Home

She walks. Tall and proud. Her achievement? Outshining all…

She walks. Quiet and focused. Her achievement? Change a life…

Both of them. Walk. With a purpose. To each his own, yes? Read on…

These questions came to me as I was repeatedly blinded by LED headlights. It struck me that drivers are 90% aware of their vehicle lights including their effects on other drivers ..because why not? It happens to them too. The question is, what is the motive behind blinding others?

I started this article with 2 simple scenarios. We were all born for a purpose…some have found their purpose, while others are still searching. It is in that journey of searching that we meet all kinds of individuals. 

Some of these individuals are out to blind you with their achievements and purposely omit assisting you. 

Some individuals are out to guide you towards your purpose as they find their way to theirs. 

Some individuals are not even aware that they have the ability to blind others, and therefore, cause a lot of discomfort with whomever they interact with. 

Let’s talk about the individuals who purposely omit assisting you. I wouldn’t want to focus on this individual because this is a person who is driven by a ‘lack’ mentality. They probably believe that there is not enough for everyone to go around. They also probably believe that if they help, they are ‘reducing’ their opportunities. Need I say more?

Let’s focus on the individuals who are our guides. Our quiet, always gracious guides. These individuals are very few on this planet. These individuals who ‘do unto others’…remember the golden rule? These people that give and therefore receive in equal or greater measure. These people that notice where help might be needed and therefore do the needful. 

I could write a book about these people because they are the soul of the world (in my opinion) and we need more of them.

I celebrate this individual who, out of pure intent, lights the way for others.  

I celebrate this individual who, out of humanity, guides and assists where they see a need.

As you proceed on the journey of finding yourself, do you help others? Do you purposely blind others? Are you aware of your capabilities?

“Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin. We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.”

— Maya Angelou

…..its a matter of choice.

Is play for children only?

I think not.

Is play a reward for working?

I know not.

Are play and work mutually exclusive?

Perhaps not.

Where am I headed with this article?

I know not. 

 

The journey of working…growing…learning…is a long one. It can get overwhelming, especially when you lose sight of W.H.Y you are doing it.

 

We usually use play as a reward for a day well spent, for a day needing a boost of happiness, or for a day of bonding with fellow humans. However, the irony is, we forget that we learn best when we are at play. The lessons learnt therein cannot be taught in a classroom, neither can they be taught through a well written book. 

 

We always encourage the little humans to go out and play, roll on the grass, make the pretend homes and much more. Why don’t we encourage ourselves to do the same? As you grow, your time is occupied by so much more. You have to make the conscious effort to play. You have to make the conscious effort to find a joke that tickles your ribs. You have to make the conscious effort to list your hobbies.

 

I’m coming round to my point. Last week I left you with an acronym. G.O.A.L.S

 

This week I leave you with another one. 

Please

Laugh

At

Yourself

 

It is at P.L.A.Y that we discover ourselves.

It is at P.L.A.Y that we rekindle the happy laughter of our youth.

It is at P.L.A.Y that we lift the cloud of responsibility that sometimes threatens to storm our lives. 

P.L.A.Y is not just for little humans. It’s for all humans. 

 

I am the little human that lays silent in you.

I am the little human who still has big dreams for you.

I am the little human, laying dormant,

Waiting for you to P.L.A.Y me to life.

When I was just a thought in your head, 

You helped me come into reality.

When I was just a speck in your world,

You helped me become brighter.

When I started to lose direction,

You helped me find it.

 

As I grew, you helped me adapt.

As I changed, you helped me focus.

As I grew rusty, you helped me shine.

 

I will leave you with an acronym.

Go

Out

And

Learn

Something

 

It is in learning that we grow.

It is in learning that we achieve.

It doesn’t have to be book learning. It can also be interpersonal learning. Learn how to read people and their moods. Learn how to identify vibes that help you grow. Learn how to open your mind and to be receptive. Learn how to sharpen your saw without compromising your blades.

Learn how to be purposeful.

 

Above all, learn how to reach out. 

No quotes. Just an acronym. 

G.O.A.L.S

 

This article is coming after Sunday. Let me tell you why.

In the course of a very busy week, it occured to me that having somewhere to lay your head is very important. However, something did stand out. Each night I got a pillow that had a different experience with my neck…hence, sometimes I would wake up with a massive headache simply because the pillow had issues. And herein lies my point.

Something as small as a pillow can cause great pain or it can cause great comfort. The pillow can make your resting experience 5 star or 1 star. What do we use as a pillow to recover and recuperate? Are we aware that our choice of pillows can make you quite unproductive? Perhaps a pillow of choice could be reading of books or scripture…perhaps scrolling through social media platforms…perhaps cooking…perhaps going on long walks…or perhaps finishing off a whole thermos of tea.

Whatever your choice of pillows, are you aware of its effect on you? Is your pillow making you grow as a person or it’s a major hindrance?

“A pillow for thee will I bring, stuffed with down of angels wing”. Richard Crashaw

May your pillow give you rest tonight.

This week I continue with the thread of the previous article. THE LIGHT. Read on.

“There’s a wick within you that is waiting to become the light of your soul. When this inner flame burns brightly you will feel a magnificent awakening in your life“. (B. Keeney)

When you hear the term ‘wick’, what comes to your mind? To mine, I see a hope…a future…a purpose…an anticipation for light. Poetry time!

I am a light

Sometimes hidden, sometimes not.

Sometimes lit, sometimes not.

I am waiting

For you to strike a match to ignite me

For you to fan my flames to grow me.

I am in you

Waiting for you to find me

Waiting for you.

I am your light.

Waiting for just a spark

Waiting to burn.

I am your potential

Waiting for you to find me

Waiting for you to ignite me

Watching…and waiting…for you to strike that match.

…Find and ignite your light.

 

Wake up. Stretch. Rub your eyes. Wash and dry your face. Moisturise (or not)…etc

I’m yet to meet someone who purposely doesn’t wash their face. In addition to freshening us, it serves as part of a skin care routine. Because, who wouldn’t want to have great skin? Whether on the face or body, the question remains the same.

…”Grow a thick skin”…

…”Your skin looks cracked. What’s up?”

I have heard these sentences…sometimes in the same sentence…or in a good year, perhaps only once. 

Let’s talk about this organ called skin…and why we are encouraged to look after it. Do you smell superimposing?

We know the skin is a protective organ. We also know how sensitive it is to bumps and scratches…or when a flame decides to singe your little hairs. 

We also know that there are various skincare products that we are encouraged to use so that we protect our delicate shells…and herein lies the point. 

For the sake of understanding, let me define the word ‘core’ as our inner selves. Our spiritual selves. Our soul. Read on.

Why do we work so hard to protect our skin and yet not use the same effort to protect our core?

Why do we use the best skin care products and yet not give the same care to our core? 

Why do we go for a skincare consult and yet neglect a corecare consult?

In previous articles, I have alluded to the same. Know yourself. Know when it’s time for a corecare consult. As delicate as your skin is, so is your core. As scarred as your skin can get, so can your core. 

We have a skincare routine. What is your corecare routine? A simple corecare routine can be journaling, meditation and seeking guidance from the Wise One.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”  – Edith Wharton

Let your core be the candle or the mirror.

 

Today I have felt that Swahili captured the mood of this week.

If you remember the program ‘Dunia wiki hii’, you have an idea of where we are heading this week.

My current read is Robin Sharma’s ‘The Saint, the Surfer and the CEO’. The person narrating the story has just met with a Priest who is explaining to him about how life works and how nothing is an accident. The Priest also explains that people come into our lives to help us learn lessons so as to grow. A sample of a lesson has to do with the growth of virtue – and how at the time we need to grow virtue, we tend to meet people and situations that create the environment for learning whichever virtue is on the agenda. Now…I have said it very nicely! In simpler terms, we don’t meet people by accident…neither do we encounter situations by accident. Let me stop there and encourage you to get the book!

Dunia wiki hii has been about those lessons. Those lessons that keep coming until you recognize that personal change and growth have to occur for the situation to change. Those lessons that have the potential to leave you winded or excited (depending on your perspective).

If you never have problems, then something is wrong! 

If you always have the same problems, then something is wrong!

Perspective helped me this week. Let us see how ‘Dunia wiki ijayo’ will be. 

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears” (Robin Sharma)

It happens to the best of us…

It happens to the worst of us…

This week is all about rust. We all know that stuff. The stuff that appears as evidence of poor maintenance. Poetry time…!

I am always there lurking in the darkness

Waiting for you to let your guard down.

 

I strike amidst your laziness

To coat your potential.

 

I am right there,

Waiting for your complacent self to show up.

Waiting for the time you will notice that years have passed since you last thought about growing.

Waiting for the time you will notice that years have passed since you reached out to your friends.

 

I am right there,

Held back by your constant growth 

Held back when you sharpen your skills

Held back when you nurture healthy relationships.

 

I am right there.

A single choice between ‘do now!’ and ‘wait a little’.

I could write this poem for 3 pages. However, I know you have understood my point. When was the last time you sharpened your skills? When was the last time you tried something new that pushed you out of your comfort zone? How often do you use the word ‘tomorrow’ when it comes to calling a friend?

For every time you make any choice, you are a step away from inviting rust into your life. 

Yes yes I know you can do something to contain the rust once it happens. BUT, isn’t it easier to prevent than to cure? Especially if you are aware of the consequences of your actions…

“I am right there…waiting to coat your potential” (Rust)

Oh…and your innards can rust too. A story for another day…