And So It Goes...

The night before the epic 2010 ends, I'm sitting in my kitchen at 5.38pm, unwashed, wrapped in the warmest bathrobe known to man with my homegirl Corinne Bailey Rae serenading me quietly from MacMilliene's speakers and I'm ready to bid 2010 a merry farewell. It has been a great year in many ways, sooo many blessings in the last 12 months, soooo many significant changes and most importantly, soooo much growth has gone on in my life.

I believe I can confidently say 2010 finds me at her careful conclusion, a better woman that I was at her cantankerous commencement. I think this is how all our years ought to be measured regardless of the challenges faced duringn the year; the ability to exit triumphant come December, is the determinant of A Good Year.

Ladies and Zestlemen, I had a great year!

With all the learning and growth as a woman, a person, 2010 brought, I can't wait for 2011 The 'Doing' Year. Less Talk, More Work.

Oh, and in 2011 I am going to be happy every single...I'll start everyday with a smile...no, a grin...hell, I'm already practicing now! Lol.

Courage In Motion

Dr. Hawa Abdi, “equal parts Mother Teresa and Rambo.”

Read a little about her here;

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/opinion/16kristof.html

I heard...

"I still haven't developed antibodies for your smile. "-Jeffrey McDaniel

Because I Love It

The Archipelago Of Kisses

We live in a modern society. Husbands and wives don't
grow on trees, like in the old days. So where
does one find love? When you're sixteen it's easy,
like being unleashed with a credit card
in a department store of kisses. There's the first kiss.
The sloppy kiss. The peck.
The sympathy kiss. The backseat smooch. The we
shouldn't be doing this kiss. The but your lips
taste so good kiss. The bury me in an avalanche of tingles kiss.
The I wish you'd quit smoking kiss.
The I accept your apology, but you make me really mad
sometimes kiss. The I know
your tongue like the back of my hand kiss. As you get
older, kisses become scarce. You'll be driving
home and see a damaged kiss on the side of the road,
with its purple thumb out. If you
were younger, you'd pull over, slide open the mouth's
red door just to see how it fits. Oh where
does one find love? If you rub two glances, you get a smile.
Rub two smiles, you get a warm feeling.
Rub two warm feelings and presto-you have a kiss.
Now what? Don't invite the kiss over
and answer the door in your underwear. It'll get suspicious
and stare at your toes. Don't water the kiss with whiskey.
It'll turn bright pink and explode into a thousand luscious splinters,
but in the morning it'll be ashamed and sneak out of
your body without saying good-bye,
and you'll remember that kiss forever by all the little cuts it left
on the inside of your mouth. You must
nurture the kiss. Turn out the lights. Notice how it
illuminates the room. Hold it to your chest
and wonder if the sand inside hourglasses comes from a
special beach. Place it on the tongue's pillow,
then look up the first recorded kiss in an encyclopedia: beneath
a Babylonian olive tree in 1200 B.C.
But one kiss levitates above all the others. The
intersection of function and desire. The I do kiss.
The I'll love you through a brick wall kiss.
Even when I'm dead, I'll swim through the Earth,
like a mermaid of the soil, just to be next to your bones.

Jeffrey McDaniel

Oh Harry!

I have been trying to write this note for the last two weeks. Every time I seat to write, Laziness slithers quietly on the floor, stealthily steals up my legs, sweeps past my torso and its lethargy settles on my fingers, stilling them and slowly guiding me towards that wondrous talent of mine, Sleep. *sigh* But this time, like a gangster warrior, the courageous Amazonian I am, I fight against those two nefarious brothers Laziness and Procrastination…and emerge triumphant. So, Friday night finds me propped up in bed, eyes squinting at MacMilliene my trusty sidekick, sweet faithful MacBook, as I type merrily away about a subject that trul fascinates me….Harry Potter.

Yes, yes the jokes flow fast and free as you snicker behind your calloused palms whispering “…typical Nigerian, of course she is fascinated by witches and wizards!” Despite the fetishness of the citizenry of my nation state, I am replete in the confidence that I have a different covenant, one with the creator Himself, ruler of all things temporal and extemporal and so you see, I have no interest in witchcraft and wizadry and other odious doings, imagined or otherwise.

Alors, allons y.

I saw the movie adaptiation of the 7th of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter novels and I am once again amazed at the depth and insight of this woman. People who do not know better condemn the book savagely; some as merely a child’s tale that has been cleverly packaged in such a manner as to deceive grown folk into falling in love with a child’s fairtytale. Others, more conservative and peppered with the heat of an interpretation of their religion, denounce the book for being a heretical study of dangerous ideas, an insidious method of spreading devilish messages. Still others simply determine it is simply an over-rated work of art.

Opinions as I suspect you are aware, are like orifices in the nether regions of every human body, every person has and is entitled to one. I, have always been a fan of the Harry Potter franchise and the latest movie confirmed the reason. More than anything else, the Potter series is the story of a young person’s coming of age. So readily identifiable, incredibly accessible to anyone who knows what it is to try to find and stay true to yourself in a world that is perpetually trying to pull you to its dictates. At the heart of the tale is a story of that rarest of gifts; Friendship. It is a tale of good, solid Friendships standing the test of time, growing and maturing with its owners, enriching their lives by its very presence. But more than anything else, it is a tale of courage. Of people standing up to systems that inefficient and cruel systems, challenging the status quo, people in a constant search for Truth. In recent days, I have been thinking of courageous humans, people that care for much more than themselves and are able to break out of their barrier of comfort, unwilling to sit and let Destiny master the ship of their lives…men and women who look into an uncertain future and refuse to hand over the rein of their lives to this elusive vixen called Destiny.

From book one to seven, the Harry Potter series chronicle courage at the height of tyranny and unrestrained evil. And reading the author’s speech about her inspiration for the book (http://roomtorite.blogspot.com/2009/07/oga-pota.html) moves the characters from black and white manifestations on a page, makes me think of the real-life people of courage all over the world who persistently stand up for Right and I wonder, what will my legacy be? When I leave this world, how much would I have contributed to my corner of the world?

How did I get here from the story about a frightened looking 11 year old who lived in a cupboard?

J.K Rowling’s skill.

[J.K ROWLING'S SPEECH: http://roomtorite.blogspot.com/2009/07/oga-pota.html]

Because I Love It

When I'm alone with You Lord
My troubles seem to disappear
And the peace that comforts me
Always comes when You are near
And Your love's too much for my heart to contain
Joy too much that my feet won't refrain

So I dance like the rain on the roof
Tell my soul that my spirit's on the loose
Don't know if anyone will understand
Feels like an angel's got a hold of my hand
So I dance
I dance I dance I dance

When I think about the ways
That You have blessed my life
I sing a song of praise and thankful tears fill my eyes
'Cause Your love's too much for my heart to contain
Joy too much that my feet won't refrain

So I dance like the rain on the roof
Tell my soul that my spirit's on the loose
Don't know if anyone will understand
Feels like an angel's got a hold of my hand
So I dance
I dance I dance I dance

-Lenny Leblanc

Our forefathers say...

"Lizard for Warri no fit turn to crocodile for London"

-Warri proverb from Warri No Dey Carry Last

I heard...

"If she's amazing, she won't be easy
If she's easy, she won't be amazing.
If she's worth it, you won't give up.
If you give up...maybe you're not worth it?"

-Paraphrased from www.christianarants.com

My Purpose Driven Life. I Think...Pt II

This is the second half of a (long) post I wrote earlier, on life and courage. I said before that the older i grow, the more responsibility I am faced with and the more I realise that to maintain my focus I need to put my life in order. I need to 'prune' my life into place, I think. Because I really really believe your life should only contain things that matter:)

In the process of pruning, I’ve had to make some difficult decisions but I’m learning that good, solid…and correct… decisions leave you a little sad, but much more at peace with yourself. In the end you’re stuck with yourself for eternity, do you really want to keep justifying your choices to yourself? Better to do the right thing, not the convenient thing, hard as it may be and be at peace. I think. That’s where the serenity quote comes in. You really need wisdom to determine what is worth letting go of in your life, and what deserves to be retained. Because your life should only be full of things that matter; to your happiness, your peace and self-worth.

We need God’s help to accept that there will always be things we can not change even by working, wishing or waiting. We have to accept that, serenely. Not with excessive bouts of regret, self-pity or Jazmine Sullivan style Busting Windows of Cars but with calmness flowing from an inner confidence that all things will work together for your good no matter what today looks like. You need that attitude to weather the storms of life because Life is not for small kids! LOL! It can throw you some curve balls that understandably warrant a madness-demonstrating response…but you can't always give in to emotional impulses or you will drain yourself. Save your energy, cultivate serenity.

And for the things that are in our power to change, we need the courage from Him to take that first step on a journey of change. That’s often all you need. And God knows that. Any huge task starts with the very first attempt. Just as a journey of a thousand miles, begins with one step….random story, I had a Japanese friend called Ayumi which apparently means that first step in a long journey. Cool no? No? Ok, moving on. See Joshua 1:8, where Joshua is about to take the mantle of leadership of millions of people, from the much loved and well respected Moses. Imagin the anxiety! But God has absolute confidence in Joshua’s ability to rule, and rule well. And as if He knows that Joshua is nervous, He tells him: “ONLY be strong and very courageous”. As if that is all he needs to succeed. I really love that scripture. God understands fear, in particular, MY fears. In church on Sunday the pastor said “…courage is not the absence of fear, it is the mastery of fear. In the absence of fear, there is no need for courage.” We need to face our fears head-on and challenge them to do the worst they can. That’s the only way you bring yourself to the next level in your life. Otherwise you’re perpetually bound by your own fears, you wonder why you’re not growing but you can’t see that you are the one limiting yourself.

I find that I women sacrifice themselves easily, we prioritise other people to our detriment. Giving up on that and redirecting focus on yourself can be difficult. But when you prioritise your own aspirations, let go of things that hold you back, are courageous enough to go for gold & goals, and you trust your decisions then your peace of mind is guaranteed, your confidence in your abilities and love for yourself grows. Suddenly, you feel like you own the World, his fastidious father and his bootilicious babymama!

So in this journey to Purpose, here is what I wish myself and all women in the similar boat of finding themselves and running with a vision; “I wish you strong trust in yourself and faith in the future. The belief that you will make the right choices to bring you closer to the happiness you deserve. I wish you friends to surround you in the circle of their caring and love and people to help you laugh at life”. (Gotten from a birthday card I bought myself on my 22nd birthday and randomly found in my closet yesterday. Yes I bought myself a birthday card...lol…please focus!).

And some encouragement for those of us on the precipice of a difficult pruning decision…and for those currently working out a dream too, I’ll tell you what they told me in church on Sunday:

(Conversation between God and *insert your name here*)

God: “I’ll be with you. I wont give up on you ________; I wont leave you. Be strong and of good courage…Give it everything you have, heart and soul…don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to ensure you get where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of the Revelation (iLovit!) be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night (consistency!), make sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Only be strong and very courageous, don’t be timid, don’t get discouraged __________. God, your God is with you every step you take.” –Joshua 1:5-8 Msg & KJV.

God knows that doing the right thing is never easy. You’re not alone.