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...

(Sometimes you need to rub your shoulders, hug yourself and assure yourself that you would be alright) This is for the over-thinker, and unrepentant go-getter—and just about any other person. On some days, we get so involved chasing goals that we forget to rest or commend ourselves for the distance we have come. The year has been a wild one. I’m certain most did not expect most of the events that went down in the course of the year. For some, 2020 was supposed to be  the year . The year to get things in order. The year to realign life. The year to effect certain changes and hit some milestones. Yes, these and many more were the expectations for this year. Most of us would have kicked off the year with goals well mapped and thought out, and hopes of where the days would take us. Unfortunately, the year doesn’t seem to have lived up to the initial expectations. Plans got derailed—inevitably—while come came to a stop altogether. That has been 2020. As the year slowly winds t...

Despite how at some point in the year, we wished we could start all over one way or another, we are fast coming to the end of 2020. And while some might still be stuck in previous months, time is moving and our “meters” have read the past months in our favour. Essentially, everyone has become older in the course of 2020 (although in varying degrees and aspects, aging is aging nonetheless).  On some days—maybe one too many—the phenomenon of aging fascinates me. I am in awe at how one can stay seemingly different. Inasmuch as we would like to think that a majority experience aging in the same dimension, each passing moment finds me picking flaws in the notion. We age in different dimensions and on different levels, with the most obvious being physical. Nevertheless, we age mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well as a host of other areas. From our careers and ambitions to taste. At first thought, most of us tend to shy away from the idea of aging—’cos everyone wants t...

  (I wrote this on the 27th of October and even though I no longer feel exhausted, I still find the need to share. Nigeria seems to keep one in a steady state of exhaustion, hence this piece should still be  timely   even though it is a month old) Stock Photo by  Elijah O'Donnell  from  Pexels October was a hell of a month. Events fit for 5 years transpired in the space of 14 days. For the year 2020, that says a lot, considering that all sorts have gone down in the course of the year. There certainly have been days that found me the least bit uncomfortable and days that have left me disconcerted. October however left me exhausted. Exhausted might seem like an overkill but this is me putting it lightly. Exhausted from head to toe. Exhausted inside-out. Absolute exhaustion. On some days, I tend to hover around the edge of tiredness but, complete exhaustion has hardly ever been it for me. I am certain I was not the only one tangled in the web of exhaustio...

It has been well over a month since y’all saw me here. Trust me, I never forgot this space but, I found the need to take a step back. Over the past couple months, I have been caught in the to-be or not-to-be loop. Wondering; should I or should I not? Although I have spent a good part of the time away writing the best possible content, I have spent even more time thinking. Thinking, about what you might ask. . . Shutting down this space permanently. Yup, I have chewed on that thought for the time I was away these past months.  Stock Photo by  Olya Kobruseva  from  Pexels Why?  Late in the month of June, I began uploading content on Medium, based on recommendation. In case you don’t know, medium is essentially a community for writers—and readers of course. For the longest time, I have kept an eye out for possible ways to widen my reach. Getting my content before a larger (and more diverse) audience. Medium certainly fits the bill and it subtly eli...

 This was not the comeback I anticipated, but I have to speak regardless—and I would make this quick. I am not one to write when i am “too emotionally charged” but I guess I would be breaking that rule today. #EndSARS has been trending on varying platforms of the internet for at least a week now and this has finally transmuted to a long awaited physical protest. Despite all inhibitions and potential what-ifs, Nigerians have turned out en masse, taking to the streets to express our tiredness with the countless and unjustifiable cases of police brutality for over 3 years now. I’m glad that even if just this once, Nigerians have come out, speaking in unison—physically and otherwise—against the unethical and irrational actions of a squad that ought to protect us. We are in agreement against the inhumane treatment received by numerous citizens over the years. Although  these horrid acts seem to be oftentimes targeted at a certain demographic, they traverse tribe, class and field o...