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...

It is goes without saying (but, I’d still say) that the rains have begun and they are pouring in torrents. Over the past month, we have experienced lasting downpours that sometimes stretch on for days with little breaks between. These recent peaks in rainfall have once again resulted in floods in some parts of Lagos. I’m a fan of the rainy season. Aside the few inconveniences, I find it pleasurable for most parts (especially when it doesn’t end with me getting drenched). Now, the rains have been gracing the earth more regularly, inadvertently turning to floods. I find the flooding to be a recurrent event in the Lagos cityscape. Rains ought to bring calm and some clemency but, these come with a handful of inconveniences for most residents of Lagos. Read also:  Rains and me Photo credit The recent rains in Lagos have seen homes transform to baths as seen in ancient Rome. They have seen roads become extensions of the ocean that borders the mega-city. Vehicles are now amphib...

It’s Christmastime!!!! This sure is one of the things that makes December a really pleasurable month for me. The sheer thought of chill air and relaxation and an overwhelming sense of peace hmm!! With Christmas in a couple days’ time, I have a couple words for you. You probably are busy prepping for the celebration so, I’d try keeping this simple and sweet *winks*.    Christmas often meets us with numerous expenses, from wears, to food, family or personal outings, gifts and even travel expenses, just to mention a few. It sure could go without dispute that, we tend to spend more during the yuletide than the two preceding months. I would be talking about curbing excess expenses during this season. Recall the saying; failing to plan is planning to fail? Well, well, there’s every tendency for you to overspend on a regular day not to talk of the festive period/ year’s end. I deem it wise to have a budget, set a threshold amount, the max you’d spend on certain things and be sur...

  2017 packed its bags some hours back (where I live at least) now, 2018 is what we've got on our plates. So, I decided to do something a bit different this time around, get others opinions. I got a couple of people to complete the question; This initially was meant to be a round-up post but I thought it could double as a New Year post. So, yeah, here's what they had to say. Massive thanks to those that thought to share their opinions. @big.bold.beautiful.nne says, A year that made me experience life through a new eye ... @am_lammie says, A year full of life lessons. @dupsyfresh says, A year that brought about a new me. @mimii_chi says, A year that showed  me the two sides of life. @mah_ree_yam says, 2017 was my most eventful and an amazing year. Mariam says, 2017 was a year I would never  get to see again. @theophilus.smith_ says, revolutionary. Learnt to keep the important things important, would say I became better. Made some real good de...

Merry, merry Christmas and happy holidays my dearest readers. I would keep this short and sweet. Source   December is one of my fave months as well as my lazy month. From somewhat pleasurable weather to the holidays (Christmas and New Year) to the general feeling of bliss and ease as the year rounds up, December definitely earns that title. Christmas is just some hours away, with the hazy weather, it's beginning to look and feel like it. Sometimes though, it feels like people forget the true essence of Christmas and get carried away by the festivities and event hopping. Source    All over the world, I believe, Christmas season exudes a sit-back-kick-your-feet-up kinda vibe. People get engrossed in the mundane; from home decor, shopping, looking one's best to the delicacies that accompany this season and forget unfortunately that Christmas is more than these. I have tried writing poems about Christmas and it always, always leads me back to reflection. The ess...

Rain, rain go away, Come again another day, Little children want to play. source  One rhyme that we consciously and unconsciously sang as kids whenever the clouds gathered and wind caused leaves to rustle—sure you remember. Rainy season may not be my fave Nigerian season but it isn’t all that bad. Honestly, rains are refreshing because they have a way of dampening the heat from the sun plus they make our crops grow and flourish. At times too, they make we humans less irritable being that too much heat makes some of us irksome.   It has been pouring quite a lot this year and I thought to write about rainy season and me, plus it felt like one way to get out of a slight creative rut. Rains can be awesome and annoying sometimes. Awesome due to the fact that it makes the weather temperate and it affords me the opportunity to indulge in layering. Annoying because of how it rains at times; showers too light to carry an umbrella but can equally drench you, rains re...