SO IT BEGINS.

Hello there, hoping that your week had started off better than the last & is now ending smoother like fine wine as you prepare to dine. Well, on my end I am getting to understand the true meaning of having an affair with the blankets, comforters & duvets.

It has been raining, night & day to the extent I was wondering have the heaven taps been let open accidently. It becomes dark & glum when you step outside as the sun is fighting to take its place in the sky. The war of the elements has been fully flagged like the world wars of the days past.

In all of this, I am thankful am still in one piece, alive, breathing normally, having all my limbs functional & in God’s favour. Don’t mistake this to mean that I am having it fantastic but am appreciative of the very fact that I have a few blessings here & there which I don’t take for granted.

These days just seeing the light of another day has become a privilege to be embraced like rekindling that lost love. Did you know that you are the author of your book & the writer of the chapters that shall grace this creation of yours? It is understandable that when we want to do something new to us we become hesitant like as if we are stuck in quick sand.

Where all logic & reason flees out of the window like a thief in the night. One of our default settings entails having fear. In this battle of survival & living, fear can be either Forget Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise. The choice of interpretation is solely based on you & what you deem as your best approach to what life is handing over to you on a platter.

When we are paralyzed by our fear, we have a sense of confining ourselves to what makes us comfortable. When you discover you can do more than is being offered to you, you let the fear of the unknown shackle you to the same position. Thus making it an impediment to your growth.

The question that am guessing is swirling around your mind like soup & so often echo to ourselves when we hold our own meeting with ourselves is, what if? I am not saying that you should not question but you need to analyze beyond the query. 

This becomes the handcuff that puts you in place of not moving from your current position in life, home, work, family wise or even self. You tend to stick to that which is familiar & consider anything new introduced to you as a way of misleading you to your untimely doom like the journey to the center of the earth.

How we fail to achieve our full potential when we block ourselves from that which is within our grasp, why? This is because we believe that we are undeserving of the worthy opportunity that presents itself to us wrapped in a purple bow or that promotion handed over in a sealed envelope or that change that will make you soar like an eagle or that relationship that will stick you up like glue & bring out a better version of yourself.

If you want to get to change something in your life or around you, it all has to start with you. If you never try you will never know. In our journey as we traverse the various plains of existence, you should walk away from anything that give you bad vibes. There is no need to explain or make sense of it.

You need to be true to yourself & believe that there is more meant for you. Do you think you are the first in this world to make a mistake? My friend making mistakes is better than faking perfections. We need to learn to forgive ourselves at the moments we are at our worst.

It is not strange that at times we find ourselves at the raw end of the stick, beating ourselves for a mistake that we have made & is stuck to us like a stubborn paint stain that refuses to wash off. Through all the curve balls thrown at you, you need to brush them off like nothingness that you can overcome.

First you could start by changing your attitude about what life is & starting believe in what it can become. Molding it in clay forged by your very hands & in the very imagination & desire of your heart. Secondly, looking at the click of people who form your circle & opt to do a complete haul over.

It will not be easy as some have come with you from far. This does not mean you cut ties with those who have helped you become better but those who weigh you down like sin. Thirdly, immerse yourself in knowledge that will soak you like a sponge from reading, as it is stated knowledge is power.

Fourthly, if you are a spiritual person start praying for everything that you do so that God can bless the works of your hand. Fifthly, seize those opportunities that come your way even if it seems that it is impossible but just try, it won’t hurt. Sixthly, try to enjoy life. I know there could be some dry up season of resources but make do with what is avail. You know that you can talk a walk, go out for a run, listen to some uplifting music & so on.

Life is short. Cut out negativity, forget gossip, say goodbye to people who don’t care. Spend time with people who are always there. Pray as much as you can, forgive those who wrong you & move on with life. Remember that there are 5 things that you can’t get back:

             i.        Wasted money

            ii.        The stone after its thrown

          iii.        The word after it is said

          iv.        The moment after it is said

           v.         The time after it is gone

MY COUNTRY, MY HOME.

Did you know that you are the change that you want! Don't you know that! Ooh, hi there, didn't see you peeping at the pages of enlightenment. I was just preparing myself on how I was going to let loose a torrent of truths like the apostles of the days long gone had done. This has been one of those weeks where it is a holiday after a holiday. 

Just getting the body to just relax after the merciless beating it has received from the push it has had to endure. Whoever said adulting was easy just out rightly lied through their clenched teeth. What is this life? Every day is like a game of poker, trying out your lack to see if your will hit the jack pot.

You never know if tomorrow will be the last one where once you close your eyes that's it or it is going to be a fruitful day where you will smile all the way to the bank or you are going to be yelled at by that rogue colleague or supervisor. Life is quite unpredictable like the odds of winning a jack pot, you are never too sure which hand it will show you next. 

When you are an inhabitant of an African nation it is assumed by the outside world that you are in a backwards, undeveloped, still living in the trees kind of people. Where all you do is hunting & gathering & that we are so ravaged by poverty that we cannot in any way help ourselves. We are just a helpless lot begging for the mercy of the Almighty & awaiting judgment.

If only people could see what more is there to be offered in a country as compared to what the media will depict as the assumed truth. I do understand the criticism that African countries receive because of the way the leaders in control decide that power is theirs and theirs alone like a birth right.

A leader decides that the seat of power should not be out of his/her grasp & that it was meant for eternity. The robbing the nation of its resources to enrich oneself has become a common phenomenon. If you look past the politics, I can assure you that a nation has more to offer than meets the eye.

Most of the African nations as well as my homeland of Kenya have a good number of game reserves that have so much to offer. You get to be treated to the raw living of wildlife that many only see through their television screens. The roar of a lion, the laughing of a hyena, the grace of a giraffe, the magnitude of an elephant, the elegance of an antelope, the beauty of a peacock, the scream of monkeys, the buzzing of mosquitos & so forth.

It is such a wonder that one gets treated to true living of wildlife like no other place. Leave alone the wild animals what of the inhabitants themselves? If you were to walk in the streets of Nairobi, you will be surprised by how busy everyone is regardless of who they are. It is a beehive of activities, people selling their wares here & there, others pushing paper work to beat those deadlines & so on.

It is true that we do not choose to be born on this earth & as such when we get to live, breath we become part of the system that we find. It is humbling to have somewhere you call home apart from your house, if your country is not habitable that my friend is quite unfortunate. It feels good to be proud of your own home country & not one when it is mentioned, you distance yourself like as if a plague has struck.

If one hears about Kenya, it gets associated with its marathon runners who are quite formidable, the wildlife which is beholding, its weather which we get to soak under the rays of the hot sun. I got the privilege of taking a ride on one of our roads. This is what I was fortunate in the early morning hours to witness with my own eyes. Have you ever seen the sun caress the horizon like a gentle lover awakening like this?

My friend this was a sight to behold that left me dumbfounded, appreciative of what I was witnessing in such a time of the day. Thankful that I was one amongst the few who had that opportunity to see this great marvel. This is in taking into consideration that there are other nations that are war torn, filled with smog, heavily polluted & so on.

We need to take a moment to step back from the bustle of our living & be thankful for that which we have. A good number of you have left your homelands for one reason or another, some are good others are bad, it could be for safety reasons, for work reasons, for education reasons, for family reasons, for development reasons et cetera.

It is upon you as an individual to make your nation a better place for you & the generations to come & those who are there. You can do it in a small way, it doesn’t have to be one big bang. You could start by letting those around you know that there are local areas that you can go for the intimate interaction with nature (if nature lovers).

There are ways of getting that physical exercise or doing a sport or outdoor activity that can benefit your mind, body & soul. For starters currently people have taken to jogging, running, cycling, hiking, working out as part of their daily routine. This has been cured by doing either jogs or runs in protected forests which offer a serene environment or on roads with designated pedestrian walk ways.

It may be the age of the corona virus but we are a blessed people who can make the impossible possible. All you have to do is believe that it is possible. I want to leave you with the verses of our National Anthem (Kenya), that touches me to the very core. Hearing this being sung out loud in unison together with musical instruments can make you shed a tear. It is deep & does state how a country should be:

 

Oh God all creation

Bless this our land and nation

Justice be our shield and defender

May we dwell in unity

Peace and liberty

Plenty be found within our borders

 

Let one and all arise

With hearts both strong and true

Service be our earnest endeavor

And our homeland of Kenya

Heritage and splendor

Firm may we stand to defend

 

Let all with one accord

In common bond united

Build this our nation together

And the glory of Kenya

The fruit of our labour

Fill every heart with thanksgiving

TAKE MY HAND.

I would like to extend my hand & shake yours or more so just hug you, but the covid-19 directives have put me on check, so I will say hello from this distance. Are you seated or lying on the sofa or bed or even on the floor just stretching yourself out like a cat after the kind of day you have had? Well, I am hoping that you are now more relaxed, not snappy like a crab or moody (What?). 

I am guessing that you have had your supper (for the sophisticated ones, it is dinner) & you are now catching up with your other life which does not involve the grind or making ends meet. It is so nice to see that you can have this moment to yourself or I may be wrong, may be you could be hiding in your room or bathroom or closet away from other humans (don’t laugh this is serious). 

Seeking that the earth could swallow you whole & give you some semblance of peace & quietness in your own corner. What I can simply tell you is that it is going to be alright & God has got you. You don’t have to take my word for it but look at it this way, today you are still alive, how many do you think have not seen this day. I believe in you! I want you to know that you are stronger than you look, you are more blessed than you believe, you are more cherished than you can comprehend & you are more loved than you can see. 

Don’t feel like as if am trying to oil you (direct translation from kukuchocha or is it kupaka mafuta, I think). Anyway, I will assume you get the jest of what it is that I am saying, cause at times I even don’t understand myself. We face life in our own different ways, that the path which we take or are currently on, only us who can understand its weight. Right now, I am seated here at my desk listening to some instrumental music made up of guitar, violin & cello combo, soaking it in like a sponge. 

Wondering to myself, why can’t every hour be like this, calm, collected & serene. Maybe it is too much to ask but it is good to be a dreamer, one day it may materialize into a reality. Let me now take you on a short journey of what I have come to learn about life. There are moments when there is pain, sorrow, happiness, despair, ups, downs, laughs, tears & so on. It is at this moment that you wonder to yourself what is all this that is happening to me. 

Do you ever get so confused to the extent that you call yourself for a meeting? Where it is basically, a gathering of me, myself & I. Questioning the direction in which you are going, if it is the right one or you are just being blown around by the wind in whichever direction. Wondering as the days go by, who put me here on this world. There are days when you feel so broken that you doubt that someone else has ever gone through the same thing. 

There are days you will get back home, so exhausted, fatigued, hungry, angry & wondering is it really necessary that I go out there & try to make ends meet. There are days you look at your state of living & laugh at yourself, shaking your head like a calabash wondering if there is thick mud stuck somewhere in there. There are days you are at a loss that no words of comfort can right the situation & it is not that other person’s fault. 

I will share with you something that happened to me this our year of 2020. I got the privilege of joining a running club. No, I was & am not training to be a winner in any marathon or race or run away from my problems. I thought this was a good thing to help me interact with others & get challenged to become a better version of myself. There is a phrase we commonly hear or carelessly throw around that says “blood is thick than water”. 

From what I interpret it to mean is that your blood family is more close to you than the rest of the world. Now, back to my story of sorts, I noticed that in this club that I am in, family is more than flesh & blood. Why do I say this? The first days that I joined, the club captain requested to go for a run with me which left me baffled. I didn’t expect me a stranger & newbie to be in the company of such a great athlete.

This dude can run like the wind & I think sometimes his feet may catch fire because the pace he runs at is something to make you think thrice. He ran with me on my route at my pace with a lot of patience encouraging me to finish. Let me tell you, running for 5 kilometres was an uphill task for me, it reached a point I was like I have had enough. Over the months that have been, I have been able to catch up on the mileage. 

On this journey, I have also gotten to interact with the other members of the club who are easy & hail from different back grounds. I think some may be royalty, just that they down play it (don’t tell them I said so). My engagement with them has left me perplexed by how they are like a family unit, different in blood line but united by heart. I have gotten lessons on how to run better, how to keep safe on a run, how to dine healthier, keep fit & so on. 

However, this year has hit a number of the members of the club hard, who have lost loved ones unexpectedly. This has brought tears, heartache, misery, questions & pain to those left behind. I can but only commend the club members for standing by the sides of these individuals during the times that have been. Visiting them, supporting them, been there for them, praying for them & so on. 

I am not saying that you should join a running club but more so that you need to be around people who know what it feels like when the world is upside down. For there are people who hit like thunder & disappear like smoke. We all have our own battles we face but when we have others who come through for us when we are seeing no hope those are the true treasures to keep around & a big thank you to them. 

Do not be afraid to reach & touch someone’s life, you never know whose life you are touching. I will leave this with you, “If God is the DJ, then life is the dance floor, love is the rhythm & you are the music”.

THIS IS THE AIR I BREATH!

Do you know that you are blessed & highly favored? It may seem like a cliché that I keep on repeating but one thing you need to understand is that as long as you have air in your lungs do not take that for granted. I am aware that we have been hit hard by the Covid-19 which has turned our lives upside down but we are still here.

Ask yourself, am still alive, do I still have people who care about me, do I have some food on my table, do I have a roof over my head, do I have clothes that cover my back, do I still have my limbs that are functioning, do I still have some dignity & respect? Well if you are able to tick off any of this, you are in the right spot. 

I am looking & seeing that the time now is a weekend, which usually comes as a sigh of relief for a good number of us (inclusive of myself). Where you get to kick off your week day shoes & now we get into the open shoes, slippers, sandals, sport shoes & want to just give your toes a bit wiggle room from being crumped up & take in the weekend air.

Well it is now time to unwind & just enjoy the different environs from the norm of looking at files, ledgers, computers/laptops & now taking in the scenic routes, admiring nature at its best, the forests. If you are runner, you are now thinking of how you are going to conquer that trail & push yourself to that limit you deem unachievable.

Indeed, the weekends are a blessing in disguise when it is all up to self-love & hanging out with friends, loved ones away from the prying eye of the cctv cameras, nosy colleagues & so on. For me, I get to enjoy my weekends by going for early morning trails. Where I just let loose in the forest or those routes that give me the most calming & joyous effect.

This goes to the extent that I get lost in my own train of thoughts, just thinking about nothing & something (weird, may be it is). Thereafter, doing my best to try & spend time with those whom I hold dear, I am assuming that we all take it different. Others would decide this is the time to go get some hot, spicy roast meat dripping with juiciness from the local joint with a drink or two to escort it to the belly.

Others will decide it is time to explorer an area in the city or outside the confines of the city to get a different feel of the unpolluted & unpopulated environment. Others would decide it is time for them to be behind closed does & movie/tv series binge & snack like never before.

Others will decide it is the time to work on a personal project; painting, do some wood works, bake, do repairs around the house or on the car (the creatives know what I mean). In all that we do, we need to be appreciative of the fact that these three days called Friday afternoon, Saturday & Sunday are the most coveted days in a week.

Just take a look when it nears the official weekend, people’s moods just change all of a sudden. If a public holiday falls on the Monday to follow or that Friday, well it now becomes a party after party situation-ship. I am not here to condemn you but to encourage you to go forth & make merry.

However, do it wisely not to wake up the next day having left behind memories may haunt you like ghosts. You do know that the internet never forgets (right!), due to the emergence of our smart gizmos (gadgets). We may have the chance to enjoy ourselves but we all have an obligation to be responsible in our actions.

If you find or just wisely discover that what you deem your weekend activity is not beneficial, get into a charitable or a humanitarian act. You don’t even have to go to a reputable charity organization, you can aid those who are finding it hard to make it in the current times.

Support in form of the basic needs broken down to things such as food, clothes, financial assistances & so on. What we all need to take into consideration is that you can seem to be having it rough one way or another (which I am not taking it as a small thing), but you need to appreciate the very fact that you are alive & surviving. 

If you are in a position of assisting others in one way or another, you do that. If you are able to pray for others, pray for them. If you are able to go out in community & just hang out with guys who are not of your normal click & have fun, do that. If you are able to buy food stuff in plenty from the mama mboga to give her some boost, you do that.

If you are dealing with a local vendor of products, support that hustle it will not dent your wallet or bank account. This is a time for being there for one another, for a good number of people have not seen the sunrise that you so gracefully got to be engulfed it. Even if you don’t have much to give, a kind word, a smile or just small chit chat will do.

You do not have to go all out grand to create an impression. It is more so about doing it from the heart & doing it to your fullest potential. We all have a greatness that we can’t see but circumstances will definitely bring it out. I want to leave you with a prayer to take you through the day that has been & is yet to come to a conclusion.  You can repeat after me (if you so wish):

Our Father who is in heaven. I come before you as your beloved child. I am grateful that you have kept me alive & you have shown me your love, mercy, kindness & goodness. I may not be understanding what is happening in my life but I do know that you have a great plan for me. My God I offer myself to you to be a vessel for you to use as you please. At times, I am in a dark place but you Father know what is in store. Thank you for those who are around me to support me when I am down, hurt & broken. Lord Jesus, I give you this day & I pray that may your will be done. I pray this believing & trusting in Jesus name. Amen!

May you all have a great, awesome & serene weekend.

 

 

YOU ARE THE ONE!

Hi there, hoping that you have had a more productive week & that your weekend is looking much better, relaxed & calm. Alright, let us now take a moment I pray for you

Our father who is heaven, we come before you as your children. I bring before you the reader who has had the opportunity to grace this page, may you Lord touch his/her/their lives. May you open up doors for them where they have closed shut & teach them to rejoice & praise in the corridors. I do pray everlasting Father that you shall be in their everyday living, guiding, protecting, leading, caring, healing & watching over them. May your will & blessings be upon their lives. I pray that our God, our Lord that you shall be with them every step of their lives. They may not see your actions but God we know that you work in mysterious ways. I do pray this, believing & trusting in the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen!

Good, now let us see what we have for today that can intrigue your mind. I don’t want to make it sound like a cliché as it is but this revealing times have been one of a kind. A good number of people who back then had their phones ringing off the hook, all of a sudden it has now been quiet like a tomb. Even someone jokingly said that they had to tell their wife to call them just to check if their phone was still working.

Why you ask this act was taken, well, before the times we are in, phones used to ring after every few minutes or so. Now, it is like the survival mode we have entered into has made people forgot that the modern technology still works. People are rarely getting in touch with each other to see if their friend, colleague, family member is doing okay or just taking the time to chat them up just to remind that person that you still care & that they are still in your thoughts.

We have now resulted back to our default settings in which it is out of sight out of mind. This is quite saddening & it has come to many as a surprise that those whom used to talk, call, chat with them no longer do so. How the mighty have fallen & those who used to come to them because they had pockets filled with coin will no longer recognize them as they have fallen into hard times.

Right now the social feed streets have grown cold as life has taken a turn that was not anticipated. I am here to tell you, I hear you, I feel your pain & I understand you. Let me ask you, do you have friends? Let me ask it differently. Do you have true friends? What I am asking is that if the person who you call your friend is a person you can rely on when things are good or bad, can hold you down when you have gotten it bad, can be there for you even when you are facing your worst fears, can be there for you when you are beyond repair, can be there for you when you have nowhere to go?

I am not trying to make you scrutinize those whom you surround yourself with but I want you to question who is it that you call your friend. There has been a number of curtain falls where people have realized that those whom they called their friends were only fair weather friends (those who are there for a season & time). It came as a shock, you are there knowing you have friends who you can count on when things are thick but when it suddenly is dark everyone has scattered from your presence.

You call them to help you in getting some financial assistance so that you can pay part of your rent/buy some food to feed yourself or your family/have some fare but their phones get disconnected quickly like as if you have electrocuted them. You try them a second time & the line goes like, “the number that you are trying to call is no longer in service”.

It has been a showdown of sorts where the true nature of people has been unveiled like the peeling of an onion. You go knocking on the door of your ‘friend’ to get some help only for it to be shut closed on your face without even getting a second glance. This has now become the new normal & the realization that it was all a lie.

I had the privilege one afternoon of taking a cab back home, from a day full of all manner of happenings. When I struck a conversation with the driver, asking how the going is like. The driver told me that during this time she realized that even those whom you call your blood family can leave you to suffer. Thus, having clung onto the phrase, “blood is thicker than water”.

She told me that no one in the family has tried for the past several months gotten in touch with her to see if she was still alive considering the mood of the pandemic has been having. Taking no prisoners & clearing the path of humanity with no remorse. This got me wondering, when we say that we are friends does it mean that we are only there for a short defined period of time or season or is there a different meaning to it.

We cast away those who view us their close & true friends in an instant. The ones whom they can rely on & know that no matter what we have got their back. My friend indeed things are thick, are we truly our brother/sister’s keepers or we are just imposters leeching on them. I am blessed to have a few true friends, who I have known for more than a decade.

They have been with me through it all, the good, the bad, the scary, the lacking, the having & it has not been easy but they have got my back. We all need to look at those whom we surround ourselves with. If you find out if there are no wild parties at your house, nights out, no money handouts, no alcohol, no drugs, no favours, no freebies are those whom are around you going to still stick around.

Even for yourself, if you are only a friend to someone because of what you are gaining in return from that friendship you need to check yourself. We may be deeming ourselves as a friend to so & so, but from the look of things we are leeches. Sucking at every ounce of opportunity that we can get to selfishly benefit ourselves.

A friendship is meant to be a two-way street & a blade that cuts across both ways. If you have not checked up on that colleague, friend or family member start easy by just simply texting or chatting them up. If possible, go visit but follow through with Covid-19 guidelines. You can even do video calls which have now become part of our everyday lives.

If you see one of those whom you know is in need don’t wait to be asked to assist, just chip in. Uttering a kind word to someone can really go a long way than you can imagine. On my phone I have a screen saver with these words across, “smile is the most beautiful language”. It makes me wonder if I smile enough or am I always having my usual stone face. I want you as go about your day to reflect on these words, “sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory”.