Hey June

Hey guys, I hope June meets you well. Here's to a new month, I wish us all the best.











Trivia: June's always sounded strange to my ears, I see it how I see odd numbers. The name just sounds like there's something off. 

My Glasses and I

Different shades of Shades

I hear so often that I look different with and/or without my glasses on. I guess that's true for most glass wearers, you'd definitely look different after all, just putting on a pair of sunshades could be the difference between life and death in all those spy movies.

So, I dedicate this poem to all glass wearers worldwide and to all of my glasses who've faithfully served, has served and will serve me; future, past and present.

***

When vision fails and threatens to fade

My glasses come to the rescue‎

When my eyes sore and tired wail‎

She comes to my aid

When it's too bright

My eyes‎ she shades 

For all of these 

Do I love her?

No

I could never love her

Each the other tolerates

However, she knows I'm the boss of her‎

For the Love of Musiq

I rocked with these guys during the weekend. Hey, envy not😋👅

Yay, it's the first work day of the week and I'm pretty much pumped about it💃. Time to act like an adult. Hi lovelies, how was your very long weekend? Most of us put it to good use I'm sure and most of us wasted spent it on 'us time' 😌😊.

Yesterday was Nigeria's Democracy day so it was a long weekend and I pretty much spent it cooped up indoors with youtube for company. Which brings me tooo *drumroll* Jidenna. Whew, I've never had a celebrity crush, he's definitely the first. I never knew Janelle Monae had a production company or is it a record label? Music aficionados please help. I love Janelle and her pompadours and her suits and for the fact that she sings social conscious songs and so I was pleased to see that Jidenna's her product or protégé or signed up to her record? Well, bottom line is, I'm liking it. Wondaland record's the name and all her acts are really something. They have a special kinda magic if you ask me.  I love all of 'em. Ok, maybe a lil extra with Jidenna 😍😍😍

Definitely my kind of music.

Trivia: when you're asked what do you do all day indoors, tell them you're communing with the gods, hehe.

Photo Credit: Wondaland 

Nameless

Let's talk about getting old. When last did you take a gooood look at your parents? Over the weekend, I did have a wake up call.

As young adults, we sometimes get so caught up in our lives that we forget our parents are getting older same way we are. In my mind's eye, I still see them with the eyes of a child, like they're strong and will always remain same way but that's only an illusion, they won't always remain same way and one day, they won't be around (fact).

Sometimes, I feel like the worst of daughters (who'd believe my story?) I mean, I'm good at forgetting about my parents as in, I only think about them in an unconscious kinda way and not in an intentional kinda way. Get my drift?

And something's always bothered me. Your happiness or your parents' happiness, which should be paramount? I know I won't get an answer, still I'm asking anyway. It gets so tiring trying to place others' happiness before yours (selfish much?) but it's true. I think I really need to work on that.

So I promised myself to try to do better. I'm not always the best of daughters, I mess up sometimes most times, haha (I'm laughing but I'm not. Really). 

Happy Dem's day BTW

Photo Credit: Sara's O world

SOTD (Song of the day) 'Towards the Sun'

Feelers

For some reason, when I come across certain things - reading, hearing, seeing - fiam, my mind goes off on a tangent. The other day, it was a song I was listening to and then today, it was an article I was reading which birthed this post.

What are feelings? How do we make sense of them? Why are some persons more feely feely (sensitive) than others?

Well, I have no answers, sorry to say. But for myself, I know that once upon a time, I repressed my feelings. Apparently, it was cool to do so then or it was a taboo? Can't exactly remember hehe. But, letting myself to feel was tantamount to being vulnerable and I hated being vulnerable. Still hate it except in the right context I suppose.

So what changed? Well, it didn't just happen overnight. I don't think I even noticed the paradigm shift but I recently realised that I no longer run away from my feelings rather, I embrace them wholeheartedly; give them a warm reception and send them on their way. I've come to realise that it's the lil' girl that's trying to say something. You want love? I'll give you that. You're sad? Aww darling, it's ok. You're angry? Why? Ok, you dunno why? Oya, vent it, but whatever you do, don't repress it. You feel frustrated hun? It's ok, take your time examine all the reasons why you feel that way.

I didn't actively engage my emotions once upon a time; anger especially. Then I thought it wrong to be angry and avoided it at all cost. That led me to become the passive aggressive type (probably still am, but at least now I know and so I'm conquering it). Anger was bad energy, still is. So is jealousy and a whole lot of other bad juju.

I guess what I needed to understand was that God gave us feelings (emotions) for a reason, they shouldn't be denied. It's not a crime to feel the things that one does feel but acknowledging these feelings make them all the more easy to understand and to develop subsequent plans of action in handling them.

I got angry with a friend recently (for the record, I'm not easily angered) and reacted. She went on and on about how disappointed she was in me and my reaction (I'd walked away and didn't answer her when she called out to me). This happened after church BTW. Ok, admittedly, it was a little incident that tripped me off but that little incident was based on a series of other little events that had happened over a period of time and I decided not to let the recent one slide. So, the sermon got to a point where I had to ask her, "I don vex for you before?" She couldn't answer. Perhaps that's why she was disappointed. Maybe she thought I was anger proof lol. She never acknowledged what she did BTW but that ain't the point. The point is, it's ok to feel the way you feel but be careful of your actions during that period lest you go overboard and make the wrong choices. That's why people advise other people to not make decisions in the heat of the moment - whatever the moment might be (anger, lust, infatuation, frustration, fatigue, despair etc).

Over the years, I've managed to create various ways I tackle emotional overwhelm. It could be withdrawal, writing also does it for me - shout out to my journals. They've been with me through thick 'n' thin lol. Generally, writing helps clear my mind and put things in perspective so do walks. I take long walks - they almost always help me make sense of stuff. I talk to my friends - that's the one I'm still working on. Talking to people doesn't come easy for me but after I've done that, I wonder why I waited that long to do it, hehe. And then, this' the easy one; I cry. Yep, I'm a big cry baby, 🙈😶. Tears are cathartic (that was once my Facebook post). It's like a cleansing, literally purging out all them toxins out. And when I'm done, it's like a rainbow after a torrential downpour. Yeah, that's the feeling I get after a good cry. 

Last but not least, I pray and meditate on God's word. I remind myself of what God says concerning whatever's the cause of those feelings in the first place and hand over everything to him. I can't shout. I'm only human after all and all these overall has kept me sane and grounded.

All in all, I'm allowed to feel all the feels I want to feel (that includes wanting to be alone, wanting to not pick calls amongst other things, free me. Going forward, I refuse to allow anyone guilt trip me on these). So, welcome, emotions, welcome. Come one, come all! None will be turned away; none will be dwelt upon.

Peace.

Photo Credit: Indiatoday

Easter Sunday Special: A Man of Sorrows

Easter for me is the whole essence of Christianity - resurrection day. If Christ had not risen, what message would we be preaching today? What hope would we have as believers? No resurrection, no Christianity. I want to imagine an alternate reality where the resurrection didn't take place. Peter would've probably gone on to become head of the fishermen council and we'd never have heard of him again, end of story. John, the beloved would've probably been so overtaken by grief that he pined away into obscurity and we'd not have had the Revelations. As for the rest, well, everyone would've have taken heed to the cry, "to your tents oh Israel"* and dispersed, never to be heard of again. And as for me? Well, I'd probably not be here by now, having listened to the lies of the enemy and gone down the way of Judas. 

So you see, Easter's not just a mere celebration for me. I'm celebrating the new life God gave me through his Son Jesus. I'm celebrating the fact that death's been conquered in victory forever. I'm celebrating the fact that by the resurrection, I've been given a new lease on life. I'm celebrating a whole lot of things, what are you celebrating?

During the church service this morning, I could barely keep from crying. The choir ministered two songs that took up entire new meanings for me; Cece Winans' 'It Wasn't Easy' and Nicole Mullen's 'My Redeemer Lives'. These words stuck out; "Don't think for a moment that I never felt the pain..don't take it lightly what I've done...it wasn't easy, but it was worth it."

Check out those two songs (lyrics) on the net in case you're not familiar with them. One last word, know Jesus for yourself. If you don't know him, you haven't started living (truly). He's the best thing that can ever happen to anyone (word).

A man of sorrows is what Isaiah used to describe him. He became nothing to make us everything. It's recorded in scriptures that he grew up just like us (imagine your growing up years). Yep, he was also brought up that way. There was nothing special about him. He didn't have the majestic presence of a king nor the mighty carriage of a warrior neither was he finely clothed. He was just like us; a mere man, a carpenter. He probably would've been referred to as a peasant were it to have been the Elizabethan era, yet there was no doubt as to who he was. All of Earth's creation testifies of Him. The only Man to have tasted death and live. The only Man that holds the keys to death and the grave.*

I could go on and on trust me, but I wanted this to be a short post for your edification and mine as well and so I ask, do you know this Man, the Son of Man?

Happy resurrection day...

And may it find expression in our lives...

Amen.

Peace.

*1kings 12 :16

*Revelation 1:18

Photo Credit: YouVersion - The Bible App

April Fools' Day: Origins

How often have we asked how did so and so come about? I know for some (the analytical ones especially) it's often. Most times we participate in events and don't ask why we do what we do. For instance, April 1st is one day that's set aside to destroy prank folks and pull practical jokes.

So today, before I go afooling, the question pops into my head, why is April 1st tagged April fools day? I mean, is it that all the fools convene on this day? Is it like their own special holiday or a day set aside to mark their exploits? Who are these fools BTW? I once came upon a joke about an atheist coming to the court of law to contest not having their own day since most religions of the world have theirs; Christmas, Sallah, Hannukah to mentíon but a few, and the judge responded that they already had their own day, April 1st because only a fool would say there's no God*. 

Anyway, my questions led me to my brainiac friend and companion, Google and it turns out that they also do not exactly know, lol. I mean, there are so many theories pertaining to this day. 

So according to Wiki, April 1st is sometimes called 'All Fools' Day' and was first brought into the limelight by a book written by Geoffrey Chaucer, 'The Canterbury Tales'. If you haven't read 'The Canterbury Tales', then please go do so and tell me all about it. Honestly, I found that book difficult to read. Still struggling with it.

So back to April 1st, there are different narratives as to its origin and that's saying a lot. There's no stand out reason as to how the day came about, nor how its name was derived and it's celebrated differently in different climes. For instance in the UK, pranks stop at 12 noon and anyone who attempts to pull a practical joke after then is the April fool.

In Poland, this is a day for creating elaborate hoax stories. Even the media chimes in. It's said that an alliance that was signed on the 1st of April by the Government had to be back dated in order to be taken seriously. Hmm, it's that serious over there.

Even though one can't exactly pinpoint its origins, advocates of this day believe it is good for the health as it 'encourages "jokes, hoaxes...pranks, [and] belly laughs", and brings all the benefits of laughter including stress relief and reducing strain on the heart.'

Crítics on the other hand believe it is '"creepy and manipulative", "rude", and "a little bit nasty", as well as based on schadenfreude* and deceit.'

For more, read here and here.

So that's that. I'm on the prowl for who to prank😈😈, lemme go plot.

Byeee 😘

*Psalm 14:1- The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

*Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others

Photo Credits: Elephant Journal, Wonderopolis.

Once Upon a Wish

Once upon a time

I wished upon a well 
I wished for a job
Where I’d be paid kabillions without lifting a finger 
I wished for love, pure and sweet without the heartache   
I wished for painless and ish free human relationships
I wished for a tall dark and handsome man to fawn over me
I wished for a state of the art home in a highbrow area
Without the inconveniences that comes with building a home
I wished to have the perfect family and life
I wished to be successful
But not too successful
I wished to have a joyful life void of challenges 
I wished to be grown up and be my own person
I wished to have the wisdom of the sage sans life's hard lessons 
I wished for a stress free life 
I wished be taken seriously
But not too serious 
I wished to “settle” 
Now I wish to be free

What else do I wish for?
I wish…
What do I want?

A chuckle floats up the well with a soft voice saying 
"Child, you do not know what you wish for 
When the fish fly and birds swim 
When the grave belches its satisfaction 
And the fire cackles in satiation 
Then shall you have your wishes
Till then, get yourself another wishing well."

Photo Credit: Omoniyi David

A Personal Word

This morning, something happened that made me laugh and at the same time, shake head for myself and at the same time, gave me great insight. It had to do with condiments that remained from my cooking stew session–pepper and onions. I had left them in a plate in the open air so they don't spoil easily. 

You might ask, your fridge nko? Well, I asked myself that question too. Until last two weeks, I didn't have one so it was easy to forget that I now had a preservation system and took my normal route of preservation. The night before, I had already started contemplating whether or not to steam them since they were not going to be put to use anytime soon.

So, where's this my 'is and was' speech leading to? Well, when this happened what dropped in my mind was that as believers, this is is what we do too. When we enter into God's kingdom, we've been completely saved and the old things have passed, but we forget that. We forget that we've come into power and authority and carry on living like we used to.

We forget that the kingdom life’s entirely different from the self life. We keep struggling and forget to rely on His strength. We keep doing things the usual way forgetting that Christ's made things easier for us. Labouring under the law and forgetting that we're now operating in grace.

So, that was what popped into my mind seeing those pepper and onion lying there shrivelling while all the while, they could have been chilling in the fridge, perfectly been preserved.

May the good Lord help us.

Peace.

MMC: Office Politricks

It's a beautiful Monday ☺

It's a tough world out there made especially tougher without a good support system. In every human social gathering, you're most likely to meet the one that rubs you up the wrong way. How much more in a setting where you're stuck with each other on a daily basis, day in day out. I dunno about you but it can be tiring. Lord help you if there seems to be bad blood (even just a teeny one) in between, then welcome to hell (at least one of its versions).

And so, a beautiful Monday morning was nearly ruined by one of these encounters. Mindfulness is key I tell you, you need to try it.

I tire of the tricks and twists and the backbiting that seem to thrive in official settings. I don't get it. Can't we all be on the same team? (a naïve question, I know). It takes a lot of stamina to work in a politricking environment and bless your soul if you don't know the ropes. Bless your soul even more if you don't even want to learn the ropes.

Well, it’s Monday. Welcome to its turns and twists.

P.S: shout out to one of ours🙌; today's a special day for one of our contributors. Happy birthday to you (they prefer being anonymous, no idea why). We celebrate you, keep thriving🎂.

Peace.