Assalamualaikum or may peace be upon you all. Let's admit it, that's a beautiful way to welcome everyone than just call out a hi or hello. Let's spread peace. Who doesn't need peace in this age and what better way than to greet one another in this manner? 💜

I'm Yasmeen and welcome to another episode of "Yanking wid Yasmeen". ;-) Okay, bad joke.

On a more serious note, I cannot emphasize on how honoured and surprised I feel to be able to stand as a featured writer yet again in the amazing block party for the second time. I start off by praising and thanking the Almighty for having blessed me with another day, another chance and another opportunity to make the best use of my life to spread love and unity among us all. And to have blessed me even more by getting me featured. 💜

Moving forward, I heartily thank the most talented host, my dearest Kelly to have selected me as a part of this team again. It genuinely speaks to me on a variety of terms and I pray for your continued success and growth my dear. 💜

This time around, I've been featured for my new novel, The Diary of a Million Broken Pieces. Those are a handful of words but they certainly leave behind a mark of curiosity and familiarity on the minds of those who understand pain.

For starters, I'd like to build up this topic from something quite basic and agreeable.

"I live in a society where I'm 'his' daughter, 'his' sister, 'his' wife and 'his' mother. I live in a world where I am 'his' everything but 'mine' nothing."

For a woman, this is most likely to create an array of emotional disturbances. Fear not my loved ones, you're stronger than you think so instead of drowning in your own storm, how about understanding the entire essence of the trick? This time around, instead on focusing on the storm try to find a way out of it.

Don't sit and wait for it to pass. Get up and let it not last. 💜💜💜

These storms weren't meant to be understood anyway.

"The Diary Of A Million Broken Pieces" describes the life of a woman from the late twentieth century in contrast to her daughter in the present time of development and self strength. As the days pass by, her tales turn out to be darker and denser than the likeness of it initially. Her daughter — as she begins to hear of the tales burnt long ago — supports her voice and begins to inculcate fearlessness and fire into the words that had once been pushed down the throat and encourages her to take risks that may help her fix what had been wrong all along.

It delivers a subtle yet a sharp kick of emotions and throws light upon the notable differences between the young aspiring mindsets of the present age and the broken fragments of promises and buried aspirations of a matured woman.

This story is entirely based off real facts. Or let's be downright honest, it's a story of a woman I know. Someone whose life I've been a major part of. Someone in whose sorrows I've seen smiles and in her tales of the lost days, I've lived with her in that brutal path.

I believe the world must know of the countless sacrifices a woman chooses to make.

For now, I'll talk of the ten most sickening incidents from her life which she personally had allowed me to talk about for the time being, before giving me an in-depth understanding of the portrait.

She was eleven when her menstruation began and apart from being absolutely horrified, she had no idea of how to take hygienic care in those times and how to emotionally handle one's hormonal changes. It was just a bad omen to let a girl know of what her body was like. -_-

Uptil this time, she was free in playing around with all her neighbourhood children and as she was an active athlete, her love for the wild games was unnatural. However, things twisted up into a complicated knot as her mother began nagging her to remain at home soon after this incident. Which almost led to her question her existence.

As was her childhood dream, she had the burning desire to become a renowned doctor for which she certainly gave in her best performance, securing an astounding seven hundred out of seven hundred thirty in the qualifying exam. Having been selected as one of the toppers found her feeling content with the fruit of her hard work. Unfortunately, she was kept from moving forward due to the mere fact that the university was located in an entirely new city. -_-

Lost and heartless by this point, she didn't really have much of a voice to fight for herself. And it wasn't that her parents were going to take a no for an answer when they blatantly let her know that a groom was being searched for. To her, the life she was leading was nothing but a waste of energy and enthusiasm. And to add in, it wasn't like she had much say in the matter anyway. -_-

Up until the time of the wedding, she had hardly seen the groom. Which essentially meant that she would have married a pole or a tree and wouldn't have known about it up until the last moment. It wasn't considered good manners to ask the bride and take her opinion on the groom. In fact, it still is the same in many places. I wonder if every woman will have acquired freedom before the world ends.

Having been married into a family comprising of at least fifteen adults along with the everyday guests those who shamelessly welcomed themselves in, there was often a lot to keep up with. Besides that, the family was bent on aggressive and one of the sister in laws actually demanded for her wedding veil and nobody — not even her husband — spoke up against it.

Before the marriage, they had promised they'd let her continue her studies as per her request. Once the actual time to imply that came, a lot of disagreements and clashes took place wherein even her husband asked her to give up. But what makes me happy here is she didn't give in and fought till they kept their word.

Although kids come under the responsibility of each parent, in my society, it's usually just the burden of one. And bringing up four kids right from the time of delivery to the age of at least fifteen is not as easy as it may sound.

Having had nothing much to do at home all day long, she had requested her husband to let her get enrolled as a teacher in a school. Turns out the man had an ego issue with it in a way that seemed like she was looking down upon him.

After being born, she had become someone's daughter. Thereafter she became someone's sister. Marriage made her someone's wife and ultimately she became someone's mother. All her life, she lead into fostering towards others needs and requirements, forgetting about her own identity somewhere along this journey.

These are just some common notions that many of us may have had some or the other experience with. There is more to the story than this and maybe if you take the risk of diving into it, you'll understand the uncountable struggles a woman faces in her entire lifetime.

Her life never being hers.

Even in this era of modernity and civilization, I don't comprehend how there is still so much debate over the matter of gender equality. Is it just me or does anyone else find this silly and a waste of time? Frankly, there are more crucial matters on hand that need full attention and consideration like some parts of the world dealing with poverty while the others are fighting for justice and their lives in turn. And then people find time to actually debate over this matter which shouldn't be made so complicated in the first place.

Just let us women live!

When God created humans, I don't think he left behind any reason for one of us to dominate the other gender. No other creature of his functions in an absurd manner as such and judging by how we've all been granted with a will and the power and ability to rationalize, it's quite simple to discern that belittling one another is almost an insult to him. The Ruler of all the Worlds.

For heaven's sake, we're humans. Even animals have a better sense of judgment these days.

Believe in what you've been made of. You're a woman, take pride in that and stand tall and strong. You're a woman who can take up darkness to light the lives in which rain has been poured. You're the woman who fuels up hearts and brings hope. You're the woman who can sense the cloud of pain and anguish on others while still struggling with your own. You're the woman who can strangle your dreams to allow others to feed off your soul. You're the woman that colours up skies even if that means it requires your blood. You're the woman who can delve upon the consequences of a harsh reality but make sure to let others live a fairytale fantasy. You're the woman who can speak as the snow that's cold and yet be the spring that is warm. You're the woman who will always dance to the rhythm of humanity, yet never ever humanly care about yourself. You're the woman who can bury up the secrets of your long lived affliction in the depths of the soil and let your heart rummage in loneliness down in the dark corners of the earth. You're the woman who gives up for humanity, but never gives in to brutality. You're the woman whose voice plays along the strings of every heart, making them march up and down with enthusiasm. You're the woman who can shed tears over and over again, but no torture is impactful enough to make you cry blood. You're the woman no storm can defeat, there's something in your eyes that makes it cease. You're the woman whose the answer to a every nation. You're the woman who rules without being the owner of a proper throne. You're the woman who can drown in the ocean, but even then you'll still care for those who toppled your boat. You're the woman who can starve your heartfelt aspirations to provide soulful interactions. You're the woman whose got the most mercy from God, you're a pure form of human that reflects a part of his that remains unknown to most. You're the woman whose heart will never be understood completely because in you, God lives a little more prominently.

Don't let the world make you feel disheartened with what it doesn't even know about you.

You're the most beautiful creation of the Almighty.

And I'll share an interesting religious fact here. I don't know about the other faiths, but in Islam when a girl is born, to her parents she becomes the VIP ticket to paradise. When she gets married, she helps her husband complete half of his religion. And when she becomes a mother, paradise lies below her feet.

We women are the treasure. Don't go in search of happiness or love, let it come to you. Treasure is meant to be found. Sit back and wait, the ones who truly cherish you will find out a way to get to you.

Don't wait for the world to accept you.

Accept yourself and watch the world fall at your feet. 💜

I will end up by saying one last thing.

"You're someone's something always because to him, there's no solid support better than you. To a father, you're the light of his eyes, to a brother, you're the twinkle in his nights, to a husband, you're the beats of his heart and to a son, you're the mercy in his house."

I once again would like to thank KellyAnneBloubt for this beautiful chance at expressing my words.

I thank my kith and kin who have in all times been my source of inspiration and strength. I specifically thank my mother for having raised me the way I am today. Upbringing me in a manner that speaks of justice and peace through my actions.

I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude and appreciation to all my supporters, readers and well wishers without whom I would never have achieved this position. I seriously love you all. I cannot be more grateful and it is always overwhelming to have a beautiful family like you all.

Finally, I thank all the wonderful people who took out time from their schedules to read and motivate me further. I pray that you all remain strong and courageous, fight with every fiber of your being, never give up hope and patiently wait for the sun to rise.

💜💜💜

Spread love and peace.

Yours lovingly,

Yasmeen ❤