Category Archives: Relationships

Men-Oh-Pause

Men-Oh-Pause, give your wives a break,

Don’t get up and leave them to wash up the plates.

They’re on their feet before every meal,

Cooking and washing and keeping the home clean.

They won’t cook once daily ‘cos you want your meals fresh,

And I think that you know that they really need some rest.

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Women-Oh-Pause, just stop and think.

Is your busy lifestyle driving you to the brink?

Long working hours, then a fancy vacation,

When you need to work less, and have a nice lazy stay-cation.

Men, do some housework. It will keep you fit,

And your blood sugar levels might even come down a bit.

Women slow down before you get older,

Set routines that help family have time together.

People make time, slow down the pace,

So you have memories that will put a smile on your face.

Being so busy that there’s no time for family is starting to be the norm in many homes today. It’s even starting to be a thing to be proud of – kind of an achievement with some.

We’ve lost or ‘village’ – the social support system of neighbours, relatives and friends who would help young mothers with babysitting. Or keep an eye on the elderly now and then, to give care-givers a break.

Traditional gender roles in some Indian communities can sometimes leave women (it’s mostly women who look after children and the elderly here  in India), without any support system for when they need a weekly off.

I hope this poem speaks to those that need it.

The temple inside

We take it with us wherever we go,

That temple inside that helps us connect with our soul.
We don’t really need fancy buildings to worship,
Or an outwardly show of this private relationship.

We just need some quiet, a place we can find,

Even on days that are noisy, to clear the clutter from our minds.
We need a pace of life that helps us grow,
With time to reflect, feel the light, let it flow.

So, we can take the light with us wherever we go.

‘Cos it’s the temple inside us, that helps keep us whole.

There are so many different ways of reaching the same goal. What’s the right way for each person is different. Because ones ideas, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs can give a deeper meaning and a truth to a way that is meaningless to another person.

I decided to write about this way, because it’s a way that often doesn’t get heard. A way that some follow, but few talk about.