The Reflection Edition: 4/4

So for the final post in the series I was a bit unsure what to write about. In her blog, Tabitha only gave 3 sets of questions so I'm not sure where to take this. But it would be wrong to reflect without giving thanks.

Gratitude is important, everything that happens, happens because it was meant to. I believe in timing and sometimes life has this way of making sure her timing is always right. So give thanks: for the happy times, for the bad times, for everything in between.
Do you pray? Thank God for letting you see this year. If you count your blessings you will realise that life is where it all starts.

So here is my list of 22 things I am thankful for, randomly listed because choosing a number one would be way too hard:

1. My mother.
Because she is the only one I got. My cheerleader, provider, confidant and basically everything.
2. My brother.
We may have two very conflicting personalities. I probably will never fully get him and him me, but he is blood. And I am glad he is around.
3. My special friend (whose name I shall change to Mufasa lol).
He is pretty much one of the very few people whose opinion on my writing MATTERS heavily. I value the input he has added to my work and lately his friendship. I am also thankful for the random times I'd be having a bad day and a text from him, who was initially an acquantaince, would come through telling me how he thinks my work is pretty amaze-balls. People like him keep my flame burning because my desire in life is to be able to touch someone with my words. So thank you for being a pretty amazing human Mufasa :-D:-D
4. All the people who read my work.
I am thankful for everyone who dropped by my posts both here, on my other home Messed Up Too and even on the Story Moja Festival blog. I value feedback. And nothing put a smile on my face more than an email showing a new like or comment. Thank you for reading.
5. Friends, old and new.
I made some pretty awesome girlfriends this year. And I am thankful for lunch dates and conversations and basically having people willing to share a little bit of them with me.
6. The Story Moja Festival 2015.
When I applied to be a blogger for the festival I did not know what I was getting into. I just knew I wanted to write and to meet people as equally in love with writing as I am. It proved to be that and so much more, for the first time I found my people and I learnt so much and had such a phenomenal time being a part of that team.
7. My internship.
I talked about it before and even now I still cant believe how blessed I was to work in that company. I gained a new kind confidence as well as valuable career experience and basically it was a great time.
8.The places I have been to.
I haven't travelled that much this year. In fact the only major out of town place I went to was Amboseli. But I am still grateful for all the new places within the city that I dicscovered because they were all really beautiful. I'm a lover of nature, and even things as simple as going to the outskirts of Nairobi made all the difference in terms of helping me clear my head.
9. School.
I know it is easy to take the ability to learn for granted but I am glad that this year I never had to miss a class because of lack of fees. Education is power and I believe no knowledge ever goes to waste so for finishing yet another academic year peacefully, I am super thankful.
10. My blogs.
I started blogging to keep my writing talent alive. But as I kept at it, it became my platform to vent and to just let my mind race freely. What I love are the opportunities it creates: being able to confidently say that 'yes I am a writer', to the conversations it sparks. Blogging is definitely one of my highlights of this year. I am also thankful for my writing-the one thing I was always sure I could do, the one thing that makes me awesome :-)
11. Clothes.
I am not a fashionista but there is something about dressing up that always has a way of instantly uplifting my moods. So I think fashion is something to celebrate because at the end of the day once you look good, you gain a confidence that can help you conquer anything. 
12. Protection.
This is something I do not take for granted. There has been so much insecurity lately, in Kenya and around the world so I am thankful that through it all, me and mine were kept safe and I haven't lost anyone this year.
13. Books that changed my life.
Pen will always be mightier than sword. In my world at least. This year I read so many books and blogs that touched my heart. The biggest winner of course is Steve Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I also read the Hunger Games trilogy and the 7 People You Meet in Heaven which I think were some pretty amazing pieces of work.
This is the year I also discovered my favorite mordern age poets-Nayyirah Waheed, Rupi Kaur, Warsan Shire, Tapiwa Mugabe and Yrsa Daley Ward. Their words go straight to my soul and I was blessed to discover that kind of beauty.

14. Great restaurants.
I don't have a particular favourite place but I do have a favourite food so as far as food is concerned this year I'm thankful for FRENCH FRIES because fries=happiness :))

15. Jack my hairdresser and the ladies that do my braids.
As a lady I think it is key to have someone who helps keep your mane tamed. That for me is Jack who is an expert at processing hair and keeping these roots straightened. Also the ladies who have been braiding my hair since I was 7, mad love for them because they are awesome people.❤

16. My extended family.
We may not always see eye to eye but I am glad I have them. Family is everything

17. Home.
Nothing beats coming to your little place at the end of a long day and I do not take that for granted.
I am thankful that I have a place I can call my shelter.

18. Good health.
Surprisingly I haven't been that sick this year, except for a little cough I caught sometime earlier this year.
I certainly do not deserve it but the fact that I have barely seen the corridors of a hospital this year is something amazing.

19. All the lessons I have learnt this year.
I've grown. I can say that for sure. I am a little wiser even in the least of ways. I understand that letting go is a process and that it will hurt. I have learnt that fear is a bad thing and I am learning to stand my ground.
I am not the same person I was when I started this year. And the fact that I have grown is something I can celebrate.

20. Answered prayers.
I guess when time passes it is easy to forget those things that had our hearts in a storm but which somehow got fixed. I believe in praying over every little thing and for every little thing that was fixed because I prayed, well I thank God.

21.The internet.
There is a world of possibility out there. I know it sounds cliche but there is and this wonderful creation called the internet has helped link me to everything. And well that is amazing. From Cat videos, to phenomenal blogs to great music and even outfit inspiration, the internet is definitely one of the reasons I am happy to be alive in this era.

22. Turning 22.
It has been so much. I don't think I could write it all. I am glad I got to live to see my 22nd year. Not everyone made it this far and every day I am learning not to take that for granted.

Well I guess that's it. Possibly my last post of the year.
I thank God for everything.
And I thank Him for 2016, whatever it holds.

Have a blessed 2016 and thank you for dropping by. I would also love to know what you are thankful for :)

Love and light,
Me ❤

The Reflection Edition: 3/4

In between eating, making food and waiting to feel hungry again so I can eat I genuinely have not had time to finish up on this series because, well, Christmas.
Hope yours was beautiful too btw.

But I am back again to finish off what I started...

So

1. Do you have a female icon that you look upto? If so, who would that be and why?
For this particular year I'll pick Tabitha from of course Craving Yellow. An African Woman living in the diaspora, I feel she embodies what the mordern African Woman is all about: educated, stylish, bold and confident in her own skin. Her natural hair is errthaaang!!!! Lord knows the number of times I scroll through her Instagram and want to just go have the Big Chop and start all over again. In the past few months I have also found a lot of light in her self portraiture series posts, particularly this one. Her words are uplifting and I think that's why I'd pick her as my icon this year.

2. What do you do to chill out, say over the weekend or after work/school?
I nap. In fact, I take very long naps. I'm that good in bed.. I can sleep for hours!!

3. What's your greatest value in life? (Patience, Selflessness etc)
Kindness. It's something I respect. It is a virtue I want to build. In a world where it's all about chasing your individual happiness, the ability to give your love, time, self and resources is something I truly value and I hope to cultivate this more as I get older.

4. If you could improve one area of your life, what would it be and why?
I'd improve who I am socially.
I guess I still haven't changed much from the socially awkward teen I was. Which sucks. I feel I could do better at opening up to people and building solid meaningful friendships. And next year I want to work on not being so scared around new people and strengthening the few ties I have.

5. What's your favourite online shop?
The online shopping bug is still yet to hit me. But I would sincerely like to thank my local thrift market, TOI, for keeping me fly on a serious budget this year. Mad love to it❤

The Reflection Edition : 2/4

Okay so now we are live with part 2.

1. Name one person in your life that has made all the difference this year.
Mum. Just because she is every super hero ever invented and soo so much more. My woman. My super woman.

2. What aspect about yourself have you grown to love this year?
My booody. I am perfect. Even with my size 10 feet and barely A cup and tiger stripes on my behind. I love me. Soo so much.

3. What is your absolute favourite movie or series of the year?
Power. Because Omari Hardwick. Enough said.

4. What's been difficult this year? What/Whom have you lost?
Letting go of some pretty strong bonds. It took a lot. Soo many tears and wondering if I did the right thing letting these people go. But sometimes we let go so we move on. And I know that they had to leave for a reason.

5. What are your holy grail beauty products of the year?
Arimis Jelly. Do not judge! But honestly it is the best 85 shs I ever spent. Super mild and super moisturing. I recommend it for smooth hands and feet though some people swear by its Acne healing ability.
Also Matte  Red Lipstick. The bolder the better. I mean you just cannot not have a nice liquid matte lippie to brighten even the dullest of days.

Love,
Me. ❤

The Reflection Edition: 1/4

This blog suffers from one thing: neglect. I guess that can be blamed on the blog for the equally as messed up. But I thought that as I end this year, the least I could do is come back to where it all started and reflect on what chasing dreams felt like in 2015.

It's been a good year. Scratch that. It has been a very good year. And I am thankful for all the epic shit I did, beautiful people I met and unforgettable memories I made. Even for the lows that colored some days dark, I am still thankful for those too.
So to celebrate another year chasing dreams I thought to follow the prompts that Craving Yellow is using in her blog here to talk about everything that this year was and wasn't as I look forward to 2016.
So here goes...
PART 1 OF 4

1. What was your happiest moment this year?
Sooo many. I travelled, made new friends, worked hard, drank (clear liquids lol) and enjoyed every minute. 
I discovered my comfort zone and then the place right outside and the experiences that came with saying 'why not' instead of 'why' filled me with so much life.
Basically this year, those were the moments I enjoyed, those moments I made a concious decision to LIVE.

2. What significant transition have you made this year?
Moving into that unknown zone outside my place of comfort. That statement captures so much because it doesn't just mean doing daring things. It meant walking away from relationships that were more exhausting than uplifting despite that lonely feeling that follows. It meant something as simple as saying hello to strangers because ignoring them was way too easy. It meant taking risks. That wasnt easy but making those changes were some of the best decisions I have made this year.

3. What new food did you discover this year?
Steers Fries. Because they are life. And I frankly dont know what else. I am still yet to perfect some recipes so I cant post about that. But yeah. Fries. Not because they are anything new. But because fries=life :-D

4. What book/author/blogger did you find super informative this year, and why?
This one I'd say my Nayyirah, Warsan and Yrsa. Because their various anthologies: Salt and Nejma, Teaching my Mother to Give Birth and Bone speak to my soul. And they made me fall in love with words again.
And of course Tabitha of Craving Yellow. I am not a Naturalista, still thinking about going that way though but her blog is just amazing and filled with so much love and light it is amazing. ❤❤

5. What new spaces/places did you discover this year?
Amboseli was EPIC. I'd write about it but you know what happens in Vega.. I mean Amboseli stays in Amboseli lol. :D

6. What fear did you overcome this year?
Definitely the fear of trying. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't tried applying to be a Story Moja Fest blogger. Or if I hadn't tried to go above and beyond to make my internship as fulfilling as it was. I wonder how I would be ending if I hadn't tried hanging out with strangers.
So many beautiful things happened because I said no to that fear.
And that's why I can say this year maybe I did actually do some dream chasing. And I got a little bit closer

So how has 2015 been for you?
Comment, email or even blog about it and tag me or drop a link.
You can use the questions above or add your own.
I just hope as you reflect you may find beauty worth celebrating and more reasons to be thankful for this year.
Love and light,
Me ❤

P.S next post coming up tomorrow :)