Blossom.
Stardust, I heard a woman say that everything grows where it is given room,
Hate where prejudice thrives,
Love where understanding thrives,
Everything blooms where it is given room,
So I thought of here and now,
Of the words I find it easy to type, of the courage I have behind this keyboard,
Of the silent comfort of tapping away, qwerty- they say, but to me Stardust,
It is the fastest pen I’ve ever held,
My fingers and eyes concur, so wherever you are, bloom.
I wore a red dress today.
I have always wanted to wear one, so…I bought one online and wore it today.
Of all the things I have wanted to do for myself,
It got me thinking of all the things I’ve desired,
of the what if’s that killed my wishes.
I wore a red dress today and I loved it so much I spilled coffee on it while twirling.
Blame it on the music that carried me away.
I wore a red dress today.
It got me thinking of all the things I’ve desired,
and why of all of them, I have never bought myself flowers.
Hi, I’m a Writer. I haven’t written anything constructive since January 27th this year and I finally admit that I am in a slump and need help. So, I’ll start with some of the things I tried to get me focused on completing my novel and maybe you will understand why they all flopped, or better yet point out where I went wrong and could improve on. Shall we do this?
Alright, here’s how to get out of a writing slump- the hard way:
And if these ten things do not get you out of the writing slump, then…well, shall we send a rescue party to remind you of how good you are and of the works you created before, maybe that would boost your confidence and ease the anxiety. Until then…
A friend sent me a list of questions on personal development and the very first one was “What are 5 things you have had to unlearn?”
Halfway through the month and two things became clear to me; the first is that I have been watching way too many shows on Netflix and the second is that I bought two sets of gym clothes and I have not done even one push-up this year.
I expected a sense of ‘shame on you’ with these two realizations but what I experienced was the intensity of intention. I’ll explain. I love watching Korean dramas, documentaries and animations on Netflix so much so that I find such a sense of joy and calm when I settle down to watch an episode after a long day at work or on Saturdays. On working out, this year I had set out to be more intentional and even set up a reminder and a workout plan. I haven’t adhered to both and I find myself stretching more often with ease, walking or just sleeping instead.
On reading: I am currently reading Tess of the D’Ubervilles by Tom Hardy.
I just downloaded 3 new titles to my Kindle app via Netgalley and these have to be some very beautiful covers.
On Writing: I haven’t written anything since January 25th 2022 and it’s not okay. I do not have the strength to keep asking why or keep jotting sentences that do not align with the novel that I should have completed last year.
Have a lovely weekend.
I look forward to watching the next two episodes of the following shows on Netflix: Twenty Five, Twenty One and Forecasting Love and Weather.
Right now:
I want you to say ‘yes’ to the things that:
I want you to say ‘yes’ to them
Not because they are right,
Not because they are all there is to life,
I want you to say ‘yes’ because they are the things that hold you back,
The things that tell you how little you mean to the universe.
I want you to ‘listen to them,’ and then start the work of making peace with those beyond your control and resolving those that you can.
Dear Self, I want you to know thyself.
Be it at dawn or dusk, in the highs and lows,
I hope your quest unravels you.
It’s 7:36pm and I am seated on the floor in this space I rent out in Mbita. The rain this morning brought with it some calm and chills and I am on my second cup of tea. Silver Spoon by BTS is playing as I write this and I am tempted to dance to it and sweat a little, shake off the cold, get rid of the socks and sweater.
I finally got to read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. The book won the 1997 Booker Prize and has such a vast range of reviews that I could not help but have it on my wish list. Now that I have read it, let’s say that the Writer in me was challenged and in awe while the Reader enjoyed some bits and remains baffled by others.
First things first, I love works of fiction serve a table of contents. It’s like being invited to a buffet, and you can actually read the chapter titles and keep it going. So, this one had me at that.
I love descriptions as a Writer and this is because I struggle with getting it to feel just as right as you read it, and when I come across a description that has me in my feelings then the Writer and Reader are both pleased. Two of such stand out for me, however before I share them, I will let you in on what the book explores. “The book explores the tragic fate of a family which “tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved, and how.” There’s the grandmother Mammachi, her spoilt Angophile son, Chacko, daughter Ammu and her inseparable twins: Estha and Rahel, then the mother of all drama queens, manipulative as hell bundle of life in form of their aunt called Baby Kochamma.”
Now two phrases that got me in my feelings:
When Margaret Kochamma saw her little daughter’s body, shock swelled in her like phantom applause in an empty auditorium.
The second phrase:
Impelled by feelings that were primal yet paradoxically wholly impersonal. Feelings of contempt born of inchoate, unacknowledged fear, civilizations fear of nature, men’s fear of women, power’s fear of powerlessness. Men’s subliminal urge to destroy what he could neither subdue nor defy.
I am glad that I got to read this book and it’s got me on extreme ends of elation and disappointment. The characters were so well written that even the plot itself offered me surprises, twists and turns and more so driven by hidden desires of the characters- and frankly speaking this book wouldn’t get far without Baby Kochamma. That aunt pulled some stunts that only she could do. What I couldn’t fathom was why the twins; Rahel and Estha were presented as mysteries and this followed them all the way into adulthood- yet Rahel was pretty straightforward even as a child, always speaking her mind- thus earning her the title of the ‘thoughtless one.’
You can buy a copy on : Amazon
Here’s another reason that’d compel you to read this book:
I speak of the dawn more than dusk,
It’s the dusk I love, it’s the dawn I ask for.
So when the world settles on my shoulder, before my knees sink on the ground I place my hand on my chest, look for my heart, await the slight beating of it,
And I tell myself that I made it to this moment,
The journey is still on.
It’s a joy to be writing this.
I’ve had a flu this past week that came with joint pain, exhaustion, headaches and a never ending fever and when I thought the worst was behind me, I get to deal with a never ending cough. For three days I lacked the sense of taste.
So, let me start over: happy holidays! How are you spending the holiday season? We have two days to the end of 2021 and at the back of my mind there is the feeling to strive for more, better, for adventures, for a happier me and all that. I am also looking forward to achieving the goals that I never did this year.
As I write this, it’s 9:33pm and it’s raining in Kisumu. I haven’t had a cup of tea tonight. I just finished watching, The Silent Sea, on Netflix. If you’re looking for a dystopian or sci-fi series to watch- give it a go, it’s worth the time and it’s Gong Yoo on this!
On reading: I have bought more books this month which I hope to include in the books I get to read in the coming days.
This year, I did get to read 202 of the 200 books I had set as my Goodreads Reading Challenge and I would love to read more books next year.
On writing: I would love to do four key things:
I look forward to reflecting more on the things I do and have done this year in the next two days.
Until the next post, do have a wonderful time.
Make memories, cherish the good, challenge yourself to learn from the moments that wound you. Give love. Laugh loud. Dance like you’re the wind.
nilichoandika 