I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘hold on for dear life.’ I have held on for dear life on the couple of rides I have gone on (I normally avoid rides that tend to move up and down/zig zag a lot due to motion sickness). This phrase is commonly used figuratively to describe holding onto hope, a belief, or a situation despite adversity. It can also be used literally, such as when holding onto a railing during a turbulent ride or grasping onto something for safety during a precarious situation.

With spring in the air, I plan to hold on to everything positive in my dear life with all my heart! And do a few handsprings too (in my mind, not physically!!).

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From Hold On to HODL: The Story of a Crypto(ic) Mantra

“HODL” originated from a misspelled word in a Bitcoin forum post back in 2013. The post, titled “I AM HODLING,” was written by a user named GameKyuubi, who expressed frustration about his poor timing in trading Bitcoin and decided to hold onto his coins despite the market’s volatility. The misspelling of “hold” as “hodl” in the title of the post became a humorous meme within the cryptocurrency community.

Over time, “HODL” transformed into an acronym standing for “Hold On for Dear Life,” emphasizing the strategy of holding onto cryptocurrencies long-term instead of selling during price dips or market fluctuations. It has become a rallying cry among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, advocating for patience and resilience in the face of market volatility.

The term has gained significant popularity and has become a not-so-cryptic crypto mantra. It is now often used as both investment advice and a symbol of solidarity within the crypto community. It represents the belief that holding onto digital assets can lead to long-term gains despite short-term market turbulence.

source: Investopedia, Forbes

Hold On to these Books

The H Books

Handsprings

Honeybee

10+ Most Recent Books I Held On to at the Bookstore (and Came Home With!)

This week’s theme for TTT is a freebie, so keeping in sync with this post’s theme of ‘hold on to,’ I picked the 10+ most recent books I held on to close to my heart and added to my home library. Most of these are from used book stores or library sales and a few from the airport bookstore (I pick at least a couple each time I return from India for some reason) in the past few months.

I know I have 13 but it is because I had to. You see, I bought some of these books at the same time as the others, and can’t have them feeling left out!

1. By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie
2. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
3. The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
4. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
5. Insomnia by Stephen King
6. Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott
7. My Hanuman Chalisa by Devdutt Patnaik
8. Namma Bangalore by Shoba Narayan
9. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
10. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
11. Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen Degeneres
12. Tamarind City by Biswanath Ghosh
13. Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark

How to Hold On to Things that Matter

Here is a short list on how we can hold on to some of the important things – things that matter:

1. Relationships: Prioritize them. Communicate, show appreciation, and be present for loved ones.
2. Goals: Stay Focused on them. Set clear objectives and persevere through challenges.
3. Values: Live them. Stay true to your principles and integrity.
4. Positivity: Cultivate it. Maintain optimism and resilience.
5. Self-Care: Practice it. Look after your well-being physically, emotionally, and mentally.
6. Hope: Keep it Alive. Believe in yourself and in positive outcomes.
7. Identity: Embrace it. Celebrate your uniqueness and stay authentic.
8. Memories: Treasure them. Cherish and reflect on meaningful experiences.
9. Forgiveness: Practice it and Let Go. Release grudges and negativity for inner peace.
10. Faith: Have it. Trust in yourself and the journey of life.

Hold On With Gratitude

For NaPoWriMo’s Day nine prompt: write your own ode celebrating an everyday object. I recalled writing an ode before, and when I looked, to my surprise, I found I have written many (to my grandma, the rain, to children’s books, to ‘Oh! The Places You’ll Go!‘, to my old hometown, and to Ooty – a place I have never been!).

Anyways, here is my ode for today, to an everyday object.

Ode to My Box of Vaseline
You may be what they call basic, you see
Just plain old simple petroleum jelly
But to me, you are the one who cares
For my chapped lips (not too often, thankfully)
My cracked feet (when I have time to spare)
General dryness, you always address,
But it’s for my hands, I must confess,
That I’m most grateful for your presence each night,
After I do the dishes, you make everything alright.
~ Vidya Tiru @ ladyinreadwrites

Holding On to Names and Memories

Some names have a hold on my memory for reasons other than knowing someone with that name. One such name is Hamsini. The name means – one who rides a swan (and is used in reference to the Goddess Saraswati, goddess of learning). While I don’t know anyone by that name, I love a song that has the name in its title!

The Bollywood songs I am featuring today were among my dad’s favorites, and he sang them many a time. Both songs are from the 1960s and feature the evergreen actor Dev Anand.

Hain apna dil tho awara (from the film

You can watch the original film video here. Below is the audio with lyrics

The first lines translate to ‘My heart is a vagabond, I wonder to whom it will take a liking’. The hero is certainly not holding on to his heart here!

Hum hain rahi pyar ke (from the film Nau Do Gyaarah)

You can watch the original video from the movie here. The first lines translate to ‘We are travelers on the path of love, please don’t say anything to us. Whoever meets us with love, we will belong to them”

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, do let me know if you have read any of the books listed today? Which book would you pick first? Will you attempt a poem today? Do share any book recommendations, poetry you loved or wrote, and of course, all and any thoughts on this post.

I am linking up to A-Z, Blogchatter, UBC, NaPoWriMo

And you can find all my A-Z posts (this year and previous years’ as well) here:

A to Z Challenge Posts