Little Crib

Long time no blog post!

I am lowkey scared that I have lost the ability to weave words out here, but we’ll only know for sure if I try.

I just got home. I am bursting with all the feel good. Quickly gets my Spotify going and I’m jamming to all my liked songs.  A list of 100 + that I take pride in. If you care about my mental health, please keep off my music selection. It is out of the criticism bracket.

For a second, I find myself bursting a move.

Lately it is these little moments that fill me with so much joy.

Having been in a panini for what feels like forever, life has taken quite the turn. The mundane is suddenly riveting.

For starters, I am stuck in my little crib, day in day out with WFH.

I am not complaining. The perks are immense.

I get to wake up five minutes to logon time and just strut to my work desk.

Work uniform is pajamas and the win, no bra!

No more commute and every so often hot lunch served straight from my kitchen.

The cons of forever being home is that it intensifies the loner life. Being alone gets overly comfortable. The indoor life becomes a solace to all the chaos happening outside. To get me to sign up for an outside plan, you’d think we are going to the moon from all the mental preparation that I must go through.

Making friends becomes a thing of the past. Whatever was my circle has not changed an inch. If anything, it keeps shrinking by the day. Day by day I get out of touch with people I genuinely liked and enjoyed. I hope when I see them next, we can pick up where we left off minus the awkward.

Your colleagues finally become just that. You no longer know what they had for dinner last night or the latest domestic manager drama.

To navigate this confined existence, a few discoveries will come at you.

Vinegar, shockingly, is a must have.  From keeping a fridge fresh to removing any bathroom filth that might have been problematic coupled with a toothbrush. Don’t ask me where I have been if I did not know this.

Butter smells nasty when frying but the end-product is delectable. Specifically, pan-fried potatoes. Now only to invent a way to bypass the cooking smell.

The usual Ed Sheeran and Rihannas no longer tickle your fancy.

Electronic dance is super underrated. Cheat Codes, Unknown Brain, Trivecta are actual artists who will have you jamming loudly in the afternoon to the amusement of listening neighbors.

Imbolo Mbue : Behold the dreams is overrated.

Home workouts are a whole commitment. Your favorite influencer will probably leave this bit out. You will fall out of the wagon and keep hoping to get the mojo back. They also have actual results like a shapelier derriere.

Watching a neighbor in the next apartment is fun and you slowly see yourself morph into a stalker. In my defense he has this mop of locs that I find eye catching. Among other things. *wink*

The target here was just to achieve 500 words, forgive the rumbling.

To trying harder to getting this thing going!

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Newbie

6 months today (2nd), a few minutes past 8:30 I walked into the reception festooned in a grass carpet and beautiful dark undertones of paint.

This would be my first employer within the corporate scene.

 It was a gloomy Monday morning filled with a sea of emotions.

Gratitude mostly because getting this far at some point had seemed impossible. The interview process was grueling to say the least. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into it. Second guessing too when I was no longer certain my panelists thought I was as good as I was trying to sell.

Fear and excitement too were in the mix. Here I was, going into an industry I had never imagined in my wildest dreams.

Life will sure surprise you.

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Despite being dressed to the nines, I was scared because I was a few minutes late. A pleasant young lady asked me to take the lounge seat. To my surprise even added that I should feel at home. I bet she could smell my fear despite a shielding glass being between us.

Soon after, two other young ins joined the party. Dripping wet from the rain.

Corporate men and women sauntered by giving us acknowledging looks and keeping on their chatter of how good their weekends must have been.

Looking back, it still feels like yesterday. I still feel like a newbie. Many in the corridors still look at me like; You work here? Do I know you?

When I started writing this, I was hoping to share on a few things that I have learnt this far. This reflective exercise, however, makes it seem like there is little to tell.

Let us give a try, shall we?

Amid the everyday check lists and mundane tasks, constantly think of what you want out the whole experience. (the bigger picture) From your current role to opportunities sprucing up around you. How do you see yourself evolving forward? More importantly, if there is more you want out of it, and somebody has the capacity to make it happen, ask it out. The much they can say is no.

Value addition. It has been repeated over and over. My take: value is seen first from how you handle the little things before they trust you with the sensitive parts of the business. As such, do your best in the little things and slowly build the capacity to be an individual of value. The thought that you will walk into a room today and start moving mountains is just a big fallacy. Take it a step at a time, and slowly progress will be seen.

Sometimes everything you thought you were and knew will be challenged. You will want to burst to tears in the middle of a preparing for that important meeting. Comments that meant no harm will start to get to you.  Do not beat yourself about it. It is part of the process of learning and before long you will be reciting the scripts like everyone else in the room.

Enjoy the process. Work is a cycle of ups and downs. Some days you laugh. Some days you cannot afford to look at your colleagues straight in the eye.

Lastly, do your best. In whatever capacity that is.

A lady I admire, from an internship I held, pushed for kindness at work. Her words being, “you will always find the smartest and brightest in the corridors of work. Kind however is rare. Be that.”

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I struggled before sharing this due to an understanding of the current trying times, a shifting work arena and many running into job losses.

If you are lucky to be with an employer who’s still sticking with you through this season, it is not to be taken for granted.

Be grateful.

If not, hang in there. It is not the easiest thing to do but this storm too shall weather.

Till next time!

Happy New Year!

For the first time in three years, I had a proper Christmas break. Two weeks off where I did not care for the whereabouts of my Dell laptop. No one called for an update on anything, as is the corporate norm. At no one point did I think of Microsoft teams and Outlook. To say I am happy, is an understatement. I relished every second of it. Spent it with friends, family, myself, paramours, and it was delightful. I ate a lot! (Goodbye to all gains we had made in the gym), slept a lot, saw new places, gained new experiences (hello quad biking!) and just bummed. I also read a whole memoir, Desert flowers, Waris Dirie and loved it! I would recommend it for a new perspective on female genital mutilation, nomad culture and just trusting the universe to guide you to your true north.

I have a new appreciation for what proper rest looks like and I wish this on everyone. It is a superb place to be.

2022 was a marathon for me. I’ll not bore you with its ins and outs, but I can tell you it came with a whole bag of wins. By December 1^st I was exhausted and did not care for anything. I was ready to close that year. My last day at work I was giddy with excitement. It felt like closing day in primary school.

The new year is upon us, and I am slowly easing into it. I have a lot planned. My goals and aspirations scare me. My mind is fresh, and I am ready to get that ball rolling. I realize in 2022 I did not publish anything here. I would want to write more on here. I am praying for courage. In my books that is what it takes in this internet age to consistently show up and share as your most authentic self.

To you my dear reader, I am wishing that all those intentions you’ve set for yourself, may they come true. It is going to be a phenomenal year!