What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?
Actually there are many things I used to hate, but… I don’t feel the same now.
You could say I’ve finally come to accept them.
By the way, I used the word hate which I hated so much.
But sometimes hate can’t be replaced by a gentle dislike.
Strong words belong to strong feelings.
Right.
For this post, I’ll just mention one of them which is … Dogs.
I used to hate these creatures in all their shapes, species, and origins.
Many years ago, during the summer holidays, we used to go to the village where my grandparents’ big house was. There, dogs were my nightmare because most of the big houses had big guarding ones.
Their barking, their sharp teeth, their lolling tongues weren’t showing any sign of cuteness or any kind of amity.
Worse, dogs were known in Egypt as savage, and the masters of biting.
How could anyone on this earth love these creatures.
Dogs in cartoons were the exception, for two main reasons:
First, they were fictional.
Second, they sometimes behaved better than humans.
Now, don’t they say; after hostility comes amity.
Or better put, after hate comes amity.
I try to follow this piece of wisdom.
My hate levels gradually went down.
Cute and funny joined my dictionary of dog vocabulary.
Until that day, about three years ago.
My neighbour on the opposite side of the road used to have two big dogs.
They barked at everyone passing by whether as a sign of welcome, excitement or warning, I honestly don’t know.
I always avoided crossing the road and walking past their door.
But once, when I was in a hurry, I totally forgot about their routine.
So I crossed the road, and as I was checking the time, they burst into barking.
My heart almost stopped beating as I froze before the gate and looked them straight in the eye.
“You’re such an animal!” I mumbled under my breath, and they looked as if they had swallowed their tongues.
I walked away my head up, full of dignity, proud of myself.
I even managed to stifle a big laugh, wondering whether I had hurt their feelings.
So … I can’t say I like dogs.
But I can say I’m okay with dogs as long as they keep sufficient distance and show good manners.
Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life?
Apparently, we all talk to our pets, right?
You can’t have a pet without finding some way to communicate together.
Anyway, at the moment, I don’t have any.
My sons say, “ please no more, Mama.’
Simply because I got so attached to them, and you know how hard it feels when you lose them.
Over the last few years, I used to have three pets.
No wait… actually, they were two and the third came only for a short visit.
First was Fish; those colourful tiny creatures in a small water tank.
Me and my daughter were fascinated by them.
But real, tiny fish are mute, not like those talkative ones in movies or in fictional books.
Yet, you still have to find some kind of language to communicate with them. Otherwise, you will end up sending them back, either to the big open sea or the store where you got them.
Thanks to my daughter, we found something simple by just tapping gently on the tank glass.
They would drew near and start staring at you through the glass.
Perhaps… we can translate this as hi, how’re you doing.
Second came my birds: two cute parakeets, Blue and Sky.
These two were so talkative, but their birdie language is easy to learn.
So they would start the day with loud “morning prayers” followed by nonstop discussions about their daily routine. Sometimes, later in the day, their chatter would change into a thoughtful, lyrical kind of sweet conversation before having a catnap.
“Please, Mama make them stop this noise.” My sons complained when they came for a visit.
‘They’ll be quiet at night.’ I replied, laughing.
Whistling works so well with birds, and my daughter found the idea very interesting.
I’m so bad at whistling, yet me and those cheeky birds used to nod, yell, and whisper at one another.
Then came the cat, with those beautiful eyes and soft meows.
Since we were only having her for a short visit, she spend most of the time hiding.
But cats are clever, and easy to communicate with.
Their meows, purrs, and little winks not only make your heart melt, but they also don’t need any explanations.
Do you think humans will ever colonize Mars? What would life there actually look like?
Can you guess what’s the first thing that crossed my mind as I read this prompt about life on Mars?
It wasn’t the possibility of new life.
Not the chance of finding inhabitants living there.
And not even the idea of humans starting wars to invade and occupy the planet.
But of course that would still be occupation, as if humans don’t already have enough to deal with on our dear planet Earth.
Now… what actually popped into my head was the image of one of those social media stars embarking on a new adventure to Mars.
He or she would prattle nonstop about their nearly two way spaceship trip to Mars.
They would put on this spaceman costume.
Smile at the live camera,
maybe even record a prayer or two for safety.
Then, before disappearing into the spaceship, they would promise live vlogs from Mars.
Is there internet on Mars? The thought cut right into my imagination.
But really, if there is internet on Mars, some friends over there might have already heard of us, and they maybe… try to get in touch through WordPress.
Anyway, let’s see how this superstar vlogger’s trip ended.
After one whole month off social media, they land safely on our precious Earth.
Spaceman costume on, camera in hand, broad smile on face, and with a shaky emotional voice, they began their first live vlog.
“Can’t express my real emotions.
Such scary but marvellous trip.
Can’t believe it
Am I dreaming?”
And the tap of comments, likes, and shares explodes; wows, nos, and oh my God, racing one after another.
“Sorry guys, just landed, and I lost my phone.” The superstar seems in a rush.
“Thieves on Mars,” one follower comments.
“I’ll tell you everything. You know honesty is my motto in life.
Wait for the next vlogs.
I will share more about my adventure on the moon.”
“Wasn’t it Mars?” Another follower comments.
“Oh, my head is upside down,” the famous vlogger replies and vanishes.
“That’s all fake,” someone comments
“Yes, all fake,” a thousand comments follow.
Nowadays… fake is more popular than reality, but it’s easily spotted.
I don’t know whether there’s life on Mars, or whether life is even possible there.
What I do know is why some people set their eyes on what they don’t own.
Why some abandon what they already have for something they can barely reach.
And why people want to build a new home instead of fixing the one they have.
Apparently, if Mars ever heard of human plans, he would shake with laughter, wondering how his neighbour’s intruders from Earth expect to survive his freezing cold deserts.
