Stepping into my Shoes

Hello, and welcome to my first ever blog post! Since this is the starting line of my writing journey, it would only make sense for it to be about the person I currently am, so here is a quick rundown of what my life is all about. After all, it’s important to know a bit about a writer before you start reading their work. So here it is, 10 things that make me who I am!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwip3c3nt-XkAhU3IjQIHWVjDWAQjhx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.1zoom.me%2Fen%2Fwallpaper%2F564551%2Fz2267.6%2F2560x1440&psig=AOvVaw0Pk9afbbrumUHnbUJq4VOk&ust=1569276248684257

Starting from the very beginning, my name is Simran Sidhu, and I was born 15 years ago in the city Saskatoon, in Saskatchewan, Canada. My family and I lived there for two years, moved to Toronto, then finally settled down in Calgary, where we have been ever since. Although the majority of my extended family lives on the the opposing side of the world,  I couldn’t be happier to be living in Canada, a true privilege in my eyes when compared to many other places I could be living in.

Probably the most important aspect of my life is my family, when I come to think of it. One of the only constants that I have had is my parents, the only people who have truly been there for me since day one.  When it comes down to it, the majority of my foundation has been passed down from my parents and their beliefs. They are the ones who set my stage up for success, the ones who taught me to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong, the ones who caught me whenever I fell. They’ve seen me at my lowest and at my peaks, and have been a tremendous stabilizer in my life. Without my parents, I wouldn’t be half of the person that I am today and wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now. Even though I don’t say it all the time, my parents deserve a lot more credit than I give them, and I wouldn’t give them up for the world.

One of the best things that has ever happened to me is having siblings. While my parents built my foundation, my sister and my brother are the ones who have been pushing far beyond the barriers of my expectations for myself. As strange as it sounds, those two monkeys have changed my whole mind set. Before they were around, I possessed a lot of dislikable traits. I refused to share, I was bossy, and I had no clue what the word “compromise’ meant. It was either my way, or no way. So when my brother and sister came along, my life flipped upside down. And to be honest, I hated it at the time, I hated the change, even though I know know the significance of it. It sounds sappy, but they really did bring a new sense of responsibility into my life, that I am so grateful for, and they have taught me so much about myself. I can’t wait to see what they will turn out to be like when they are in my place. Who knows, maybe they’ll be writing blog posts too!

https://funkidsguide.com/fun-stuff/quiz-introvert-or-extrovert/

Speaking of my personality, one of the biggest misconceptions about me is that I am a full on extrovert. All of my friends describe me as the loud, obnoxious one in our group, a title that I have held for numerous years. However behind that facade, is the soul of a true introvert. I think of my personality  kind of like a battery. When I’m with my friends, I use my battery to fuel my emotions. However, that battery doesn’t last forever and so by the time I get home, I don’t feel like talking to anyone. I walk in the house, throw my stuff on the floor and isolate myself from basically everyone for an hour or two. It sounds strange, but it allows me to have control over myself, and the duality is something I value very much, as it allows me to enjoy myself no matter what situation I am in.

Now moving on to some of my hobbies! For the past couple of years, me and my mom have spent every spring- summer planting flowers in our garden. When we were first started, our only intention was to make something of our plain backyard. Over the years, it became more like an annual project, something to be excited about. However gardening brought me closer to my surrounding world. It brought me and my mom closer together through our new found passion, and it gave me a sense of appreciation to nature and other gardeners. A lot of people don’t know how much effort it takes to watch after planters; I know I didn’t before I started. It takes a lot of effort to convince yourself to go save your babies from dehydration when it’s 30 degrees outside, and you know that it will take at least 5 minutes to water each one, when you could just sit down on the couch and pray that it will rain instead. Despite my struggles, gardening is something that I really do enjoy, and the warm feeling that comes when you see your first plant sprout, is one to remember.

Another constant in my life has been drawing. Ever since I was little, I’ve been drawing. In fact that was how I made my very first friend, one that I will never forget. As a young girl, I’d always had trouble writing, and so the only other way I could express what I loved was through drawing. There was always someone criticizing my work however, whether something didn’t look right or wasn’t proportional. It took a long time to figure out that I could use those comments to push my work past the borders. I may not be the best artist in the world, but I most certainly am thehappiest.

Last year I quit soccer, after 7 seasons of playing defence. It was a big decision that I still think about to this day. Ironically, I had been think of quitting for many years though.It was never because I didn’t like soccer, but it was because I felt almost like an outcast on my team. But at the same time, I had a very supportive and caring team, and friends that I could depend on. So, now you’re wondering what my logic was, because nothing really makes sense. I guess that was how it was for my teammates when I told them that I was leaving. To be honest, you really have to be in the situation to understand it. I felt like an outcast because of the audiences, the referees, the onlookers. You see, I am darker skinned. I have  dark brown eyes, glossy black hair and glasses. It’s hard not to stick out sometimes, especially when you compared me to my team. All of the 13 other girls were fair, and blonde, so when you saw our team line up, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I saw people staring sometimes, pointing, whispering to one another. My team was in full support of me, but in all due respect, they never could have stopped all of those people. I know I gave up one of my passions, but I still believe my comfort was more important. There wasn’t a lot I could have done anyways, so I try not to look back on it too much. Besides, I have a lot more to look forward to in my future.

 

My 2019 resolution this year was to start bullet journaling. It might as well have been the only resolution that I have ever stuck too, because I am kind of addicted to it now. Seeing that I’ve never been an organized person, bullet journaling was the perfect solution for me, because it allowed me to be creative while also keeping me in line. It is a really big commitment for yourself, but it is something I suggest to every artistic person who doesn’t have enough time in their life to complete everything.

 

 

One of my new found interests is the rising protest for more sustainable products and solutions. Recently, I have become obsessed with the idea of owning a home that provides for itself, collecting water, sunlight, growing food, all on its own. As I said, it is a new found passion of mine, so there isn’t a lot to it at the moment, but I’m sure there will be more in the future.

Finally, the rule I live my life by, is to appreciate everything in your life because nothing lasts forever(except plastics, which take literal centuries to break down. That is why I don’t appreciate plastic as much). The worst feeling, to me, is losing something you took for granted, and not knowing whether you will ever get the chance to fill that hole again. To prevent that, I’ve started to stop(nice oxymoron hey?). I’ve taught myself to stop and take in everything around me, to think about what is actually happening, to take note of my emotions, and to thank the world for giving me the opportunity to be in the place that I am. It is hard to remember to do this sometimes, but when I do remember to be grateful, it removes that feeling of regret and makes me feel better about myself. As long as I can stay humble and recognize my enjoyment, as well as the thought that this won’t last forever, the easier it is for me to accept my realities. And that is something I am grateful for.

 

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6 thoughts on “Stepping into my Shoes

  1. Dear Simran,
    It is great to be happy and while you may not think that you are the best artist in the world, you have to remember that art is subjective. Reading you pechakucha, I think I am getting to know you much better than I already did and, as this was an all about me, that means you did your job well. The title matches very well with your cover image and that was a cool move dudette. I want you to remember that as much as I make fun of Saskatchewan and think that Alberta should take it over, I do not hate you.
    I honestly think that there is nothing to say except the obvious. It appears as if you are missing a few pictures.
    The writing is great keep it up and before you know it I’ll come up to you and say ‘My have you grown like a weed’.
    Sincerely buubu.

    1. Dear Boobu (am I allowed to call you that?),
      I have finally taken care of the photo fiasco, so hopefully that clears that up.I’m really glad that you were able to learn more about me though this, especially because I was able to say things in this blog that I wasn’t able to say in class because I was too scared. The only thing is that your comment has me in confusion, especially the part about growing like a weed. I pretty sure that I didn’t mention it in my blog post, but that’s one of the things my parents tell me all the time whenever they think I’ve grown taller. I have no clue if that was what you were referring to or not. Did I mention that before? I’m so confused. This is why having a poor memory sucks (lol). Anyways, Im so grateful that you took the time to read through my blog, and I won’t hold your opinion on Saskatuawan against you. Thanks man!
      Sincerely, Simran

  2. Dear Simran,

    I loved your blog, I feel as though it really let me “step into your shoes”. You had a great flow throughout the entire blog and you had a very friendly tone that invited me into your life. I completely relate to your experience in soccer. As you know when I was younger I used to do soccer and dancing and I had the same feeling of standing out. It can be really hard to deal with and I am happy that you decided to share that story as I know many people who can relate.

    I felt as though your piece was very strong although the only thing I was wondering was where your other pictures are.

    This blog was amazing and I hope to get to know you more as we spend this next year together.

    With love,
    Abigail

    1. Dear Abby,
      I’m so glad that there is someone else that understands the situation I was in. While I was writing the blog, I was super on edge and kept wondering if I should or shouldn’t add that section in: after all, I didn’t mention it during my pechakucha because I didn’t know what kind of reactions I would get, and because I wasn’t completely comfortable discussing it either. It really touches my soul to see that there are other people who understand me, and makes me feel much more comfortable with my decision. As for the photos, I was having some technical difficulties the day I posted, and wasn’t able to fix it until my dad helped me with it today. It should be fixed now. 🙂

      Thank you so much for reading my blog. I am really looking forward to getting to know you better in the future as well.
      With more love, Simran

  3. Hey Simran
    We fellow gardeners should stick together. I am hoping the huge snowfall we recently had did not smother all our hard work in our gardens. I totally relate with you about living a completely sustainable life, that idea has been stuck to me like velcro since I was a wee lad. I love to hear that there are many young people passionate about making a conscious effort to help save our planet.
    I found your story about your siblings very touching about how they taught you social skills and helped you mature. Believe me I have a younger sister that can be annoying at times but we can learn so much from them all the same.

    I loved how I could tell that it was your writing just by the way you worded your sentences. It reminded me of you. I would say add more of those side comments you put in brackets and put it out throughout your whole piece. i think it would add to your piece’s personality and make it more stylized towards you.
    Loved it and keep writing with the excellent quality.

    1. Dear Ethan,
      Thanks for reading my blog good sir! Your comment, as well as everyone else’s, made me feel really happy, because having someone else relate to your life feels so cool. Even though we are two different people, we have a lot of things in commen, like garden8ng, or how we feel about siblings. Alas, the snow has consumed our plants (or at least mine, anyways, rip). As sad as it is , now we get to start planning for spring, something I’m definitely looking forward to. Hopefully, you are as well!
      I’m really happy that you liked my writing style! I don’t get to write so casually very often, so seeing that you liked makes me want to start finding the time to write more( also, I find these side comments so amusing, so expect more of these in the future).
      I’m glad you enjoyed this snippet of me, and I hope to find more comments from you in the future!

      Sincerely, Simran

      P.S. I’m so sorry this was late; I got the email notification today, instead of last week for some reason, so I hope to fix that.

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