Indigo-blueses - ☘️

One of my favourite pastimes is cloud gazing.

I like to think of thoughts as clouds. Some clouds are fleeting, they hardly in a static position for long. Some clouds are small while others are large. Other times those small-sized clouds bunch up together to form a large cloud. And those large clouds bunch up together to form a super cloud which eventually brings down a thunderstorm. ⛈️

Some clouds are so blended in with the sky that it looks like they are not there at all. And then there are times when there are no clouds at all. Where do they even go? Probably wherever they came from.💨

Like how clouds are sometimes visitors to the clear blue sky, our thoughts are visitors to our clear minds. Sometimes those thoughts come through and they mean nothing at all & we easily let them go.

But other times they mean so much that they summon more & more thoughts, to the point where they bring about a storm of anger and despair. 😡

Just like how you make peace with the storm that's brought about by the clouds in the sky, just breathe & let your thoughts be rather than emotionally react to them. The sooner you let be, they sooner they leave. 🍃

It's not you against the world, it's you against your mind.

Why? Because your entire world lives in your mind. Your thoughts and ideas may come from the world but your perception comes from you. So all those people you say you like or dislike are based on your perception of them. And the things about perception is that it can always change. Meaning you can either choose to be the victim or choose to be responsible of what happens around you. And bit by bit, by changing your perception, you are changing your world.

So learn to befriend your mind. Be curious about those thoughts and judgements you project on people and situations. Is that really how they are or that's how you are choosing to see them?

Once upon a time I tried cooking fish a certain way and it didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I first fried it in oil at high heat and it got stuck on the surface of the pan.😩

And my first thought was "well, it was probably because the heat was too much." 🥵🥵

And so the next time I tried frying it, I did it on low heat and still the fish got stuck to the pan and turn into little pieces. And I thought "maybe it's because of the pan I was using." 🍳🥘

So since that was the only type we had, I had to find a different way of cooking fish without it sticking to the bottom of the pan.(Of course I could've just roasted it in the oven but that takes too much time and more electricity)🕑⌛⚡

I wanted the easiest and quickest way possible. And so after going through a dew YouTube videos I came across a video where they the dish by first putting the tomatoes, garlic and onions and then putting the fish on top, that way it doesn't stick and it's easier to turn over. And so that's how I had been cooking fish for that entire time. 😇

Now a few days ago, my dad bought fish again. This fish looked different and so I decided to go back to frying it first and see if it would work and Lo and behold it worked!

It didn't stick to the pan and it was on high heat. No flour coating whatsoever. 🐟🐟

So now I was wondering what was different then and now and maybe it's because of the type of fish. Or the thickness of the skin.

Anyway the point of this story is about creativity. When we hear of people being creative, we sometimes think of artists, singers, actors etc. We never really see ourselves as creative unless we are doing artistic stuff like drawing, writing, painting or whatever. And so I remember reading somewhere about how being creative is in every living being. It's in our nature being creative. 🍥

Doing something a different way makes you a creative. Me deciding to cook that fish dish differently makes me creative. Deciding to take a different route home makes you creative.

Doing something different brings out a different outcome, sometimes something that we would've never imagined. And maybe by doing that you find a way of working that you weren't aware of.

Who would've thought my fish dishes would turn to smithereens. It tasted different, a nice different. Probably because of the texture. Would I intentionally cook it again? No.

But maybe if I was a chef looking to polish my culinary skills I would find a way to incorporate it into another dish where it creates the right flavour based on that texture.👨‍🍳🔪

And so doing something different might lead to new discoveries. So in what ways are you choosing to do things differently?🌱✨🌱

What is it like to experience freedom?

- Freedom is like watching a crow fly overhead with its wings open wide

It's like being underwater and soaking in all that watery silence

Freedom is like being immersed in a good book in a good book that you've forgotten about your existence.

Freedoms is like being so in flow in your craft or skill that you've forgotten you're alive.

Freedom feels like being relieved off a heavy task that you've been avoiding for quite some time.

Freedom is like a flower finally blooming after weeks of hibernation

It's like hitting that high note of a song

Freedom feels like releasing that scream that you've been suppressing the whole day

Freedom is being awed by the beauty of nature

Freedom is letting go off a situation you've been grasping for dear life

Freedom feels like taking that last exhale before dozing off

Freedom is finally removing off that mask that you've been wearing all day just to please everyone

Freedom feels like dancing and letting loose

Freedom is peace of mind

And with that, the year 2024 has begun. Happy New Year to you all. 🎊🎊

With the new year comes the buzz about new year resolutions. What goals, intentions or habits are you setting for yourself this year?

My main intentions for this year are:

Following my joy🪇

Being rooted in the present moment 🌴

And showing up more authentically 🐦

And as someone who focuses more on the process rather the the goal, the habits/systems I'm implementing include:

Creating bi weekly content📝📋

Taking daily evening walks 👣🚶‍♀

Listening to self development podcasts 🔊

Remember, when it comes to goal/intention setting, it's more than just what you want to achieve but who you want to be and who you want to show up as. And that is reflected by your daily habits/actions.

_You can do this!! So what's one simple habit are you choosing to focus on?🦋

How comforting it is to be standing in your kitchen chopping vegetables for dinner

Oh, how peaceful it is to be in the warm ambience of your kitchen while chopping onions as the rice is boiling

The feeling of contentness as you are slicing up the carrots for a salad

As the flavourful smell of chicken stew wafts up in the air

The smile etching on your face as you hear the sound of the oven alarm chiming, alerting you that the roast beetroot is ready

Listening to the sound of the kettle boiling as you prepare to dish up for supper.

Ah! The joys of cooking a meal on a Sunday evening.

The Future

A point in time

It could mean tomorrow, next week or next year

It could be in a decade, a millennium or even the next life

Some say the future looks bright

Others say it looks bleak

At the end of the day, it’s all about doing what is right

The past, the present and the future are connected

But to change the future, it all depends on what is done today

What other people are doing is not as important as what action you’re choosing to take

The future may seem far but it’s as close as tomorrow

The future

Some say AI will take over

Others say the world would’ve ended by then

It’s not only about you and I but generations to come

What kind of world are we choosing to leave for them?

Everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere

But no one is stopping to even ask

Where it is we are going

Everyone is busy hustling in the name of achieving success and wanting more

But how much is enough?

Do we even know what we value?

Or it’s just a matter of gaining more and more

The future

Some say it looks bleak

Others say it looks bright

But I say the future looks beautiful

Not only because I choose to believe that it is

But because I am deciding that it is so.

What matters is asking yourself:

If you’ve taken one small action in changing your part of the world today

May we not give up just because it may seem bleak

May we choose to focus on the light that we can see.

What does the process to an outcome normally look like? If I look back on my past experienc

es, on things that I managed to achieve, there was an element of curiosity and fun to it.

Until the novelty wore off and things go hard. And during those moments that's when you ask yourself why you started to begin with? What would happen if you don't give up? And what kind of character are you choosing to portray in this part of your story?📖📖

Like if you look at your favourite show, the ending wouldn't be that satisfying without the ups and downs that the characters face. And sometimes the show is so good you don't want it to end.

Of course, there are times when you decide to take a break to rest and re-centre yourself. And there are times when you choose to give it all up because it's no longer aligned with the goal you had in mind. But it's all about taking note of your patterns when you are in that "hard/difficult" phase.

Do you start procrastinating. Do you move on to a new project or do you choose to forget about the task all together?

Normally this is where your character is being tested.

So if you need to go on your knees and ask God for strength, do so. If you need to cry it out and call friend do so. If you need to watch a motivational video - do what you need to in order to move forward and keep the momentum.

Because it's in that phase that growth happens because now you are surpassing your limits. You are getting that character development which takes you to the next level.❇️💯

So fall in love with that process because that's the most beautiful and impactful part of the journey. Make sure you're having fun even in the midst of difficulties cause at some point,it's gonna have to end and the ending has to be just as beautiful. It's the messy middle that we need to learn how to master so that we reach the beautiful ending. 🪷🪷

It's almost June and it will be a year since I had decided to start taking walks in my neighborhood and I thought to share the stories from strangers I have met on my walking journey

- One, was an elderly lady who had a daughter that was my age - who had come from a different part of town to find the electricity committee centre in our area. At the end of the walk she even gave me money to thank me for escorting her.

- The other time I came across a high school student, who was on her way to school to fetch her cousins. On that day she was she was dressed in clothes and she was a bit nervous that her schoolmates would judge her attire since everyone would be wearing school uniform. So I offered to walk with her until we parted ways when she saw her cousins. That experience just made me reflect on how when we are still in school - the school community becomes our whole world. Our peers' judgements and opinions seem to matter very much until we leave school and realise it didn't matter at all.

- Another time I came across a university student who was studying architecture - he was telling me about how he couldn't wait to finish his degree so that he could start making money and support his family since the pressure at home was becoming too much for him.

As humans we are born with so much potential and then somewhere along the way society clips off our wings and still has the audacity to ask why we can't fly? 🧚‍♀️

Just read a story of how this one guy stopped writing because his high school teacher had told him that he'd never make it as a writer. Now he's become the best selling author of two books. 📖📕

We owe it to ourselves to go after the dreams other people think we couldn't achieve. Because how will you know if you don't try?🧩

Like Paulo Coelho said: "it's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting" 🎗️🏵️