Double Favor Waleopard in Reality :)

I may have the most unique outfits and look beautiful in everything I wear but I am not my clothes. I may have the most intellectual discussions but I am not the miss know it all. I may have the best smile but I am not my facial expression. I may have a doctorate degree but I am not my education. I may have curves at the right places but I am not my physique.

I am simple a soul that is searching for its happiness. The body that houses my soul should not be the only reason one is drawn to me. My material possession should not be the only reason one is drawn to me. My accomplishments here on earth should not be the only reason one is drawn to me. All these things are vanity and can end within a minute.

Appreciate the person, I am not what I have, had or was. Accept me as a soul not my body. Love me without attachment. Its not the big things done in a big way that matter. Its the small things done with a big heart that matter. Perfection is a level we all strive to attain but only God is perfect. I am flawed in many ways making me human. I shed tears making me vulnerable. I bleed making me mortal.

The joy of my living is knowing that with each waking day I am closer to my destiny and have an opportunity to write a new past. When I fall its not because I am a failure its so that I rise to another level. I am and live by the Grace of God. Its He that knew my coming into this world and knows my going out from this world. At the end of the journey my desire is to fulfil the purpose God sent me here on earth to accomplish. Not to be exalted by men but for God to be exalted by men through His deeds in my life. 

Now that is the true Reality of D.F.W (Double Favor Waleopard).

Money, Education, Spouse, Children ,House ?

Often I have heard a discussion about lady being late to get married. When exactly is the right time to be married and have kids? Is there really a right time to have a spouse or bear children? No-one is an exception, more so in the African setting. Truth be said there are those who got married and years on they are still trying to get a baby. At the same time there are those that are married with children who desire that house and car a single person owns. There is a jobless person wishing they could get money to feed their family. While there is a working person bored of eating alone each night.

The reality is all these things are earthly treasures. Be it a job, house, spouse, children....None of these things we are after in life we'll carry to the next life. In fact even the body we are so watchful of will be buried. The soul is the only thing that will go to the next life. However much we cling to the earthly pleasures they are just that ,earthly treasures.We need to realise that we were made a complete person through the soul.The body is just a house for the soul. Each of us desire to be happy and live in peace. Trying to find happiness in the earthly things is like trying to mix water and oil. Its about time we realised we are complete individuals and avoid postponing our happiness till this and that happens. Failure to which; we will forever be empty.

This is what should ring in our minds each time. With or without a spouse i am complete. With or without a house i am complete. With or without education i am complete. With or without the "normal "physical appearance i am complete. It is not my hands that complete me nor my job nor my gender. I was born complete and i should henceforth live and feel complete in every sense. 

Lets quit loving things or people with so much attachment because this often leads to living a miserable life. Those things are there to be used while here on earth but none of them will be carried forward when the soul departs from the body. Lets instead strive to purify our soul. I am not saying stop working hard for your family. I am saying don't put so much emphasis on worldly things and forget the person that really matters in all this . You not the body but the Soul. We can lie to everything even the body but never the soul. 

Those are my thought. Hope they made sense to you.

With Heels, Go up the Staircase.

Double favor loves heeled shoes. Probably  because she is vertically challenged, not complaining though. I alighted the bus this morning and just before I could go up the staircase to the bridge over to the other side, this man shouted from no where " Madam utapanda vipi kwa stairs?", Madam how will you go up the stairs? From where he was standing, there was no way I could go up the stairs in heels. He actually gave me way and went on to follow me to see if I could fall on the staircase. I found it offencive and at the same time funny so I decided not to answer him. When I was safely at the top, he commended me and  went on to say, I have mastered the art and known how to maintain balance. 

As I sat on my desk during lunch time , I reflected on the morning incidence and realised that it had a very important lesson for me. See time and time again we are surrounded by staircases we need to climb to get to the other side of life. When we approach the staircase, we find other people about to go up the stairs but instead of them focusing on their journey , they choose to look at how prepared we have come to go up the stairs.  Unfortunately for us, the bigger group that we meet preempts on our inadequacies, making us doubt if we really are cable of going up the stairs successfully. 

How we react to the preemption is what determines our ability to cross to the other side. Let us not allow doubting Thomas es to digress our focus. Truth is when you approach a staircase you have all that you need to get to the other side. You have already mastered the art of balancing the heels that you are wearing , staircase or no staircase. All you just need is confidence. I will not lie; that man made me wonder what happens if I fall on the staircase. I however kept reminding myself I have done it severally and these were my normal everyday shoes.

Confidently approach and go up the stairs and let those doubting Thomas es commend you when you complete the journey. Know your end product and it won't matter the faulty machines you find along the way.

Remembering Simba

 
Today morning as i was walking to work. I saw this black and white big dog. It had a striking resemblance of Simba; a long time childhood friend. It seemed to have something on its facial area that was bothering it. It reminded me of the time Simba went out and got hurt by other dogs. 

Today's dog was almost being hit by a car and i had to alert an oncoming car of the dog. I remembered how Simba would jump on me as he wagged his tail. I remembered how i nursed his wounds with herbal medicine that i had known cured wounds. 

When Simba got healed he was up and about wagging his tail in a playful manner. We would race with him and then he would jump on me. Unfortunately, one fateful morning, he came to me and was vomiting so badly. Someone had poisoned my friend and he was dying. I tried all I could, from taking my grandmother's milk, to save him but it was too late. Simba died in the afternoon and I held a burial ceremony for him. The Garden manager helped me dig a hole and I laid him to rest, said a prayer and put the soil back. It was a sad time not having my playmate. Good thing schools were opening so i left the village to go back to school.

Just like the dog today reminded me of my old friend Simba, so will memories of people who have been in our life be relived. There are painful memories that we would rather forget and there are happy moments that we wish to remember each time. Many say most of us find it easy to forget the good and remember the bad. When i saw the dog i smiled and remembered the good times with Simba and our last moment. We will have a moment to remember the good and bad . Its ok to remember both good and bad.

The difference comes when we let the past overwhelm our present in a negative way. Take a moment to remember and where you can ,focus on the good more. Simba was my great friend who kept me company when everyone went to till the land and I was left at home to adding firewood to cook the food (gocokereria githeri) 

Reliving the memory of Simba helped me remember that friends are there but they may not be there with me all my life. I should take a moment to appreciate people in my life because time will come when all I will have is a memory. Simba may have been a dog but he was a great friend to have. Perhaps once I have a place of my own I will keep another dog and name him Simba. Yes i love animals

I take this chance to appreciate you for reading ; God bless you.

The trouser doesn't fit

 

Sometimes back I decided to try out a trouser I wanted to wear the following day to work. I had gotten a new top and needed to find a matching skirt or trouser to go match it. When I wore the trouser and tried zipping it ,it couldn't. That automatically confirmed my horizontal growth. It was time to see my tailor or hit the gym or dancing class.

Today morning, when I tried the same trouser (it fits well now), I reflected on the events of the past. I thought of our expansion in life. We are not the person we were many years back. Whatever we feed on each day expands us in the positive or negative. If we feed on negative thoughts we expand backwards with impossibility in our dreams. If we feed on positive thoughts we expand forward with possibilities in our dreams. 

At the same time I also reflected on being able to return to our original self. Though we may lose our original size and dreams perhaps due to wrong mentality or bad company, its never too late to find ourselves again. It may take time and perhaps we will have tough choices and incur pain along the way but truth is its possible to regain lost glory, vision or a relationship. Where there is commitment to make it work and to learn from past mistakes, nothing is impossible.

In what direction are you expanding? Can you deal with the effects of the direction you are expanding? What will you do about your expansion? What are you willing to do to regain yourself and all that you may have lost in the past that wasn't worth losing?

Think about it my friend.

The Costly Assumption in the Waiting Room

Sometimes back I was unwell and put on medication. I was to take my medication for some time so as to take away that which was ailing me. During that time, I was a student at the university so I would visit the university students' clinic. Students day to see that particular doctor used to be Friday and he would also go to the staff clinic on Tuesday. Since my medication couldn't last me till Friday i called my doctor and asked to see him that Tuesday. I first had to go to the student clinic to request they get my file and take it to the staff clinic . They took the file out and i was asked to go to the staff clinic they would send someone with my file.

I went as advised sat down waiting for the doctor to arrive. It was one long wait as the doctor was coming an hour past the time he had asked me to be there. When he came i followed him and didn't bother to wait for the names on the files to be read out. I was so sure they had brought my file. Patients went in one after the other but my name was not being called out. When some patients complained that their file was missing, i also asked the nurse to check my file. I had waited for over 2hrs to get my medication so i stormed in. Sure enough my file wasn't there. Someone had not done their duty and made me wait in-vain. I would have been long gone had they done their work right. Lucky for me ,the doctor agreed to give me my medication without my file. And off i went to make dinner.

Today I choose to reflect on the incidence and how it applies to my real life.I looked at how many of us have been so trusting that people will do the right thing only to wait in line in vain. This mainly applies in relationship we become too trusting but the people we trust are busy not doing the things that benefit us. They make us wait in line in vain. However they really aren't to blame its our assumptions and our too trusting nature that is to blame. Our rush to get what we want without confirming our files are there is where we go wrong. We assume we know them too well. All the same all is not lost, we can save some time for ourselves.

 

Its time we storm in and do the right thing for ourselves. No waiting in line will help us. The sooner we take action the more we will be off to do other things that matter. Had i not inquired about my file i would have sat there in vain. Quit waiting and act if you are not hearing your name. Its probably because you took the wrong steps and need to correct it. Until we take action we will continue to wait in vain.

Think about it my friend.

May God bless us all and give us grace to be taking the right initial first step.

From an empty tank to an Overflow

There seems to be a water shortage at my place. I was used to having water when i get to the house and in the morning when i wake up. My tank was almost drying out. So yesterday night when i woke up and found water in the tap i connected the pipe then went back to sleep. I figured sleeping on the couch i would not sleep totally. When i woke up water was pouring out from the tank. Yap the tank had filled to the brim and was overflowing . This called for a past midnight cleaning of the house, talk of interrupted sleep.

Today morning i reflected on the events of the night. From an empty tank to an overflowing tank. In my view,some of us behave like the empty tank; the minute we start feeling we have an overflow and go causing so much damage around. From a person with no money to a person with money we develop so much pride that it causes those around us pain. We are without a partner the minute we get one that truly loves us we take them for granted. We are without jobs the minute we get a job we take the job we have for granted.....

We forget we were once an empty tank and its through a connection that we got filled.It was through emptying another tank somewhere that we got filled. We forget the journey we took and the people that were with us on our way up. We forget that soon water will be drawn from the tank and we will need a refill.

Lets be careful not to take those around us for granted. Think about it my friends. They say it takes years to build a house but a day to bring it down.

May we all have a beautiful day as we reflect on the emptiness we once had that has now been filled. Have we forgotten our journey up?

Get into the Dance Floor

Grace has always wanted to learn how to dance salsa. Fortunately or unfortunately the time to actualize my desire seemed to evade me. That was until recently when a friend hooked me up with a trainer. I went for the introductory lessons and wanted to learn more. I was given a break down of the cost and settled on a communal class training. I figured its a pocket friendly deal and well an opportunity to meet and make new friends. The class happens every Sun another more convenient reason to settle for it.

In these classes they have theme after parties and well yesterday's was African attire. I had a two hours training then sat for the after party. That was when the real dancing began. First it began with some dance moves then followed the communal dancing. Now that was when i felt like a wet blanket. The people dancing seemed to know how to do the moves so well that i just sat and watched them wondering why i was there. As i was talking to myself a gentleman approached me and asked me why i wasn't dancing. I went on to tell him i was a first timer and didn't know the moves. This gentleman had been in the classes too and had seen the steps we had been taught. He looked at me and gave me a questioning smile of , So?

He wondered how sitting down was helping me practice what i had learned. According to him its through practicing with those that seemed to be experts that i will become an expert. Not entering the dance floor would only make me feel like an outsider. What he said made sense. Shockingly on the dance floor, i got to dance with people who guided me and made me feel comfortable even when i messed up. They reminded me that they too came as learners before they were able to move as they did.

Today morning i reflected on the events of yesterday evening to real life. I thought of the many times we know what we want but fail to get into the field to actualize our desires. We chose to play safe on the bench; watching feeling sorry for ourselves while admiring those that have what we want. We forget that everything has a starting point. We forget that by practicing we become better. Be it in relationship, career, self improvement, investment, education....

So i ask, How long are you going to sit and watch without getting into the field of learning? If not you to go after that which you desire to learn who will? Think about it my friend.

Walepoard got better in the field and even dreamed she was dancing like a pro. I plan to keep dancing till i learn. So lets go dancing into our desires by getting into the learning field.

May God bless us all and grant us the courage to get onto the dance floor.

Bulbs Expiry Date

When i was moving to the place i am currently living i carried with me the bulbs i was using. Talk of salvaging what i could. The only thing i did not want to carry were those small insects  (cockroaches, spiders and ants) . I remember feeling very courageous after i managed to kill one huge spider without screaming for help. Yes that would have surely awoken the whole neighbourhood. They would have come with pangas  and rungus to my rescue. Hahaha! can you imagine the scene- people in their pajamas only to come and find it was a spider making me scream? :) Well what do you expect i am of the eve's kind and we are allowed to scream at small insects. :P 

 

Back to the bulbs. I fixed them in the four rooms: toilet, bedroom, kitchen and sitting room. One by one they have been switching off at different times. Last night was the kitchen bulb just as i was preparing to make dinner. I tried switching on and off but the bulb just wouldn't light. Its time of service had come to an end and it was not coming back to service. I replaced the old with the new now the kitchen is the brightest room in the house.

 

Which brings me to our day to day application. Like bulbs humans have an expiry date. It is that time when our services here on earth come to a halt. The question which remains is will we have served The Master well. The bulb was made to provide light and its time of service is limited. We too have a limited time here on earth. 

 

We were made to light up the earth. However most of us spend their time hiding our light forgetting we have limited time. We don't light the lives of those around us, those that matter most.... We spend time looking at our dark past that we cannot go back to. I carried my old bulbs to light up my new house.

 

No matter how the bulbs may have been of service at the old place it was time to move on to a new home. Same as humans when our time of service at a place comes to an end we move on to a new place and we provide light. But some of us keep looking back instead of focusing on brightening the place we currently are. Its time to let go of your past place of service and provide light into the new place God has positioned us. Think about it my friend.

 

What is this past you keep holding on to? How is it blocking you? What happens when your expiry date comes and you cannot light the room any more? If not you to light up your life who then will?

 

Lord Almighty thank You for creating us to light the earth. Father, we acknowledge that our time here on earth is limited. May we not allow our past life hold us from our present life. May we be of service to You Lord. In Your Holy name we pray and believe. Amen.

The Smelly New Truck

Yesterday was one of those days I am caught up in the jam. It can be a nasty experience especially when you rushing to go somewhere. So anyway along the way I encountered an awful smell and thought someone must have spoilt the air in the bus I was travelling in. I reached out to open the window but instead of the smell reducing it became more pronounced. That is when I noticed the new truck ahead of us. It was carrying waste and the nasty smell was emanating from the waste the truck was carrying. It was hard to believe that such a clean truck could carry such smelly garbage and that formed my lesson for today.

See friends we all want to look good and will use our money to have that good outside look. We are often successful in our new look and are the envy of those that come across us. Unfortunately the deep reality is our outward appearance is deceitful  because we carrying so much waste inside us that releases bad smells. Most of us walk around looking all good on the outside but are rotting on the inside. We need to come to the realisation that the things we carry inside us will either water down the outward nature or make it better.

There are those that have nothing to show outwardly but they are able to leave so much positivity wherever they go . While there are those that have so much outwardly but carry too much waste hence affecting the overall image.

Today let's seek to know and understand that which we are carrying inside us. Improving outside appearance without emphasis on the inside is all vanity. Lets seek to answer; what is the real overall smell i am releasing?



 P.s The Truck Protrayed isn't the one talked about in this article.