YOU I am grateful for you!! Yes, you ! You have made it through the sharp twists and turns  in the road called 2020. you have ridden the 2020 roller coaster successfully. Ok! Maybe you puked a little but the ride is almost grinding to a halt and you are doing good. I am grateful for the experiences that have shaped you in the course oft he year. Grateful for the lessons learned and those you are still taking notes on--life is an endless learning process. I am grateful for your boldness, opportunities that came your way, your sanity (I really hope this has managed to remain intact)and the beautiful connections you have fostered. I am grateful for your progress, improvements and victories--big and small. I am glad you are reading this piece right this moment, in one piece. The year has been unpredictable but here you are scaling mountains like an absolute badass. Super grateful for you! ‘Mina. What are you thankful for? 

  OPPORTUNITIES AND WINS The year took on a bleak look quite early. It would have been rather difficult to envision things actually picking up as the days bled into months. Despite the seeming slowness, happenings and events and being away from business as usual , we can’t deny that good things have actually happened. I am one for picking the good, little victories and blessings in the bleakest situations (although things could always be better). There is always something worth giving thanks for if we looked closely or borrowed a monocle. I am grateful for serendipitous opportunities. I am grateful for opportunities as a result of compound interests (it always adds up in the end, right?) I am grateful for wins in all its forms, shapes and sizes. Equally as important, I am glad seeing my people score wins in different ways this year. The year might not have taken the turns and twists we anticipated but it has swung opportunities my way (some I probably won’t have gotten had thi...

GREAT READS It is certainly no news that I am a lover of books. Regardless how much I love books, I don’t get to read as many as I would love to in the course of a regular year. But then, the year has hardly been regular. I usually go jumping from book to book in 2 pockets of the year—during breaks. The events of the year resulted in more downtime than usual. More downtime = more reading time. I cannot say precisely how many books I have read this year, I did not keep count, but I know I have read a great deal. I am grateful for that. Thankful for the opportunity to dive into different worlds. Thankful for the wisdom hidden in books, and books that have gone to show that I have been on to something all this while. Some books have been pure gems, reinforcing truths, broadening my mind and invariably causing me to think in extra doses. Some books have inspired articles, conversations and everything between. It has been a swell reading ride this year. And even though I still have read...

MUSIC Music is a universal language. Even when there are (seemingly) human language barriers, music can still “ make sense ” to the listener. There is just this feel to music and I have come to feel that quite often this year (even if I am nothing close to a melomaniac or whatever ardent music lovers are called). I am grateful for good sounds. Good music has certainly made me feel better on some days. I listen to anything but not everything—did I lose you?—and I am glad I have come to discover new soothing sounds this year. I am glad I stumbled upon Jinmi Abduls —great music, great vibes. I am super grateful for COLORS —my ultimate sound discovery channel—they feature really great talents. Talents so good I end up doing deep dive not long after. I am thrilled to have come across  Samm Henshaw’s music. Man! He sounds like church—that is the best analogy that comes readily to mind—so warm!! I am grateful for the beauty called LUCID and the  Miseducatio...

WRITING The year presented me with the unexpected opportunity to improve my craft—writing. As the year tossed us into the confines of our homes, writing became my go-to. My adventure with writing did not start as a conscious deep dive this year, but time and chance, and necessity found me plunging into writing. In the earlier part of the year, I engaged in writing just because I needed to put out content. As time passed however, I found writing to be more therapeutic than any other thing. There were countless thoughts traversing my mind and writing was the best way to get those thoughts out—for you and I. From turning writing to therapy, I began to engage in a daily writing exercise, I guess I needed the challenge—something to constantly look forward to. The year has seen me improve in my craft. I am super grateful for all the beautiful things I have written this year (some of which you would see soon enough. Others, maybe never) I have seen my writing over the years and I would sa...

SOLITUDE I have the recurring need to be by myself. It is one of the ways I get to recharge and reconnect to different parts of me—I had zero intentions of making this sound deep but oh well. It is a necessity. Despite how much I need these moments alone, I can barely squeeze out time during “ normal times” . There is always so much going on (deadlines, activities, assignments, you get the gist) coupled with the inevitable need to stay connected to humans. I can’t always up and leave even when there’s so much noise. This year presented me with the opportunity—on a golden platter—to get away from the noise. Being stuck indoors gave me the chance to enjoy solitude more often. Of course, I couldn’t get more than a few hours of solitude but compared to nothing, that is something to be thankful for. I have done a lot of writing this year essentially because I could get access to more moments of the much-needed solitude. I’m grateful for these brief but countless moments o...

GROWTH I’m getting to this gratitude series in no particular order. No scale. Nothing. I am thankful for different  things for different reasons. Today, I am grateful for growth . It might have seemed like all came to a halt in the earlier parts of the year. The thrill of the year faded away and I’m certain at some point we all felt stuck in an annoying loop or even worse, a standstill . Despite how the year turned out, I can’t help but notice and show gratitude for the notable growth I have experienced in 2020. Although it probably isn't “physically evident” (did I grow taller? maybe) I have seen improvements and much-needed growth in certain areas. I am definitely not the same as I was at the start of 2020. I overcame the reluctance to shamelessly share my works and pieces of art (art=writing=poetry) . My writing and creative process has gotten better with the days—heck! I wrote every day without fail for over a hundred days. I still write everyday—writing in one form or ano...

  Gratitude; a state of being grateful. Each time 2020 comes to mind “a whole lot” is the phrase that readily accompanies it. That is just  how it is and probably how it would always be. The year has been intense. Thinking back to all that transpired in the course of the year, it feels like we lived all of 5 years in 366 days (it is a leap year, right?) From looking forward to Tokyo 2020 and all that the year was to be, to being cooped up in our homes for months, 2020 has certainly been “a whole lot”—and more. I have always believed that even in the worst possible situations, some things work out positively even though we often get too entangled in the worse parts to notice. There is always something worth being thankful for. There is something that still works even when we do not notice and every other thing looks like it is on hold. That is a constant truth, even when we don’t acknowledge it. I hosted a gratitude series a few years back (2018) and the tu...

DAY 7 God: There sure are days when I can't help but acknowledge that the things I have managed to achieve have not been solely by my wit or strength. Days when I say within me; “I know that was all you God” and smile like an idiot. Days like that would always be; when one comes to the knowledge of strength and grace beyond human capacity or imagination. When one comes to know peace that transcends any circumstance, good or bad. For your supremacy, For the days you bore me up on your wings. For being my source, For being my strength on down days, For your wisdom. I am most definitely grateful. For who you were, who you are and who you always would be For forgiveness and mercies, For strengths and wise decisions, For your loving kindness, For watching over us. I most definitely am grateful. For your patience with me, For always being there. For the peace you give and always would, I most definitely am grateful. If I was to count it all, a million page...

Day 6: Books (good ones to be precise) I probably would be overflogging it if i mention how much of a book person i am well, too late. I just did. I'm grateful for good books in whatever form that come, paperback, hardback, no back (softcopy) or something that has passed through different hands, as long as the prints are clear, and there are no missing pages, I'm game. For the alternate universes I've been thrust into over the years, For the characters I've come to know and love. And those that have become part of me, For the variety of emotions that you've introduced me too, Trust me I am grateful. For the unexpected twists, The suspenseful moments, Times when you left me turning your pages like a hungry bookworm (pun intended) For the beauty within you that I have come to appreciate Trust me I am grateful. For the truths, For painting things for what they really are. For the knowledge you hold, For telling stories that some would rather not,...

DAY 5 2018: 2018 started with a bang and on a rather upbeat note for me. It saw me take baby steps to new terrains and an entirely new course of life. 2018 saw me at my strongest and weakest. It blessed me with days I conquered mountains and days I would just wish to sit and stare into blank space wishing to actually detach myself from the rigors of life. For the big breaks, for the small mercies; For the beginnings and ends of each and every month, For the experiences and created memories that would last more than a while. I am grateful. For everything taken in stride, for the goods, bads and uglies, For the brickwalls and “dead ends” and escapes, For the days and months of sun and rain. I am grateful.. For the lessons and blessings in every situation regardless how daunting, For moments of strengths and strength in weaknesses, For the days of benefits and otherwise, I am grateful… For 2018, I’m grateful.

DAY 4 Good people: Photo For the beautiful personalities I have come to know so far, For the people that actually bother to care, For the listening ears, For those that can put up with my trash, For my “ride-or-dies”, For my day ones, For the immensely kind hearts I have been blessed to meet and know, For good people in my spheres and anywhere, I’m grateful.

DAY 3 Storms/ trials/ mistakes: Life no matter how good is laced with any of these. I am thankful for the storms I’ve weathered, they may have roughed me up but I sure survived. I am thankful for the trials and how we’ve come to overcome them. I am thankful for the mistakes made and the lessons learned. I am thankful for the storms, trials and mistakes that have made me ME. They may have been tough enough to break me but then, I am thankful that even in the storm, I found strength and wisdom that would forever inform certain decisions. Thankful, I am.

DAY 2 Family: For awesome people I can call kin. For those home and away, I sincerely am thankful. For the memories we’ve created and forever would remember. For understandable silences, I sincerely am thankful. For the laughs and joys time has caused us to share. For the firsts we’ve witnessed together, I sincerely am thankful. For the support thus far, for bearing me up on your shoulders. For laying good examples and paths to follow, for all and all so far, I sincerely am thankful.

 Hello all, remember me talking about taking on a challenge some posts back? Well, after some thought, I decided to engage in a gratitude challenge. I’m big on the act of gratefulness and believe it should be a daily affair no matter how little but then, I’d be engaging in seven days of gratitude here on the blog (today inclusive). The post in the next seven days may be rather short but then, it’s the idea that it carries that matters. DAY 1 Life:  For the breath in my lungs, the blood flowing through my veins, the air I breath (even if it’s the polluted Lagos version), I sure am grateful. For the jiffies, seconds, minutes, hours and days. For the eventful years and the beautiful story of my life that is being crafted slowly but surely, I sure am grateful. For safe movement from location to location, for my legs that can cover distances. For safe trips and journeys on “very good roads”, I am grateful. For what I’ve been through and where I have been and where I cur...