How often do you smile in a day? How about in a week? Or even a month. What about in a year?
The world is constantly changing at a higher rate daily while problems and challenges arise every single day. A smile is what will keep you going when things hit rock bottom, Because No matter where you are from, which language you speak, what you look like, whether Tall or short, black or white your smile can be understood by everyone for every heart understands the art of a smile.
Maybe all you need to do is smile more and see how amazing that is to you and those around you, especially those who need it. Bless someone with it today because it costs nothing in the Giving but in the receiving it could mean the world.
No matter how hard things get, don’t forget to smile.
Smiles are contagious and no one can resist them. Smile more and make your life more colourful everyday; that way, You will become the change that you want to see in the world.
if you ever forget your smile, just remember its right below your nose.
At a distance, it looks like a small mountain, something you can easily pull through within 40 minutes and be back before you know it. That is the biggest lie you could ever tell yourself. Its steep, rocky, tall and everything else a mountain is.
Janti
The beginning..
The certainty of some journeys at the beginning is a great motivation. From the start of the climb, I had a printed picture of getting through and finishing the race with grace. But with challenge after challenge along the way I began to question the certainty of pulling through. There were moments when things seems blurry, and just when I thought I had been through a tough challenge, an even bigger one was just a step away. Our lives are journeys in their own unique aspect, sometimes we are certain of the fact that we can pull through and get to the other side while other times, things aren’t as clear as we would want them to be, But one thing is for sure we can get to the other side no matter how tough things get, it just takes a mini step a second and we get there.
( My sis and I) On the way to Mt. longonot
Before starting the climb we did some exercises just to warm up and get our muscles ready for what was ahead of us, little did we know we were preparing for all the will power we will need to get up there. We were also divided in some groups just to keep each other on check. This was an eye opener of just how important people are in our lives. There were times I could barely walk, times I was about to give up but a helping hand ahead of me would keep me moving when I couldn’t. A word of encouragement here and there that we are almost there, that you got this! was enough motivation to get me up there. I also learned that its okay not to be okay that sometimes its okay to ask for help.
On the way, you would see some amazing sites like zebra’s and antelopes just a few steps from where you are, steal some few glances that would leave you appreciating the beauty of nature as you stand in awe of just how lucky you are to be in the journey.
janti
At the top, perspectives change
Somehow I got to the top, it didn’t matter who got there before me, who got there after me. All that mattered at that moment was the fact that I pulled through, the tough times, the almost giving up moments, the times I could barely walk and I could only stand in awe of how far I had come. I could afford a smile and a selfie too and simply being there to celebrate those who were getting to the top too. I think its doesn’t matter if you get there first or the last, all that matters is you took the journey and you got there no matter how hard it was.
(AT THE TOP) LOOKING AT HOW FAR I HAVE COME
ALWAYS REMEMBER….
The beauty of taking a journey is surrounding yourself with people who are at the same journey as you. They can hold your hand when the times get tougher, fire you up with a word to keep you moving and celebrate you when you get to the top. And even though you might be working as a team always remember, the journey is yours for the taking. The higher we got, the clearer it became that only you could take your journey, only you could finish the race no matter how tough it got. People could hold your hand, but could not take your journey for you. Be present in those defining moments of your life.
People can hold your hand, but they cannot take your journey for you
janti
I was present…
Every journey needs a prepared mind, what better way to prepare your mind than taking a chance at hiking.
Being on a girls day I’ve decided to tell a story….My story
A few years back, My mom brought us to live in the city after she secured a job here. Excitement chipped in because i was moving to a new place, that many people would talk about. There’s that pride that comes with going to a place only a few have been to. More so, if you get to use the only means of transport that was considered a jackpot back in the day. In those days that single bus carried so much pride that even if you had to stand all the way you wouldn’t mind.
With all the hopes of a better life, making friends, eating delicacies that we only enjoyed during special occasions such as on our birthdays, weddings and the Christmas season that only came once in a year, we were positive about being in the city with all its glory. We didn’t even think about school at first, because for us we were in a new territory and ready to discover great places and try out different things.
THE CHALLENGE
Being kids, my mom had to find a school for my sister and I. Luckily, we found one that was convenient since it was near our home. One that only allowed students to either communicate in English or Swahili. This was a major issue for us for we knew only mother tongue. Nevertheless, we got admitted with the belief that children learn fast and can easily adapt to a place easily. At first it all seemed like a happy adventure, meeting new faces and playing until it got to the lessons. Every lesson seemed like the wind that I could only hear yet understand nothing. Luckily for me my class teacher could to some extent understand me .(You know teachers and parents have one thing in common they can understand children even when they are using words one can’t understand.)
EMOTIONAL DAMAGE
In one of my pursuits of trying to learn the schools official languages, I used the aspect of observation.(its on of the things I use up to today) I wanted to ask for permission to go to the washroom for a quick call and just like I observed my fellow students doing, they would go to the teacher to ask for permission, they would mumble some words and then they’d be allowed to go out. That single day, I went and I did exactly what I saw them doing and waited to be allowed to go out, but nothing. I tried reciting the exact words they used but I couldn’t remember even the slightest ones. My teacher asked me to sit down and come back after I had learned how to clearly ask for permission to go out. By this time I was already so pressed I went back tried to chill until breaktime but couldn’t, I pleaded with the only language I knew but she wouldn’t allow me to go out. Having no option and against my will, against every effort to hold myself together to at least until breaktime. I let go and it happened. It seemed like in a minute, I had my pride and the next, all my pride went to zero by doing the business on myself, my worst nightmare! What more could I do? I tried my very best but I just didn’t seem to find the right words. I became the laughing stock of the entire class for a whole week. Whenever, anyone saw me, they would just laugh at me wanted nothing to do with me and it’s in those times that I felt so unworthy and unaccepted.
TURNING POINT
But then, I promised myself to learn English and Swahili with everything. I worked on myself daily so much that by the time I was in class 4, I was already fluent in Swahili and English. I look back to those times and appreciate the downfalls because if it were not for them I wouldn’t have pushed myself to learn.
PICK YOURSELF UP AND TRY AGAIN..
I believe that We all have potential inside of us. When we constantly learn to improve ourselves as girls we become better versions of ourselves. I call upon all of us to be brave and intentional about embracing our strengths and realizing our abilities. We can’t all succeed when half of us are held back. Let’s work together each in their lane until we become who we are meant to be.
Here’s to strong women!!!
May we know them!!
May we become them!!!!
May we raise them!!!!
You’ve got that spark darling don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
We’re constantly attached to a state where everything feels familiar, at ease with no efforts included. At our previous achievement, Current success and what we’ve learned recently that we fail to anticipate the more to come and the more to be achieved.
Work in Progress
Lately, I’ve been thinking of how world’s great personalities are able to still remain relevant even after years and years of being in the spotlight. Christian Ronaldo, Messi, Great authors, musicians, artists, business people. They continually improve their craft and their skills even when we think they’ve already achieved everything. One thing that stands out for me is the fact that they are their own competition. They are ever after beating their past success. They have backgrounds just like us, but their stories were never told until they went against all odds and became who they are today. If they can still afford to keep going then it means one thing that moving ahead is a must for you and I.
More ahead…Keep going
Current success! Current rejections! failures! mistakes! Why stay here Yet still there’s more ahead?
It is so easy to get held up in your current success, your current rejection, the many failures you’ve encountered and the many mistakes that you keep making along the way. Its important to remember as long as there’s that heartbeat you can rise from the embers and become the very person you were born to be. While taking time to look back and reflect for each of us is essential, it’s also important to look forward and consistently redefine ourselves for the future.
The point is don’t let your mind ever feel that it has already achieved what you’re meant for. There is More to be achieved. More opportunities ahead. You just have to keep improving yourself every single day. And With that heartbeat; Our creator, Our father says ;”There’s more ahead, keep going “
When asked what we think our lives should be like, we always picture a perfect life. No stress, enough money, success and everything in between. We fail to realize that perfection is overrated.
When I started blogging, I wanted my first work to be perfect. The language, grammar, the flow and of course some wisdom all in one work. But nothing seemed to work In my favor. Before I started I didn’t know that I had an option to correct my work as many times as I would want or even add things to an already published blog. I would never have learnt that if I didn’t put out the imperfect write up. When we aim for perfection, we fail to embrace a space for change. Change comes with loads of imperfect start ups, the no idea times and the blurry moments.
Working hard to improve ourselves isn’t wrong. The idea that everything has to be perfect is. Start ups will always be depressing as along as we aim for perfection. The path may not always be as clear as you’d want it to be. Or the destination well laid out either, but with patience we can get there. Remember the many times you felt lost only to find yourself, The many times you didn’t know which path to take but still found your way.
Perfection is what kills dreams even before they’re fulfilled, passions before they’re unveiled and Potential before it is unleashed. The first pitch won’t be perfect, neither will the first poem, or the first story but as along as imperfection allows for change you’re good to go. We just have to learn to choose daily the attitude we present to the World. And the truth is, That opportunity is here with every sunrise.
Take the first step, It doesn’t have to be perfect. it’s your starting point.
Have you ever had to wait for something so bad that you felt like giving up? We all have things we had to wait for. When we were young we couldn’t wait to be adults because for us, it seemed much fun and we didn’t think we were growing .But as we grew up we faced situations that taught us to wait. whether its waiting in the queue at the bank for your turn, at school or for a person you agreed to meet or any other place. And because you can anticipate the outcome you stay in put until its your chance to be served. The treasure in some things lies in the beauty of waiting. What have you been waiting for in the longest time?
Photo by Stanley Morales
Every desire in our lives is attached to a wait. We all desire to be better, to get stronger, to heal from our past, to find our way, the right person and even the right purpose but we’re presented with waiting. Waiting allows us to experience the emotions and feelings that are attached to the seasons we’re in, the ones we can’t run away from. In those moments we get to build in parts of our lives that we didn’t even know existed. I believe waiting builds in patience ,because we have the chance to face the not so good times. We all want the best things that life can offer but the wait that comes with that only few can endure. Any person that you know great had those moments when they felt like giving up but they didn’t. They kept moving, they kept going, they waited for good days while working despite everything.
Let’s take a lesson from nature. When a farmer goes to sow his seeds does he immediately check the next day if they have sprung up? Not really! It’s a process…He would sleep and then one day, he finds the seeds already sprung up and that’s how it is with everything else. You can’t invest today and expect to earn profits the same day.it takes time. We all have to go through a process in all we are set to do, its in this process that we experience different seasons and the beauty of life is revealed. Hard times and good times create a balance in your life.
Every time I have to wait for something, I take it upon myself to appreciate the season I am in. Its because, sometimes it can be hard to wait and so I choose to be in the season as I anticipate for what I’m waiting for. Waiting is not a guarantee that you’ll get what you want but its the guarantee of what you become in the process of waiting.
Ecclesiastes 3:11;He has made everything beautiful in its Time.
Holiday screams different things; Road trips, skiing, sky diving, hitting a ride with dolpins, You name it. But for me it screams nature and family. Its so easy to convince yourself that you should work more and more to get to the top but you need renewal to soar higher and higher and what better way to do this than to have recreational time.
Photo by August de Richelieu
Festivities speaks of quality time with family and peace of mind. Its the feeling I get when I’m traveling to my hometown. The urge to see everybody and just chill, be happy and create new memories. The one thing that gives me more joy is taking a walk in the woods and smelling the wild air and a chance to witness a thousands miracles from the beauty of belonging to a family and that of nature.
The joy of joining the family to celebrate family traditions has itself build in family values, a sense of belonging that has kept my head up high and the courage to keep going when hard times chip in.The narration times in the evenings with my grandparents is something everybody looks forward to. The times when Guks and shosh share the stories of how they met. Its really a funny story, and I promise to tell you someday. In such times we get to share our feelings and thoughts as we recall the priceless memories.
Photo by Fauxels
I get to improve my cooking skills especially in grandma’s specialty “Usuu wa ekie” its a type of porridge that is traditionally made and I must confess my cooking skills have been improving. From learning how to cook with 3 stones and ‘eating smoke’ has become my greatest achievement.. Since We’re a family of foodies we get to prepare meals together. Granny always has a better way of getting everyone to be involved in the kitchen to prepare these tasty meals.
Photo by August de Richelieu
We get time to go exploring. We get to take our hearts for a walk in the woods and listen to the magical whispers of old trees. The ones that hold so much memories and play times with the ability to see nature for its riches as we collect firewood or simply going in for a dip in the secrets rivers that we have discovered over the years. Its in these times that we get to create memories that last a lifetime.
Photo by Kamaji Ogino
They’ve become my building moments, the times I don’t have to be anything but my very self surrounded by the ones I love and the ones that life has chosen to be part of me. Its in the smiles, in the stories shared, the hugs, the late night stories,the farm days, the joy that comes with being you and in a place you call home. For where your home is there your heart is.
Isaiah 9:6; for to us a child is born, to us a son is given
It has been a challenging year for many of us. But hey…,the seasons have changed. Seasons gives us hope. the hope for a better today and an even greater future.
Christmas is the time we get to share golden moments with family and friends. Its also a time to look back and appreciate all the beauty of the year; the ups and downs that contributed to this season.
Its a time of reflection. What I did right? What I did wrong ?And the things I did to my very best…the wrongs and the rights teach you to work on yourself always because your success won’t be based on your achievement compared to others but by whether you met the mark set before you. I’m sure you did great this year…
I appreciate all the love, support and kindness through and through.
.Am sending u my best wishes this Christmas 💖 and an awesome new year🎆
Noble thoughts 