Wishing you were elsewhere?

Look what I found online.  Hmmm...a stocking stuffer or two for someone you are fond of?

If for some reason you would like to own this T-shirt (like strangely, you just want to make me really happy), you can purchase it for $19.99 right here at Cafe Press  (or the bumper sticker with the same sentiment for just $4.99 right here).  Or how about this little journal in celebration of Morocco's beautiful tile work, zellij.  Yes you said?  $10.99 right here.  Or maybe this Moroccan door mouse pad? Just $12.99 right here. 

If only clicking on the mouse pad could transport you to Morocco so we could have a glass of mint tea together.  ~Sigh~ Do you think that will work a hundred years from now?

P.S. Update:  Well, now that I have begun to talk about the possibility of *magical* transportation that might take you all the way to Morocco, what do you know, I have been tagged by my very favorite witch, Lexa.  Thank you, Lexa for thinking of  me.

The meme is as follows: 

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, go down to the fifth sentence.
3. Post the text of next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Name of the book and the author.
5. Tag three people.

The closest book to me was First Things First by Steven Covey.  This is what I found on page 123:  A woman who chooses to have children and be with them can transcend the painful chronos mentality dichotomy of children or career.  She becomes energized by the vision of her mothering role as a significant contribution to society.  She develops character and competence that empower her to fulfill other roles as well.      

Now dear readers, lest you think that I am not a good mother, I want you to know that I worked with Tristan on his spelling for over an hour yesterday, helped Skylar with her ABCs, read them two stories, and sang them two songs. (So glad you were not there for the latter, which included the debut of a made up song called Oh Mr. Chocolate.)  But okay, universe, I hear your message and will try to do better. 

I would like to tag the following:  Nunu's Mum, Brittney and Claire.  However, I would really love it if others would do this very fun meme, too.  Those without blogs could leave a comment here (and do tell us if your findings are meaningful) and those with blogs, let us know so we can see what your magical message might be....   

Comments

[Anna]

I love arches and doors, yes, if we only can click and transport ourselves to a distant land, another time period, or even just across the city. Right now, I would love to come to the building site and sit under an ancient olive tree and sip some mint tea with you.

[Anrosh]

If emails can arrive in a minute across the oceans, I think we can transport ourselves in a jiffy to another land in the future-somewhere someone is working on that satellite kind of machine for public transportation.
And a GLass of mint tea - I have never heard anyone saying that in the US, but in India that is the language used - A glass of tea. I am having mine right now. Would you like to join ?

[Lexa Rosean]

Hi Maryam
ah I wish I could be there. everthing you are up to seems so absolutely divine. Listen - I have TAGGED you with a MEME. It's my first and I thought it was a cool one. Pretty easy and not too time consuming either. Please check out the challenge on my Author!Author! blog. Peace and happy holidays! Lexa

[julie at BV]

Hi Maryam I would love to be there and share a cup of mint tea with you. Especially because it is my favorite. I think that transporting ourselves somewhere in seconds could happen in our minds. Although it's always good to hope and wish. :o)

[grasshopper]

Maryam, Although I've never heard of the book you grabbed, and to be honest probably will not get around to reading it: how could ANYONE think you are less than an amazing and fabulous mother? I'm willing to bet that even 20 years from today Tristan and Skylar will attribute their success and happiness to having such a fun-loving and generous mother. And you can have the bet that 20 years from now a mouse click will take us around the world. I'm not quite there yet.

[Lexa Rosean]

thanks Maryam
I love your excerpt and it certainly seemed to strike a cord within you. You sound like a magical and terrific mom. thanks for delivering the meme!
Lexa

[ambika]

'Oh Mr. Chocolate.' This is incredilby funny to me for some reason, perhaps because I'm imagining it to the tune of 'Oh My Darling.' Plus, made up songs are the best. We have tons in our family.

[Pink]

What a fun tag!
I reached for "At Knit's End: Meditations for Women who Knit too Much" by the Yarn Harlot. Pg 123: At the top (not counting it) it says, "The Secret to Creativity is knowing how to Hide your Sources." The secret to storing lots of yarn is expanded thinking. There is really no reason why yarn cannot occupy any space not occupied by anything else. Take a fresh look at your home, clostets, cabinets and ask yourself, "Can I fit a ball of yarn in here?"

[Magda]

It's such a gloomy day in Chicago - so wearing this T-shirt would be sooooooo appropriate...
PS. The closest book to me, was "Oscar et la dame rose", which sadly, has only 77 pages...

[Intisar]

I agree with Magda, it is a VERY gloomy day here in Chicago, I would SO rather be in Marrakech right now. Although, I would rather be in Marrakech even if it was a beautiful day here, it's just a matter of where my heart lies...

[Brittney]

I've completed my assignment, as requested, Madam.

And I love your little chocolate song. The chocolate-dipped candied hazelnuts in my cupboard are now calling me...

[Anna]

The book closest to me is "Something More, Excavating your Authentic Self". Here it is:

To love, honor and cherish another person? To weave together your dreams? To promise to be there through all the changes of your life?

This seems to leave the reader hanging too much, here is the next sentence:

Can there be anything better than waking up with a smile and a snuggle next to the person you want to grow old with?

I know my answer.

[Pink]

Oh, thank God Anna. If you hadn't posted the 4th line, I would have had to go buy the book!

[Liosliath]

I love the shirts, but I would REALLY like to know the words to "Oh Mr. Chocolate!"

[Liosliath]

"On the twenty-sixth of June, 1949, I took my exam, and on the same day, the twenty-sixth of June, I was engaged to marry Benacer Harraket. So, two exams in one day.... Here, Oum Keltoum "opened a parenthesis" to talk about the events of 1944 in Fez, before returning to her own story and to the subject of women in Casablanca in the 1940s."

- Voices of Resistance : Oral Histories of Moroccan Women, by Alison Baker

[Terra Shield]

I'm amazed at mother's who teach their children to read... Mine did too.

Anyway, I've tagged myself. Will be back soon, I hope!

[Maryam in Marrakesh]

Anna darling-I know that you will be my best friend until the end of this lifetime (at least) and so I am hoping that before we say our final goodbyes, that technology will have been invented so that we can have tea together (live and in person!) every single day.

Anrosh-Just as I received your message, I was having MY glass of mint tea. So I kind of felt like we were having tea together. How nice.

Lexa-Can I just say that I just don't know how you do it between all of your blogs, your many books, your tango dancing, etc. And so I must ask, have you put some kind of spell on yourself? C'mon, tell us the truth....

Julie-I'm hoping and wishing then!

Grasshopper-I think that may just be the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. Really. Thank you. I got this tight feeling in my chest when I read your comment, and I realized that it was because I was holding my breath, just staying in the moment.

Lexa- Thank you! But I am just pretend magical. You are the real thing!

Ambika-Aren't made up songs just the best? I have sung one to my daughter almost every night since she was born called: There once was a little bumblebee...

Pink-That is so funny. I mean, why would you be storing balls of yarn in every nook and cranny? BTW, I think you should market those knit cross hats of yours shown on your blog. They are most excellent. I would happily buy one for myself.

Magda-Even Lexa, a well known witch, grabbed a book that had too few pages at first. That's a sign that you are supposed to move onto the next book...

Intisar- You of all people should be rushing to buy that shirt AND bumper sticker.

Brittney - You little minx, I had no idea that you were writing such an amazing book. What talent! I just *can't wait* to read the whole thing from cover to cover...!

Anna-There you go, being lucky again as usual;-)

Pink-Since we are talking about Anna, you would never have to worry that the ending didn't turn out right; you'll just have to trust me on that one.

Liosliath-I would love to share the lyrics with you but not until I get the patent. I am sure you understand - thieves, (THIEVES I tell you) everywhere. I will let on that when I sang the new and improved version tonight, it prompted Skylar to burst out into her own little baby song, entitled fetchingly, Oh Mr. Cupcake. PS How are you liking the Baker book so far?

Terra Shield-Now I can't really take credit for teaching my children how to read, but we do love reading and story telling (complete with a whole panoply of character voices). It's especially fun because we usually wrap ourselves in the most elaborate cocoon of blankets that one has ever seen. It's a mystery how I make it out of that quilted maze every evening...

[Marcelino]

Great post!!! I totally agree and been thinking about it since Jan. 2006!!! I'm dying to go back to Marrakech.

[Paul]

I'm late to the party on this one. Believe it or not the closest book to me is "the revolt of Islam" by Percey Shelley and my lines are:
"over the mast and sails, the stern and prow were canopied with blooming boughs,- the while on the slant sun's path o'er the waves we go"
Thankfully no hint of the jester in that. But what does it all mean??
P.S. I'd love to hear the words of 'oh mr chocolate' too. I think we should start a petition.

[Pinkmohair]

Maryam, isn't it a bit hot there for a wool cap?

[nunu's mum]

Hello Maryam,

Mission accomplished ma chéri!
Since 'beam me up Scottie' type of transportation is still being tested/perfected (somewhere in Taiwan I'm sure!), me thinks I'll do it the old fashioned way for now and hop on a low cost airline flight. I am hoping soon, so we can have that mint tea~~~~~

[Maryam in Marrakesh]

Marcelino-Well I am so glad to hear that you have been to this fair city and so enjoyed it. PS That name of yours should really be up in lights.

Paul- How very brainy of you (as if we had any doubt). Well, it's very clear to me that your words mean that you are charting a new course and the wind is carrying you rather quickly in a certain direction. Where might that be? Positive though, definitely, especially given the sun's favorable slant;-)
P.S. If you liked Oh Mr. Chocolate, you should have seen my dance number to Baby Love, My Baby Love, this morning at breakfast. All I needed were white go-go boots. Tristan was quite amused and offered generously to do the chicken dance for me.

Pink-It can actually get quite chilly here for a few months in the winter. So let me know if I can commission one of your hats, okay?

Nunu's Mum-Thank you so much for playing along. I thought your passage was gripping. Clearly it means that you have to fight for what you want and never give up....
P.S. And low cost airline it is but you must not come until I can entertain you in real style, okay?

[Claire]

Hey Maryam, I've got my answer to the meme up! Thanks for the tap! :)

[TC]

OK - playing the meme game.

Haven't finished reading though so will be back.

[Anna]

Pink, you really should read the book. It's really quite enlightening. I'm usually not one that read a lot of "self-help" books, but this is a good one.

Here is a nice quote:

Courage is as often the outcome of despair as hope; in the one case we have nothing to lose, in the other, all to gain.