Blog @ Work

Welcome to my reality - Seven -

"Welcome To My Reality Forum"  [E]

28. Tell me what it was like growing up where you lived, Do you still live there?

The first eight years of my life I lived in the city The Hague where I currently am living again, since I came back here when I was forty four.

However, my childhood I spent in Zoetermeer, a small town a few miles outside The Hague. I went to primary school and high school there, had my first room outside the family home and had an apartment flat with my boyfriend at the time.

Zoetermeer, the sleeping city of The Hague! There was not much there and frankly, it was a bit boring. But I felt safe and had my first steps into adulthood.

In the 13th century a village center was formed, which still exists as the historic Dorpsstraat (Town Street). Until the 17th century, there was a lake, called the Zoetermeer (Sweet Lake). Although Zoetermeer nowadays has the image of a modern city, there are still remains of the past. Like the old village center with its small houses and the church with late medieval 15th-century clock tower and the old farms, surrounded by modern houses nowadays.

My memory goes back to walking the park when I was nine years old, on a Sunday afternoon with my siblings and my father and mother. All dressed up nicely for church earlier. I had a red blazer and a blue dress with white polka dots. Black shiny shoes and white socks high up to the knee.

We probably were not happy that day since we always quarreled (among us kids and with our parents), were summoned to sit still in church to continue fighting when church was over. I always thought that very hypocritical. It interlude a long, long period of aversion against church and religion.

My childhood was not a happy one, but my memories of Zoetermeer didn’t suffer because of it. I made some wonderful friends, was busy during high school with the school’s plays and left home when I was seventeen. I stayed in Zoetermeer until I was in my early twenties, never to look back again.

36. What does your weekly routine look like? Sunday through Saturday?

I am working from home so that’s where you will find me most days. At the computer. One morning per week, I spend at the office. Moreover, in September 2016 I will be spending one afternoon per week and one afternoon per fourth night in the local library as assistant librarian. The last few years I did a lot of volunteering but always made sure, I had plenty of time for my writing.

On Sundays, I visit my stepmom, so she won’t be alone during weekends since my dad passed away. She is coming over this weekend to my place. It is the first time in twelve years I have a guest sleeping over, which will be fun. Four times a day every day I go for a walk with Arie, my dog. And almost every day I do my groceries in the nearby shopping mall. That’s my routine I guess.

Since June 1, I have WdC to incorporate into my routine. I will be starting "I Write in August-September-October"  [ASR], I am member of "Invalid Item"  and "Simply Positive Review Forum "  [E] and I am blogging member of "BCoF Blog Entries Book 1"  [E] and "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  [E]. I just signed up for "Give It 100!"  today. Writing on this website has become a daily routine as well, which gives me a lot of pleasure and fun. Hopefully that will remain after the holiday period.

I have plenty of time to see movies with a friend of mine or with my brother. I am a movie buff. Next weekend my brother and I will watch The man who knew infinity. And I noticed there is a new release of Star Trek I will probably watch by myself since there is no one else who likes SFi.

39. Do you believe in Miracles? If So, Why? If Not, Why?

I want to believe in miracles! I think a miracle is an event not explicable by natural or scientific laws. Such an event may be attributed to a supernatural being (a deity), magic, a miracle worker, a saint or a religious leader. (Wikipedia)

I never witnessed a real miracle but life is a mystery and not everything can be explained by science. Not only because in science not everything is explained as of yet and has the potential in the future maybe, also because there are many things that transcend scientific notions. Nature for one thing, life in general and love. Three things that to my knowledge and understanding have all that ‘je ne sais quoi’, that inexplicable wonder in it.

Our mere existence as human beings can’t be solely explained by natural laws or science. You only have to watch a newborn child to ask yourself how this possibly can be. Ofcorse there are the stories of the flowers and the bees, the sperm and the egg and the lab experiments but that doesn’t explain the magic of it all.

I think all creation, including the art of writing, is a miracle and has some magic in it. So in that sense my writing on WdC, all the writing on WdC is a mere miracle. WdC is a miracle factory and, I am repeating myself, I love it!

For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store.
Isaac Bashevis Singer.