select 15 or more bloggers for the award.

6. Let each nominee know that you’ve nominated them and leave a link to your post.

 

A brief story on how this blog started:

love letterWell it all started with this:

He told me he was captivated by by letters!

He suggested I start a blog.  “What’s a blog?” said I.

And here we are…a long time has passed since then, but I am following his suggestion and I am enjoying it more than I ever imagined.

Two pieces of advice for new bloggers:

need each other.jpgYou need other bloggers!

Other bloggers need you!

In other words, read and support other bloggers posts. They will appreciate it!  You will find yourself very grateful for their support and encouragement.

Get involved with writing prompts and challenges. Contribute your personality, your writing skills and your supportive spirit and enjoy everything that other bloggers bring to the table.

Try to have a little contribution to make daily, schedule anything from fifteen minutes or whatever you can allow, just so that you keep yourself in the minds of other bloggers or readers.  Little and often helps with any relationship!

More advice available in another post:

Bloggers that I nominate:

 

Learner at Love

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