For once I am stumped; as a published author of not one or two but nine books- you’d think that coming up with a book title comes easy but for this prompt all I could think of was “Sunshine.”
I wonder, would the book radiate warmth or bring smiles to the faces of those who read it?
Will they see me smiling through the pages? Or would they chapter after chapter simply ask “how did she get through it all?”
For now….I think I am drawn more towards sunshine because my maiden name is practically sunshine as I was born when she was high up in the sky.
Oh anything to do with government…. I don’t know why something about it has me in knots.
So indulge me please:
passports and visas; that you’d need to move from one country to another and pay exorbitant amounts in processing visa fees just to get approval for a short term stay or not.
election and government...who bewitched us?
security and abundance for politicians– I think the day I learned that after grovelling and seeking votes most elected officials in Kenya get a whole army to support them using tax payer money- they’d have a PA, office, team, representatives and body guards….
I once came across the line, “stopping people’s mouths is more difficult than stopping a flowing river,” and it came to mind in response to this question.
I have come to see everything as seasonal, and when times are tough, I find comfort by telling myself, “this too shall pass.”
I get frustrated, sometimes I retreat by distancing myself from people and the situation and sleep- other times I face it head on- a reckless abandon that has my close friends thinking I am a force of nature. When I get to look back, weeks or months later it always feels like I had thought too much of it.
The second thing that comes to mind is waking up daily at 5AM, and this is because it’s been fluctuating sometimes, I wake up at 6AM, 7AM or even 10AM when I sleep in during the weekends.
Saturday is laundry and house cleaning day for me- but what do you do when you wake up and the taps are dry? You write.
Well, that is what I have chosen to do. So, we are a week to February, and this January has sped past with lots of activities reminding me that I am yet to pursue the goals I set for myself this quarter. However, I am loving a couple of things, and I thought why not list them?
Stationery shopping: There are new pens, erasers and notebooks that I am loving.
2. Reading more non-fiction books and I am currently obsessed with Ruchir Sharma’s – The 10 Rules of Successful Nations.
3. David Perell’s podcast- I especially loved the conversations he had with Elif Shafak and Fareed Zakaria
4. Namina Forna- listen I am on the last book of The Guilded Ones trilogy and cannot tell you how much I love a story that has strong women characters that fight! I know, it speaks a lot about me- and yet there is something about Deka’s journey that I cannot shy away from.
5. Buying books that I have always wanted to read and first on that list is Pachinko.
6. Mocktails: I discovered that sugar, sprite and some flavor topped with mint makes me smile, so I am exploring various flavors once in a while when I step out.
7. Bathroom/ Mirror selfies- I am getting the hang of this and it’s my fun way of trying so many things that I think would be a treat- that I can look back on and have a laugh. I am still at taking over 10 photos and only loving one of them- so if you can share tips on how to take good mirror selfies, please let me know.
8. Crocheting. I am making a scarf while watching my k-dramas on Netflix and yes while we are at it, what happened to the change in making shorter episodes that we moved from the 16-episode run to 12 or worse off 10 episodes and we think that’s sufficient?
That’s it for the eight things I am loving and doing right now, have a great weekend and stay safe.
I have been saying this for years and now that I think of it, there are three cities that I would love to visit.
For the history, vibrant culture, colors, fabric- because I love my fabric as bold and colorful as Africa, and then the food and the people.
Accra
Morroco: On this I could have said Rabat, but there is so much that I would love to see, experience and even more about the writers and the stories from this county.
I have had a rich year in terms of the books I have bought, read and even enjoyed along the way. I have also had rich experiences at work- working with a large team, making more decisions, co-creating solutions with young people and traveling to different countries across the East Africa region- and as the year ends, so does my engagement with the organization and I look forward to the next part of my journey.
On health, well…the greatest scare and being ushered into emergency trauma response and frequent hospitalization has only made me more grateful for being able to keep my head above water. It’s the only time my Mom’s almost lost her sanity and it’s been a blessing to bounce back better, stronger and happier.
So here’s the rest of a beautiful week in December, and many more writing escapades.
nilichoandika 