Share Your World (September 29, 2025)

Posted on by Astrid

Hi everyone. When I saw today’s questions for Share Your World, I immediately felt like writing a response. Here are the questions and my answers.

1.  If you could be a flower or a plant, what would you be and why?
There are just so many I could choose from. I could choose lavender for its calming properties and because it’s purple, but someone else already chose that one. After some thought, I decided to go with the Cananga odorata tree (also known as ylang ylang). I absolutely love the scent of its essential oil, which is also calming. I also think it’d be cool to grow fast. The tree is also good for feeding many birds.

2.  Do you believe in magic?
I think so, yes. I’m quite spiritual even though I’m not religious and, besides, even without spirituality, there are the many wonders of nature.

3.   Do you believe in Karma?
Not in its fundamentalist form, because that would mean I somehow brought it onto myself that I’m disabled for something I did in a past life. I think in general, no, I don’t believe in it, but in some specific ways it’s common sense.

4.   Do you live in a community spirited neighbourhood?
I live in an institution, not a neighborhood, so not sure how to answer this question. I mean, yes, there are many institution-wide activities and, when residents and staff from different homes see each other out on grounds, we tend to chat. The staff also help each other out when in need, but I’m not sure that’s out of a sense of community.

Share Your World (May 13, 2024)

Posted on by Astrid

Hi everyone. Today I’m joining Share Your World. It’s a lovely blog challenge on WordPress where bloggers answer four questions, with an optional gratitude section at the end. Here goes.

1. Have you ever lied about your age?
Not really purposefully lied, but my insiders/alters/parts (I most likely have a dissociative disorder) have different ages from my body age and they’ve sometimes been rather in your face with them, even though we rarely experience full-on amnesia and, as a result, usually know our body’s legal age on some level.

2. Is there any time in your life you would like to relive?
The year 2021 and the first half of 2022. Those were, all things considered, the happiest times of my life. I wish I could go back in time and make one different choice then too, which my regular readers will know: I’d travel back to April of 2022 and undo my decision to ask to move out of the care facility in Raalte.

3. Do you own any antiques?
Not at all.

4. Would you like to know some of the history of places you’ve visited?
Not sure. I did visit the institution museum a few weeks back and that was fun, but I don’t really care for historic buildings or anything.

Share Your World (July 3, 2023) #SYW

Posted on by Astrid

Hi everyone. Today I’m joining Share Your World. The questions for this week are so intriguing. Let’s go.

1. Do you own your own home, rent, or something else?
It’s complicated. While my spouse and I are homeowners, I don’t live in our home. Instead, I live in an institution. We actually went to the solicitor to sign the contract to our house in Lobith in the same week I moved into my old care home.

2. What is your favorite “go to” food when you’re feeling under par?
Licorice. I love indulging in it whenever I’m in need of a pick-me-up, but also when I’m feeling under the weather.

3. Do you indulge in retail therapy?
Absolutely, but for me, online window shopping is almost as comforting as actually spending money when I’m in a bad mood. Currently, I’m loving looking at clay cutters, jewelry-making supplies and other crafty stuff, but I’m restraining myself from buying any until my mother-in-law has visited me, because she might bring me some of the things I could’ve bought otherwise.

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Four pairs of walking shoes, three of which are so damaged they really shouldn’t be worn anymore but I still wear them because I don’t want to buy a new pair of walking shoes every month. My orthopedic shoes. Two pairs of gym shoes. My horseback riding shoes. Does that make eight?

Gratitude:
Take pride in the person you are, you are unique.
I agree 100%. How could I not, as an Enneagram type 4?

Share Your World (December 27, 2021)

Posted on by Astrid

Oh my, can you believe we’ve officially started the last week of 2021? Not even the last full week? I seriously can’t believe how quickly time flies at the end of the year.

Today, I’m joining Share Your World or #SYW. I just discovered that Melanie ditched her domain, which was the reason I hadn’t seen her posts in over a month. Shame on me for not having found out before! This means I’m probably having to redo all my other links to her posts. However, now’s not the time to do this. Anyway, let’s get started. I don’t do #SYW that often, so for those who don’t know, it’s a meme where you get to ask four or five of Melanie’s weekly questions, plus share your gratitude. Here goes.

At 12 a.m. on December 31st/Jan 1st, what will you be doing? (use your own time zone please)
Probably sleep. I will be at the care facility for New Year’s and all celebrations here take place during the day or evening, including the (light) fireworks. There will not be any extra staff till 12AM. Of course, we do have two waking night staff, but it’s not like they’re going to party with me.

Is there a tradition you have for New Year’s Eve?
Usually we’ll eat “oliebollen”, which I was told last year are much like donuts but then the opposites, ie. the holes.

Do you have any hope or reason you find that next year will be better?
Yes. Like I said a couple of times before already, my one-on-one support got approved for the coming two years, so I won’t have to worry about losing my support for the entirety of 2022.

What’s the biggest personal lesson you learned during 2021?
To trust that, with God’s help, things will be okay in the end, I guess. I know COVID and many other of the world’s problems are likely here to stay for a while. I don’t want to dismiss other people’s problems by saying that for me, 2021 was a much better year than 2020. I however do trust that, ultimately, God will work things out for the better.

GRATITUDE SECTION

Describe in 1-3 words how you feel going into 2022
Hopeful, joyous, grateful.