This is my first entry in the 100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups.  The prompt is to write from the perspective of the person arrowed in the photo below. The photo was actually originally posted here http://wp.me/p1zqCM-8x on my blog  for a weekly photo challenge and it was an honour to be asked by Julia to use it.

So, my hundred words,

Virgin Birth

No praises of gladness,

So this is Christmas. For these good Christian girls at least. I know I should be grateful, they’ve taken me in, I have a bed  now and plenty of food in exchange for some prayers. It won’t hurt me to sing a few songs to the tourists and rattle a tin.

No thought of their sin,

I’ll be safe in KK they would never guess I’d travel so far.

No glory but sadness,

Will there still be room at the Inn when they find out?

You choose now to start with the kicking.

This is the first time I have reblogged anything and I’m not sure how it works but if it does please pause long enough to read and enjoy!

I’ve been extraordinarily happy lately. I’m rarely miserable; much as I try I can’t maintain unhappy grumpiness for long. I go to work each day in an office that’s not always the most cheerful place – there’s the strangest gathering of people imaginable and some of them have already featured in my fiction writing. There are several strong personalities there whose dominant, negative or just plain whinging behaviour upsets others but I just sit back and smile. Some sit and quake in their shoes, not me; I mentally note reactions, speech patterns and funny little mannerisms. The Crazy Polish Woman who I’m closest too (and who will read this) knows exactly who I’m talking about. She is provocative, like me her job poses no challenge for her. So while I soak up everyone’s persona she creates nonsensical but non malevolent agitations, spuddling for the fun of it.

Yesterday I phoned the same call centre in Bangalore nine times, each time entering a combination of number options at their prompts and each time being asked to confirm my name and contact number. At times I get the same person twice in an hour and have to say ‘Yes Puja/Rahul/Sumeera that is my number, no it hasn’t changed.’ It would drive most people crazy but me – nope, it’s hilarious! So how do I maintain this irritating cheerfulness? My unexciting job allows me to drift away in my head, concocting stories, while still being efficient because it doesn’t tax me in any way. I have flexitime, a warm office, a nice view from my window and no-one bothers me.

I have a very simple philosophy; every moment wasted in unhappiness is lost. Someone may say or do something nasty to me (see my last post, Half An Inch Lower), and it may hurt. But their action or word happens in that instant and then it’s gone, forgotten by them. Do you think that boy who created a scar on my face when he threw a stone at me remembers? Of course not. If we hold on to hurts WE are perpetuating that hurt not the person whose action it was. Feel sorry for them, they are the ones with the problem, smile, let it go and move on.

I may not have a job in the spring when my contract runs out but I’m not even going to worry about that, I’ll never be wealthy anyway, and I have plenty of fat stores so I doubt I’ll starve. I’m very excited about April when my next grandchild arrives. In two weeks time my son returns from a very long sea deployment (broken in August when said grandchild was created!) marking the end of a difficult time. The following week my sister Chibuzor is coming from Nigeria, I’ll see her for a few days and get to soak up some Igbo. I’m really missing my girlie Nina, but Christmas is coming and she’ll be back then – hooray!

I’m off now to call Amir, Champna or Iqbal, with a big fat smile on my green face.

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http://snapsbytwinkle.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/weekly-photo-challenge-comfort/