Rules for Queens rocking their invisible Tiaras.

Hey you!

You with the pretty smile, despite your little overbite and the skin so flawless it makes the sprinkle of acne look like a million beauty spots.

I write this because I realized you, like me, are a queen. See sometimes even queens need to be reminded of their place. This life game gets a little too complicated and sometimes we forget who we are. When this happens we find that our tiara doesn't seem to sparkle the way it should.
And that isn't right because there is nothing as bad as a royal that goes around unaware of its status.
So fellow royal, let me remind you of a few rules. A few things to do to make sure your sparkle keeps on illuminating the world as it should.

1. Always remember to be thankful.
See our kind of royalty is a privilege. Every day it is a blessing to wake up and exist as a woman specifically a queen. The fact that we were given this body capable of bringing new life to this planet is an honour. That's why we are royalty and we owe it to ourselves to be thankful to the one who crowned us this. So my dear queen be thankful- for life, for health, for food, for family, for friends, for clothes, for your house, for your beautiful body, for the fact that you didn't get hit by a car on your way home, for that colleague who covers for you when you are late, for your cat that makes you happy. Be thankful FOR EVERYTHING SINGLE THING.

2. Always be kind.
Royalty shines brighter because of the brilliant heart inside. Always be kind.  Let the light of your beautiful heart shine through in everything. Give yourself: physically and emotionally and let your kind heart shine goodness into the lives of others.

3. Always look stunning- but do it just for you.
You are royal honey. Vanity is allowed. So don't be afraid to spend an hour doing your makeup in the morning and a fortune on your hair. And feel free to take a million selfies after ( say yes to the filter btw). Why? Because what's wrong with letting the outside match the inside as long as you are doing it to make yourself happy. And if high maintenance is not your thing, don't let anyone stop you. If you are having an oversized t-shirt and messy hair kind of day, that's cool too. Whether your style is simple and conservative or tattoos and piercings type of edgy and everything in between, you need to learn to rock that image happily. You owe no one an apology for the choices you make concerning your appearance because it is your body and you have the right to choose how you want it to appear.

4. Wear every colour- except green.
Honestly, a real queen has no reason to feel intimidated by another. Therefore thou shall not ever perceive another royal and feel jealous. Those are her blessings, do not feel obliged to count them on her behalf. Understand that every queen is on her own journey, you have no business offering anything but support and love to her.

5. Own and enjoy your femininity.
Just because you are a modern day fire spitting feminist does not mean you have any less of a right to act like a female and expect males to be okay with that. You have a right to be a woman because you are one. There is nothing wrong with being unashamedly proud of your feminine curves and having maternal dreams. There is nothing wrong with being a hopeless romantic. There is nothing wrong with expecting the male in your household to take the lead. There is nothing embarrassing about your menstrual period and expecting the people in your life to always be ready to do those Buscopan and tampon buying rounds when the cycle pain gets crazy. There is nothing wrong with expecting gentlemen to open doors for you and walk on the side closer to the road when walking on the side walk with you. It is not a sign of weakness. It just means you love your status and the benefits that come with it.

6. Be a sexual being, just don't let everybody know about it.
Chimamanda, one of ultimate queens observes that girls are raised to believe that they aren't supposed to be sexual beings in the same way men are. I concur with her. That mentality is utter BS. I think a queen owes no one an apology for the choices she makes with regards to this. If you want to be celibate and save your little gift for the right one, go you! Don't let social media tell you this isn't cool. But if you choose to play with it like Max from +2 Broke Girls, go ahead do you. Queen's advice: don't go advertising your goodies everywhere. Your sexuality is your a personal choice and a real queen is DISCRETE.

7.  Play hard. Work Harder.
The honest fact is the glass ceiling still exists even for queens like us. So the only way to smash through it is to work as hard as the same kings we work with or even harder. The life of your dreams won't just come to you on a silver platter. This isn't the movies. So work hard. Have a dream and fight tooth and nail to achieve it.

8. Have your people. And make it a point to show them that you love them everyday.
A queen is a queen because of the fellow kings and queens who keep her sane enough to keep at this life thing every single day. A queen is a queen because of her sisters( by blood and by choice) who stood by her when she was down and helped her get back up. A queen is a queen because of the brothers( again by blood and by choice) who have been there for her, protect her and constantly remind her how she should be treated by a King. Therefore a queen knows not to take these people for granted and she makes it a priority to show them her eternal love and friendship every single day.

9. Know yourself and fall in love with yourself.
Queens know better than to seek approval from others. They know that they can only accept and love others if they know and accept themselves. So always take time to know yourself dear queen. Spend time reflecting on your thoughts, why you act the way you do and generally who you are.Take care of that person physically, mentally, emotionally and physically.  Learn to love that person and in loving that person always strive to improve that person. Learn to fall in deep unconditional love with that person and never let anyone question that unending confidence and belief you have in that queen.


and lastly number 10.

10. Always remember to wear that invisible tiara. 
Wear it because you are proud to be that queen you were born to be. Wear it so that you always have that confidence to face whatever life will hit you in the face with. Wear it because you are unique and are unashamedly proud of your individuality. Wear it because you are royal and you deserve the best that life can offer.
Wear it and do that Naomi Campbell strut as you go through life with your head held high looking gorgeous and confident in who you are. 
Wear it because you owe not a damn person an apology for being YOU.

Love and light,

M, a fellow queen.

(all my awesome images are sourced from google images)

Charlie Made Me Cry.

I write this post feeling very emotional as I struggle to conceal my balancing tears from my workmates.
Yes, I know tears and the office have no place together but I have finished my tasks for the day and I'm just stalling because I'd rather enjoy the free wifi for a bit than walk alone because everyone isn't finished yet.
Anyway back to business.

I am 8 pages away from finishing Stephen Chbosky's 'The perks of being a wallflower'.
 So if anyone is wondering why, it is because of Charlie. Yes Charlie. And Sam. But mostly Charlie.

Therefore today's post is about Charlie and hugs.
Mostly hugs.

Have you ever needed a hug?

Like, have you ever found yourself feeling so broken or scared or alone?
Have you ever had moments when the material things didn't matter because the kind of low you were feeling opened your eyes to how it is all an illusion.

I wrote earlier about how pain makes one a philosopher. But have you ever been too shattered to even contemplate this- the kind of broken that leaves you feeling like you are just floating in space and you aren't even sure what anything is anymore?

Well, if you haven't feel free. Close this page. I promise my next post will be much happier, I might even include a cat video or something.

But if you have, well let me ask you one thing, have someone ever given you a hug at this precise moment?
In the midst of you feeling like you are shattering into three million pieces like a piece of thin glass, has anybody just perceived you and just reached out and literally held you together?
Probably they did it because they were meant to. Or even better they don't usually do such things but maybe it was some unknown external force that touched them and miraculously made their hands curve around your body and suddenly you were able to keep it together.
How did it feel?

Did you suddenly feel lighter than doing 4 hours daily at the gym for a year could ever make you feel?

If your answer to at least most of the above questions is yes, then you know what the sheer power of this act is.
I could give you a definition of what a hug is but let me explain it to you with one simple phrase:

hug= the magical glue that keeps people from crumbling into a million pieces when they feel more fragile than a sheet of ice.

This simple act. I have no idea what magic it contains but whatever it has, it heals everything. 

Maybe it is like the universal symbol of love. It can't be a kiss because Jesus was betrayed with one but a hug? A hug is the way an African parent who does not know how to show emotion can tell you after 16 years in this horrid education system of ours that they are proud of you.

A hug is the way a baby whose vocabulary is underdeveloped tells her mummy that she appreciates the way she takes care of her. A hug is the one simple act that speaks volumes where words can't. That's why people hug at funerals because it's the only way to communicate togetherness in the wake of this unsolvable mystery called death.

A hug means 'I love you.'A hug means 'I may not understand what you are going through but I am here and for now I hope that is enough reason to keep it together a little longer.'

 A hug is sometimes the difference between 'I don't want to live anymore' and 'I think I'll give this life thing a shot just one more time.'

A hug can save a life.

I realized this one time when the security situation in this country and in my neighbourhood had got so bad and I came home and I found this police officer walking around boldly with a gun and I just lost it because at the time we weren't really sure if the same officers were behind the whole insecurity issue in my neighbourhood. See, if you can't feel safe in the one place you have called home for over 10 years where can you be safe?

I entered the house and went full out crying. But my mummy dearest in all her motherly patience held me tight and for that split second in between letting out this torrent of I tears I finally felt that even though the world is a scary place, one way or the other everything will be okay.

And it was like I could breathe again for the first time.

That's how powerful a hug can be. And do not even let me go on about how the millions of hugs kept me sane that time my dad was sick and I'd go to school not sure if I would ever see him again. Maybe that's how even though I went under for a while, I never really lost my it because somehow the millions of hugs I got kept me together.

Back to Charlie, everytime I read about him I want to give him three hundred million hugs. I guess maybe because he is at this stage where he feels all alone and sometimes even those close to him never really get him and that makes me feel sad. 

And Charlie is so sensitive and feels emotions in a very deep and powerful way. 

Honestly, Charlie is kind of broken and messed up.

But then again aren't we all? The only difference is some of us have a wide circle of friends who are equally messed up and broken in their own way so we get to bond over that as we support each other in our messed up brokenness. Charlie doesn't have that luxury and that makes me sad. Sometimes when I see how he is about to fall apart I wish so hard that I could hug him and hold him together  but I can't so I just cry quietly with him instead and forget about my own messed up and brokenness.

That sounds kind of fucked up right? 

Well tell me something that isn't new.

Anyway I know you have a Charlie in your life. Or maybe you see someone with Charlie-ish tendencies. Someone who seems to have a little trouble getting through their days. Please don't let them shatter into a million pieces without trying as hard as you can to hold them together.

After all, we have all been there once and someone saved us by giving us a hug that made everything seem okay again.

And if you haven't read about Charlie, I really think you should and join me in mentally wishing we could give him a million bear hugs.

Love,

A very emotional Meg.

LIBERATION

I am learning now that the world does not revolve around me.

I can feel bad about that.
Unwanted.
I can feel like I am incapable of leaving an indelible mark in the universe.

I can cry, feel lonely and uncared for because of that.

Or I can use that as an excuse to finally go freely in the crazy, wild path of my dreams,free of baggage,

knowing more than ever that I owe not a damn person an apology for my existence.

So now I choose LIBERATION.

The Sojourner's Sailor

Because life is a finite infinity that has and always will remain a mystery

so to figure out my path in this maze of the mortal

I need guidance from a source of knowledge that remains immortal.

Because hope though it springs eternal,

can only flourish if its flame is fired from a source that isn't internal

so to give myself the energy to carry on one more day

I look to one whose track record surpasses more than just the ordinary.

Therefore my kind of belief causes me to  hold on a little longer because I believe in one who is unimaginably stronger.

Because in my innate imperfection,

I look to one who is perfection itself

so for every one of my undoings

my creator is a being capable of re-doing, re-building and re-creating 

me into an earthling that is the greatest that ever was and will be

based on my hidden strengths, despite my inherent weakness.

Because I am a wanderer,

and sometimes I wander far from the truth.

So I seek one who is patience personified and is able to forgive ceaselessly.

So the one who I believe in waits.

Not just for me but for my kind,

mankind.

I therefore look to the father of time.

I believe in a creator who created everything in its entirety.

The inventor of diversity,

and therefore I choose  a life that celebrates beauty.

 I believe in a father that provides everything

The master giver

therefore I choose a life of being the eternally grateful and humble receipient.

I believe in all-knowing guide who understands this maze of life better than I ever will

therefore I submit myself in my simple state as a sojourner struggling to make sense of everything.

Reluctant though I may be to fully release the reigns,

I still remain a mortal who has learnt to believe in an Indomitable  Immortal to safely sail me in my journey.

Taking stock: It's June!!

Can you believe it is June already?
First half of the year practically gone. I didn't know I'd make it this far but I did it. Surprise!
And look at you, if you are reading this you are alive so go you!
Look at you surviving and everything. Isn't the gift of being alive such a blessing?
Anyway as I look at my ultimate to do list for the year 2015 and see how many items I can confidently cross off, how about taking stock right?
So here goes...

Making:Umm... does preparing working papers count? Because at work that is pretty much 90% what I do. The other 10% constitutes convincing myself not to use company wi-fi to blog and drinking tea.

Cooking: Nothing. Let's stop lying to ourselves we are the classic cooking and cleaning female right? Personally, I am not.

Drinking:Tea. And later I will take mama's  yummy freshly made Mango Juice.

Reading: Noviolet Bulawayo's 'We need new names'. Or rather just finished reading it.
Amazing I tell you. Watch out for my review on it on the StoryMoja festival blog.

Playing: Not a damn thing. I gave up on Redball after level 2. Games just aren't my thing.

Wishing: That time could stand still. I work at this amazing company with the most patient and amazing people, I hate how this internship has to end in a few weeks. *sad face*

Enjoying: My new black opal lip-stick in vampire red. The lip-stick junkie in me is in lip-stick heaven. Talk about great buys.

Waiting: To go home. Trying to give this job my best is so damn exhausting.

Loving: This new literary creative streak I am on. The words have been flowing freely lately. I even participated in the May Short story contest . Even though I didn't win, I love the piece I wrote. Thinking of maybe re-publishing it on this here blog.

Watching: Keeping up with the Kardashians? Haven't had time to go to my regular DVD guy for a fix so re-watching old episodes on E! is what I'm about.

In other unrelated  news, Caitlyn Jenner can gerrit! Whatever your stance is on the whole trans-sexual agenda, you have to admit she came out looking amazing. And if you have no idea what I am talking about, Google is your best friend darling.

 Anyway back to taking stock:

Hoping: That this rain doesn't start till I am safely in bed. I have no issues with this wet and cold Nairobi weather but how it inconveniences everything when it starts suddenly in the middle of the day is not cool.

Marvelling: At how everything always works out in the end. I'm learning that with God, and a little faith, it will work out in the end. And God's timing no matter how much we get impatient with it is always the best.

Wearing: Typical work gear: Formal pants, shirt and a warm cardigan.

Following: Miss I's blog. This girl knows what's up when it comes to growing in the corporate world. Love it!

Feeling: Anxious. I have no idea why :/
 

Bookmarking: This lifestyle blog. Cool stuff right there. 

Thank you for taking stock with me and if you do a taking stock post as well comment below. Would love to read it.
Stay positive and love yourself a little more this June.

Hugs and Kisses,
Me.
:))