Today, I was nominated for a Liebster award by fellow blogger, Sonali, of the blog Just Me (https://justmecompany.wordpress.com/)

Thank you very much to Sonali. Below is my response to this nomination.

About Sonali and Just Me

According to Sonali’s About Me (https://justmecompany.wordpress.com/about-me/):

Hello beautiful people, I’m Sonali, the author of Just me. I’m an 18 year old from India who’s still trying to figure out what actually interests her. I’m an introvert, a music lover, a little too emotional, a Disney fan who still believes in fairy tales.

I’m a fresher at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), pursuing English honors.

This site will be a collection of my many poems, some stories, articles and stuff. There are times when I get completely busy with my studies and this year being the first year of my college life, needs my whole attention. So, I won’t be posting much regularly. I’ll post when I get time, which will most likely be during my holidays.

Sonali, About Me from the Blog Just Me

About the Award

The Liebster is an award given to new and upcoming blogs, as nominated by fellow bloggers, in order to give exposure and foster a community of recognition and appreciation. The award was first implemented in 2011, and has been in place each year since.

Rules – Overview

1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
2. Answer the questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
3. Nominate other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
4. Notify the nominees about it by commenting on one of their blog posts.
5. List the rules and display a Liebster Blogger Award logo on your post and/or your blog site.

My Responses to Questions Posed

The questions posed by Sonali, and my responses, are as follows:

• What is your blog about?

We are Never Alone

We are
Never alone;
Though there are certainly times when
Great distance
Fills the space around us,
Seeping in,
Whether welcomed or
Uninvited,
There is always an end to that space
And at that end is
A new beginning,
An opportunity for
Connection and
Growth.

• Who is your favorite author and why?

There Are No Great Writers Here

There is within each and every one of us
A voice which,
Though a whisper for some,
Is always wishing,
To be heard.

There are no great writers here,
Just as there are none to be ignored.

The greatest power resides
In our ability to create,
To record what has already come to pass,
As well as to craft what is yet to be,
As the world is not made of flesh and bone,
Pen or paper,
Plastic or aluminum,
It does not live in city blocks,
Sand dunes which shift from day to day,
Or soft soil into which seeds fall,
But rather in the stories told,
In the novels, poems, and songs
Which survive
Beyond those who tell them.

• What do you think of literature and how important do you think it is?

Without

A world without books would be
As a room without light,
Without sound,
Without fragrance on the wind,
Without texture upon which to place
Feet or fingers.

A world without books would be
No world at all,
A story untold,
Brimming with potential,
Yet to be realized.

• What according to you, is the most selfless thing in the world?

Into the We

To live without,
Give without,
Expectation;
So often we are thinking,
Dreaming,
Scheming...
Of how to receive,
If only we could see
Beyond the "me",
Into the "we".

• What’s the one thing you can’t live without?

Contentment

There will come a day when all we have is what we are,
As skin cracks and dries,
Falling away with hair which no longer flows like water over sunburnt shoulders,
Bur rather drifts like falling snow,
Upon our pillows and sheets,
Filling the sink and shower drain.

When, in these final days, we are reduced
To the Essence of self,
Will we find ourselves longing
Or will we find contentment in the End,
Knowing that
All that is good must some day perish?

• What do you prefer, summer or winter?

The Seasons

There is a quiet peace that can be found in summer nights.
The warm air gently moving the branches on the trees from side to side,
The animals chirping to one another with songs of longing,
The moon gazing down on the surface of the cool water.

Soon, the leaves will fall,
And the migratory birds will move to warmer air,
Yet the moon will rise as it always has
And fall when the time has come.

And when the leaves are buried
Beneath a mound of fresh winter snow,
The chipmunks will leave tracks to show where they have foraged,
And the wind will whistle through the naked branches.

There are times when I find myself dripping with sweat,
Cursing the heat and wanting nothing more than for the sun to vacate the sky,
Just as I often shiver in the cold of January and pray
For the sun to radiate down upon that I might stand in it and draw in the warmth it so graciously provides.

I am learning
To be grateful for the seasons,
Not to want what I do not have,
But to appreciate what I am given.

• How would you describe yourself as an artist?

Time Does Not Stand Still
Inspiration is an appetite,
Filled with a good meal, 
But always in wait,
Returning to remind us
That time does not stand still.

• What according to you, is overrated?

In the Loud and the Bright

Joy can be found
In the loud and bright,
In the objects we possess and the attention such objects bring,
But this joy only lasts
But a minute;
True joy is found
When we learn to be grateful
And to be kind.

• What do you think is more important in a relationship, love or understanding and compatibility?

Life is a Matter of Balance

There is within us a desire
To define if's and or's
To put in place an order by which
We interpret the world
And our place within it.

This is not, by nature, flawed,
But the conclusions we reach often are.

Life is a matter of balance,
Of moderation and adaptation to circumstance.

Absolutes and binary thinking only serve to limit our options;
We must keep an open mind,
And embrace the diverse opportunities that life provides.

• What makes you feel lonely?

Quiet Autumn Nights

I have always loved the quiet autumn nights when a cool breeze blows effortlessly through the window,
And the smell of fallen leaves and damp soil follows.

In these moments, a calm washes over the room, and the world at large,
And there is a stillness in the air that transcends any worries that might beset the mind,
Though this is often soon replaced with an awareness
That these moments elicit longing.

• What is the one thing that you’ve got to accomplish in life?

A Worthy Goal

We are here
With purpose.

Some may call this destiny,
Others fate.

To seek and meet our purpose:
A worthy goal.

Nominations and Questions

Nominees

Rather than nominate specific people, I choose to nominate any and all of you who are willing to take up the mantle. All of you who read my blog are certainly worthy of recognition for the unique and beautiful words or visual imagery that you create, and I don’t want to limit my nomination to any subset of my wonderful community. 💙

---

---

Questions

The following are the questions I request that the nominees answer in their acceptance post, should they choose to do so.

1. What is one positive childhood memory you can recall related to sense of smell?
2. When was the last time that you can recall when you sat for longer than 10 minutes and were not thinking of what came next?
3. Who is one of your greatest influences in your life and why?
4. Why do you choose to express yourself creatively, whether through writing or visual art?
5. If you could send your younger self one message that they would understand and take to heart, what would it be?
6. If you were to be told you were going to die, but could speak to one person in your life one last time for 5 minutes, who would it be and what would you talk about?
7. What is one desire that you have for the future and what are you doing to help make this desire a reality?
8. What is one thing you are grateful for?
9. What is one negative influence in your life, and how are you working to remove it or transform it to a positive one?
10. When you find yourself stressed or anxious, what is one action you take to help to return to a healthy mindset?
11. What inspires you?