YOU ONLY DIE ONCE. (Y.O.D.O.)

Hello my friend(s), I pray that your week is going on smoothly even though it may be chilly & the clouds look pregnant with rain. I am merely guessing the topic of this article has gotten you a bit off guard. No worries, I will dive deep like a scuba diver to clarify its meaning or paint a clearer picture like Leonardo da Vinci of the famed Mona Lisa.

We are so used to the phrase of  'you only live once' & have no second thought about dying. This is the truth, one day you (even I) will leave these earthly realm & shall be confined 6 feet underground in our final resting cocoon (or as preferred by others during cremation, being engulfed by the flames of the fiery furnace). 

It is such a pity that a good number of us live like as if tomorrow will not come. How short sighted we are, we don't appreciate the very gift of life given to us by the Almighty. Let us go through some examples to clarify this conversation/the train of thought. Every day that you see the sun rise you are living, but in the after life you are no more. 

When in a car we refuse to belt up terming it as being old fashioned & deem it an enslavement denying one the liberty of movement. Along our various highways & roads we opt to sprint across the road like gazelles, yet just a few meters away there is a foot bridge to enable you cross the road majestically like a peacock. 

When driving your car you decide that you want to re-enact the fast & furious on the streets of the city & decide that this is the moment of the pedal to the metal. One fails to realize that the grim ripper is just smiling knowing that soon you will be within his icy grasp. Why is it that we live like as if we think we have nine lives like a cat? 

Is it because we are on adrenaline fuel? is it because of not caring? Is it that we see it that we are still young? Is it that we believe that tomorrow will not reach? Is it that we are loaded with cash we do not know what to do with it? Is it that we are in the moment of it is either now or never? These are just a few questions to chew over & criticize the direction we are heading into.

You will see one drink him/herself silly thinking one can consume all the alcohol produced by the breweries deeming oneself a guzzler. Sadly this is the reality of the current generation. Diving in head first, thinking later about the consequences. My friend, you shall sing kayumbete as you shall be beckoned towards the light at the end of the tunnel. 

It is upon you to take these precious moments granted to you & count your blessings. The imbalance in our lives is like the distortion of the pendulum swing as the current number of us visiting hospitals is like bees being attracted to nectar from flowers. Have you not noticed that number of the younger people is reducing drastically on a daily basis?

In the local news, there will be breaking headlines like "lives lost in yet another fatal accident". The statistical readings on the increase of high blood pressure patients among the youth being at an all time high (no offence this had been deemed a thing for the elderly). Suicidal tendencies on the increase, breaking news here & there of people jumping of buildings.

It is sad & unfortunate that parents are now the ones burying their children instead of the other way around. One would have thought we would be the ones up & about going green, doing the healthy meals (veggie shakes & the like), going for hikes, going for runs but woe unto us the adrenaline rush is on overdrive.

Every day you wake up & want to do something absurd, ask yourself is it really worth it. Otherwise, exiting the natural parameter is as easy as 'A,B,C,...'. It is crucial you take time to take in that which holds you together, be it God/Allah, your partner, your family, your friend(s) & so forth. 

It is stated that the journey of a thousand miles(/kilometers) starts with one single step, but sometimes the leap of faith can take you further. Let this be your food for thought.

ONE MAN'S CURSE IS ANOTHER'S BLESSING.

"You live only once (or in the millennials coined short form YOLO) & there is no rewind button". Have you ever heard this phrase being dished out like 'mulla' during the feverish campaign times, more specifically the first part of it. Most times, it will be during times of having plenty (especially the 'furahi' day syndrome moments) are notorious for such utterances. Jubilation & at times it could be used when going through a thrilling or blood boiling or heart pumping experience.

We are so caught up with our every day living, hustling & grin, trying to make it rain & getting the bank balance to be just right that we forget the most crucial of things. We get our work running through our veins like a shot of purified cocaine in the blood stream that those who matter to us become of secondary value. It could be your spouse or your significant other or your partner or your child(ren) or your parent(s) or your best friend.

"It is more valuable to spend time with your children/significant other, rather than money on them"

You may all go like, 'ger outta here'. I kid you not, when those whom you once held dear leave your world realm that is when you realize their true value. Just like in the time of Judas Iscariot on betraying Jesus & realizing the silver coins he had so much craved were now meaningless. This life will drain the very essence of living out of you, leaving you empty & hollow like a tum tum drum. 

In every day life, we throw away leftovers from a hearty meal just devoured without second thought. Do you know that a significant number of the worlds population in every corner of it, for them getting a single meal is a miracle. If you are in a relationship, if you do not take the time to appreciate your partner, my friend the harsh reality will dawn in you like the resurrection of Christ.

"The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the cars, the vast lands or the money in the bank. These just create an environment conducive for happiness but can't give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your partner's friend & do those little things for each other that build intimacy"

I am no love doctor, but I am continuously learning to appreciate the one who is shackled to my heart. When you look at the five or six figure balance in your bank account & go 'that is not enough, I need more'. You should take a moment to think & ask yourself is it not possible that there are those who could survive on what I have & even getting to see that single cent is like the water mirage of the desert & there you are grumbling under your breath?

I did not say that you should not work hard to better yourself (please do not misquote me), "Weee, mwanaume ni effort". Get in that grind & sweat it out for nothing good/worthy is for free. Even those who have sponsors/sponsoress understand what am talking about. Now kindly get your mind out of the gutter & remember that it is only when the well becomes dry that one appreciates its value recalling when it had water.

If you ever find yourself wanting to grumble about how life is unfair (I am also counting myself), then take a moment & see if you have any blessings in your life. If you think you do not have any & that all that you have are curses/pain, I can lend you some of mine like a pound of flesh asked for by the shylock in the merchant of Venice.

The simple yet forgotten blessings are: the very gift of being alive, having food on the table/on your plate daily, clothes to cover your nakedness, the love of the few/many who are in your life, the opportunity to use your limbs, being healthy, living in a somewhat peaceful country & the list goes on like the melodious tunes of rhumba music. These are just but a few of the examples of things to remember when you hop on to your care free band wagon.

In the wise words of Les Brown, he is quoted as saying that each time that you wake to see another day to remember that you are blessed & highly favoured. It may not feel like it at times but remember, "the happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything but they make the most of everything". I have a question, 'when was the last time you sat at your veranda/balcony/outside the gate & stared at the stars up above at night for just a few minutes to appreciate their significance?'

I AM MY OWN (WO)MAN.

"A luta Continua" I am informed by the learned that this is a latin phrase which means "the struggle continues" (you can google/bing it). Why would I even say such a phrase while the common phrase floating around in our hoods nowadays is "bora uhai". This is swahili to mean "it is better to be a live". Life has just become a battle for survival & seeing another day.

We are being hit from every angle like  punching bag by the what nots of the harsh reality that is being unleashed on us by the unforgiving & cruel world. It is just recently that the fuel tax went up by 16% before stubbornly being reduced to 8% (woe unto the less fortunate for their suffering is not over). 

This nearly crippled & nearly led to an economic melt down. If you could have seen the struggle to get as much fuel from petrol stations into ones car, it was every one for him/her self. My friend it was "mwenye nguvu mpishi" (translating  to in my  own words let "the strong  through"). 

Life is a journey that starts with that single thought that will either move you forward or backwards or toss you all over the place like a doll (I have no idea why I said doll, but am guessing you get or somewhat understand what I mean). Why did I give an example about the current woes being faced in our country. It is because it is meant to be a teaching curve/lesson. 

We take many things in this life for granted & not appreciating how they/it may have an impact in our lives. We are so engrossed with what the "voice of the high & mighty" who more often than not are the political/powerful figures who are always putting our lives to the test. We become so short sighted we forget how to think and/or reason. 

If only we could unshackle ourselves from the thoughts of others & that which they deem as "the good thing" & cultivate our own train of thoughts, how far we will be right now. We sit down looking all pretty believing that what the world envisions us as being that is what one is meant to be.

Our life span keeps on decreasing on a yearly basis. At no time do we forge forward but rather stagnant at the place of "if they said it is, then it must be true/factual" Why are we so lost in how people think of us that we can't progress in that which we crave to dream/desire. 

In our work places we remain the ever loyal employee not looking more than a few office spaces within the management that we want to move to. What if you risked it & opted to venture on your own? What do you presume can happen? If you decided "I have had enough of the people I surround myself with" does it mean that life will not go on?

We the people are so concerned about what others think of us (am no saint, I have also been a victim of this feeling before). We become so cocooned in the words that we fail to see beyond our noses. We become puppets that can be manipulated at the will of society or the community around us. We all need to take that axe of resistance & chop off the ropes of despair, fear as well as cowardice to venture on our own.

You are the change that you want to see on this world. It all starts with that single idea of "I can do it, I am going to take the leap of faith, I shall cut the umbilical cord connecting me to those dragging me down in the mud, I am my own (wo)man...." The choice is yours to make, I am not saying it is going to be easy but it will be worth it.

"Credendo Vides - believing is seeing"