Love Letters and other hotel slippers
#family, humour, Looking around, Memories captured, open letter, Personal Story, Postcard commentary, writing community Sylvia Jimenez #family, humour, Looking around, Memories captured, open letter, Personal Story, Postcard commentary, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Love Letters and other hotel slippers

There are two kinds of people. Hoarders and non-hoarders. And if you happen to be the offspring of a baby boomer, chances are you would have likely shared a home with a hoarder. This was evident in the days I dedicated to clearing a dead man’s history. I had an inkling that dear old dad used to hang onto just about everything, not because I found shoeboxes filled with mini soaps, tiny shampoo and conditioner containers, toothpaste packets, tea and coffee pouches swiped from the hotel rooms he frequented since retiring, nor did the drawers full of medicine receipts, travel booking confirmations and retro postcards sent decades before, but in the cupboard, yes, a cupboard full of pristine, still-in-the plastic-wrap hotel slippers. The type that robust bodies saunter about when the sauna session is complete.

Published: Sylvia Jimenez

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The scene on the grass
#family, Connecting with people, Memories captured, Personal Story, positive, Postcard commentary, Taking time out, travel Sylvia Jimenez #family, Connecting with people, Memories captured, Personal Story, positive, Postcard commentary, Taking time out, travel Sylvia Jimenez

The scene on the grass

In a small corner of the world, at approximately 12:46 pm on a sunny Monday, our extended family was captured in a holiday scene reminiscent of a 90s Benetton billboard. I can still smell the fresh air. I can hear the swans lapping in the lake behind me. I remember the blog post that caught my attention on my feed and what conversation was being had. The boys headed balls while the girls deliberated whether a swim was a better option. It was hot; clothes were left in the rooms, and lunch was arriving soon.

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Reminisce in your long-term memory; it could define who you are.
#family, 80s flashback, Memories captured, Personal Story, Reflections, travel, writing community Sylvia Jimenez #family, 80s flashback, Memories captured, Personal Story, Reflections, travel, writing community Sylvia Jimenez

Reminisce in your long-term memory; it could define who you are.

At last, I can identify that I have experienced a reminiscence bump! What is it about certain events or periods in one’s life that stands out in the memory bank brighter and more vivid than what was done last week, last month or last year? One theory of the ‘Reminiscence Bump’; the ‘life script account’ describes that during early adolescence, one starts to make essential decisions that have influencing experiences on their identity.

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It started with an 80s mix tape...
#family, 80s flashback, humour, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, Memories captured, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez #family, 80s flashback, humour, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, Memories captured, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez

It started with an 80s mix tape...

…and a Covid project that propelled me to pull out every single photo album and take out each photograph on a lockdown infused Sunday afternoon. The idea is to scan each and every pic so that it’s forever captured digitally. This will probably take years I know, but pausing at images, some I didn’t even remember, tested my long term memory to categorise scenarios into chronological order. Thank goodness for one of my besties. She just looks at an image and knows exactly when it occurred. She is now my official curator of memories!

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A little distraction...
#family, #keepinghealthy, Personal Story, positive mindset, Reflections, Taking time out, walking in the park Sylvia Jimenez #family, #keepinghealthy, Personal Story, positive mindset, Reflections, Taking time out, walking in the park Sylvia Jimenez

A little distraction...

I've never had a dog before. We were a family of felines. My grandfather always kept cats to help with the rodents and birds around the hens and the vegetable patch. So when our puppy came along, admittedly I didn't have a clue. Also, although he is 'our' puppy, the men in the family sold me the idea of having a puppy as being 'their' puppy. But with me working from home and everyone else out the door at work and school, the responsibility of caring, training and feeding ultimately fell onto me.

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An open letter to my offspring
#family, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, positive mindset, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez #family, insight observations, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, open letter, Opinion, Personal Story, positive, positive mindset, Reflections Sylvia Jimenez

An open letter to my offspring

To the millennials and the something i-generation, I’m (we are all) learning from you.


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A pic in time
#family, #thephotonews, insight observations, Looking around, Personal Story, Reflections, sisters together, travel Sylvia Jimenez #family, #thephotonews, insight observations, Looking around, Personal Story, Reflections, sisters together, travel Sylvia Jimenez

A pic in time

My sister and I were in Budapest a few years back and I remember we had to kill time before our scheduled train trip into the countryside. We passed a small convenience store where fresh produce winked from the wooden cart. I bought us a couple of bananas. The streets were empty except for the garbage collectors down the way. The sun was just peeking through the shadows. Apart from fog, cobblestone streets and textured city sidewalks, I also have a fascination with gaudy entrance doors. They tell a different story. If they could talk. Pictured, this door leads down underground. It could be a cellar, it could be an underground record store. I’m not sure. But my sister passed it nonetheless, oblivious that it was there. You wouldn’t have guessed we were on our way to a funeral.

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In recognition of International Women's Day 2020
#family, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, Opinion, positive, positive mindset, Reflections, Uncategorized Sylvia Jimenez #family, just an opinion and ob..., looking forward, Opinion, positive, positive mindset, Reflections, Uncategorized Sylvia Jimenez

In recognition of International Women's Day 2020

I’ve been flicking through photos of my youth of late. And as I give thanks to all of the strong women in history and in my own family, one in particular is my mum. I was (and still am her everything) She endured a not-so-happy childhood, a not-so-happy relationship with her parents and a not-so-happy first marriage. But in every photo we have together, I’m in her arms, she’s smiling, And whilst we are conscious of giving thanks to our mothers for their support, I’m giving thanks on this day for the strength that was instilled in me from a very early age. Strong women are predominant in our family (and as such, I’ve also married into a family with strong women).

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Is December 26 our only day of rest?
#family, a lighter look, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, Opinion, positive, positive mindset, Reflections, Taking time out Sylvia Jimenez #family, a lighter look, just an opinion and ob..., Looking around, looking forward, Opinion, positive, positive mindset, Reflections, Taking time out Sylvia Jimenez

Is December 26 our only day of rest?

Christmas in our part of the world tends to begin on December 1st. Work is gearing up for Christmas, the shop windows are dressed with baubles and lights, heck I even heard a Christmas Carol whilst tearing down the aisles on December 7. And after all that is the joyous time of Christmas and the family gatherings have ceased, the food coma surpassed and reflections on the past 12 months, December 26 seems to be the only day of rest. For on December 27, the machine starts once again. This morning December 26, 2019 I’ve allowed myself to simply rest, not feeling one iota that the dishwasher needs unpacking or that anyone in the household wants breakfast, yes, they can get it themselves.

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Margot had it all sorted, she was just born in the wrong era...
#family, Opinion, positive, Reflections, Uncategorized Sylvia Jimenez #family, Opinion, positive, Reflections, Uncategorized Sylvia Jimenez

Margot had it all sorted, she was just born in the wrong era...

In times of late, Ive been drawn to photographs of the past. And today being All Saint’s day, the memory my late great-aunt Margot comes to the forefront. Whilst I’m still processing the death of my father, I’ve been reminded by the relo’s that in Europe today (and across the world I suspect) people will be frequenting their prospective ancestors in cemetaries across the continents. Today Novemeber 1st, we remember those long past, those newly departed and those whom in history were considered saints. In my eyes, my great-aunt Margot was a saint. She was the youngest of eight children, ballsy, cool and very refined.

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