WHAT IF WE: GRATITUDE

It’s a Saturday evening, the clouds are so dark; you can search all over and never find even an African so dark (lol). This means only one thing. The heavens are heavily pregnant, ready to rain down and rain hard on un-expecting humans. We have just come from eating a 4 kg 4-layered cake at a friend’s graduation party…the taste that the cake left is still with me. A friend and I are chatting our way to town in the cool and quiet evening.

‘Aki kutanyesha (It’s going to rain)” there is a worried look on my face as I touch my recently blow-dried mane.

“Hakutanyesha…I am not a rain maker but chill uone, hakutanyesha (No it won’t rain…. I’m not a rain maker but just wait and see)” he says amid laughter.

“Uko sure? (Are you sure?)” (Lately I have been asking this alot…but that’s another day’s tale)

“Yes…trust me.”

And so I did. And instead of taking a ride to another friend’s place…we decided to walk. Evening walks are one of my favorite things to do…especially with good company :-) . So we walk. And what goes well with walking…especially on such a cool evening? Talking. And so we talked. We talked about almost everything…from scripture…spiritual lives, lame jokes, a few adventures in the timeline, business opportunities (ha-ha yes…this had to be there) and how life in general was. 

source: www.pixabay.com

When we arrived at this other friend’s house for dinner, music and laughter (yes, that is how dinner is served...with music and laughter), I remember just thinking about how the long weekend (thank you pope…a four day weekend was just what some of us needed. I don’t think I can ever repay you…literally) had been. I remember thinking about the laughter and joy we were sharing over a meal. I remember thinking how this brother from another mother (hahah yes..he is family, sorry to burst your bubble), had sacrificed so much for me, picking me up when I arrived late at night (coz traveling at night is so much fun), even bringing along a gift, accompanying me to an event that he did not even know anyone, bringing us lunch…checking on us, ensuring we arrived home safely. And I had not even said thank you. How ungrateful of me…right? 

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Now, remember that story where a king and servant went out to hunt and the servant’s hand was cut off and then the next time the servant went hunting he left the king and he met man-eating humans who could only eat “whole” people? Yes? The one where he was spared despite the fact that he was mad at his king for chopping his arm earlier? Well, I don’t know if that story happened in real life but this is the point they were trying to put across: Be grateful no matter what happens to you, because everything happens for a purpose. At times thins go so south *is there such a thing as down south?* that all we see are the bad things in life; and this creates a negative attitude and resentment in our hearts.

Friends, as the year comes to an end in a few days (yey Christmas), I can’t help but look back at the year and see how many times I have been ungrateful. I have not said thank you enough. Maybe like me, you have also been through so much in the year that you see no need of being grateful. So many times we focus on the things that went wrong and forget those times, days or moments that went right. Remember that time you lacked and someone or God provided? Did you say thank you? Or did you think that you deserved it, that it was your right? Remember that time you were in need and someone sorted you out? Were you grateful for that? or did you assume that you deserved to be helped? Remember that time you were unwell and thought you would never live and you lived? Did you thank God for healing? Remember the last time you were in hospital? No? Does it occur to you be grateful for good health? Remember that person who is always there for you…who loves or sticks with you regardless of how hard it is to deal with you? Remember that person who loves you despite your flaws? Yes? No? Have you been showing gratitude to them?

Show me one person who is never grateful and how dull their lives are. Then show me one person who is ever grateful and how prosperous his life is…and how also they seem to attract good. I am a witness. For the past few months, the praise “Hallelujah” as been frequent on my lips and my heart; and things have been good.

source: www.christianglobe.com

What if we showed more gratitude? What if we started today? What if we did it #ForMyCity and for humanity? Are we going to wait until the year ends for us to start showing gratitude to family, friends and God? Start today…won’t you?

Facebook:  Njeri Kareithi

Twitter: @deekareithi

(The campaign dubbed #ForMyCity led by Poetry Spot. Follow the conversation here)

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AT WAR

source: www.psywar.org

 

We are at war;

All of us.

Soldiers, warriors, victims, citizens.

With blood on knives, arrows, blades, blood on our minds.

Trapped in the cages we call minds,

Bound by chains of false promises.

We slave,

We hope, we wait.

As Buildings go up in smoke.

We hear guns and bombs…followed by silence and sobs.

We fight as they steal our freedom,

Sinking us deep in the sea of blood and tears,

“our bloody enemies are so close, they are in our ears”.

We are at war.

Black trenches...black coats,

Black as their souls;

Black as the skin on their bodies;

Black as the burning blood they spill;

Black as the hands that carry the weapons;

Black as the people they kill.

We knew,  we knew all along

Yet we shut our ears.

The cry of the orphan; we ignored.

The widow, the widower; we created.

The soldier, the child; we killed.

Dreams haunted by the oppression of war.

Violent men welcomed with pomp and glamour,

Celebrated.

Peaceful men, who wore compassion as their amour,

Disregarded.

We were at war.

Befado

Source: www.digitaljournal.com

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WHAT IF WE: RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT

*wipes off dust and cobwebs from my Njeri Kareithi folder*

For my birthday, I got these three books from a friend. Sure; I also got other books from other friends but these ones stood out. I could see that they were part of a series and it really excited me. I did not notice it as first; but later as I was admiring them (am I the only one who admires new books all around at first?) I notice that they were not the first books in the series. Oh great! Out of the series of five, he got me #3, #4 and #5. Makes no sense; right? How would I start reading at #3? That’s like watching a movie from the middle. You would speculate what happened, but it would be just that. Speculation. Now, now now, where and how do I get one and two? I remember asking myself. It got me so disturbed for a few days till, like he had read my thoughts, he told me to look at the spine of the books. (I didn’t know what a spine of a book was till I goggled…and asked a friend too. I know you also didn’t know sooooo you’re welcome)

Found. Family. Forever.

That is what was written. I remember slapping myself on my face and smiling at the sweet thought.  We had grown to be such good friends in a short span of time that he could confidently say that he has found family forever. Yes, family. Because at times family is not necessarily those you are related to by blood, it is the people standing beside you when no one else is. People who can be relied on.

Fast forward a few weeks ago…this is how a conversation between me and my mentor (Much respect Sir) went;

“Njeri Kareithi (I don’t know where he got the habit of calling me my maiden and sir name, but when anyone calls me that way, I know it is something serious), How are you?”

“I am fine Mr. Sec General (inside joke)”

“I have been to your blog and you have not posted anything lately”

“uuummmm  you know…” I thought of a million excuses, including one that my keyboard is missing a letter which I might use frequently. Or the typical "the dog ate my drafts". Lame right?

“*laughs*don’t make excuses, you need to be consistent…carry on with the way you have been consistent over the years”

“but bwana Sec General, you should not be reading my blog…you will know too much” I remember saying

“*laughs* no, I thought that makes me a good mentor...”

“yeah, I am working on it.” I replied as I opened my Njeri Kareithi folder and searching for an incomplete poem that I needed to complete and post.

“I am actually currently working on a poem”

“I will check soon and see...”

First of all, I remember thinking to myself, why? why me Lord? Not that I write here to please anyone, don't get me wrong. But then I thought to myself that was actually a good call out. You see, many of the times we search for people who do things consistently. I mean, as human beings, we all long for consistency of some sort…be it that person who you know you can always lend to/borrow from because they keep their word, a person who you can always count on, something or someone that you know will be a constant.

Allow me to indulge you in some mathematics (wipe off that sneer you! How else will you know I majored in math/statistics). When something is constant in math, this means it remains the same, regardless of whatever happens around it or the changes over time. The figure never changes. This constant is best seen when all other factors are taken as zero. In math and statistics, this is usually referred to as the constant K (hope you learnt something new there lol). Now, back to real life. Someone or something consistent, according to the queen’s language, is (of a person, behavior, or process) unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.

What I have come to realize over time is that as humans, we all desire to have that consistency in life, you know, that security in knowing you can always count on someone or something. Over time, this consistency results to being reliable, trusted, dependable. To be able to be counted on. For this friend to tell me that he has found family forever was more than a complement. It however made me think a lot and this is the challenge I would like to pass over to y’all.

We all long for consistency and reliable things or people…right? But how reliable and/or consistent are we? Can someone say they can depend on you? Do we keep our word? Do we deliver on our promises? Or do we say one thing and do another? Have you ever told someone you will do something or you will take part in a certain activity then they go “yeah right” or “huyo tunamjua, ngoja tu utaona (that one, we know them well, just wait and see)" ? Can people count on us as much as we want to count on them? Are we reliable? Are we consistent? Can people say you are family to them?

 

What if we became consistent? What if we became reliable? What if we did it for ourselves, #ForMyCity and for humanity?

Facebook:  Njeri Kareithi

Twitter: @deekareithi

 (The campaign dubbed #ForMyCity led by Poetry Spot. Follow the conversation here)

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In Case of Emergency by Barrack O (@bar_rack )

Now, now, now, before you start thinking that the POTUS wrote this, let me remind you to Keep Calm and read on. The author(bar_rack) *lol, notice how he plays around with his name? You, Judge Judy, gerrrarahia*, is one interesting being. 

Imagine that you are walking in town one Saturday afternoon. Either alone or with a friend in tow. Let’s assume the second option – you are strolling in town with a friend, W. You talk about the weather and how it’s been behaving. How the week was at work and at home. You talk about everything that you can possibly talk with your friend. Then, suddenly, in the middle of that you start feeling ill. At that moment you realize that there is something terribly wrong with your body and you cannot really figure it out. You assume and keep on talking. Suddenly your friend realizes there’s something terribly wrong, but they too are clueless. Things happen so fast that you start losing your sensory abilities – you cannot feel the spoon that’s in your hand and you fail to coordinate the digits on your hand but nothing. Before you know it, a sharp migraine fills your entire head causing you to slump on the table, weak and helpless.

Across the table your friend looks at you, helpless. Prodding with questions.

“How are you feeling?” W asks.

“Pins and needles,” you respond. Google that if you don’t know.

“You were just okay,” W says, confused. “What is up? Do you 

have anyone I can call?”

“I have to think,” you respond, gasping under the intense pain clouding your head.

Then you realize that you almost have nobody in your “In case of Emergency (ICE)” list. Then the wildest thoughts start swarming your head.

“What if I was alone and I collapsed in town?” A thought crosses your head.

The People in Our Lives

That’s what happened to me a few months ago. A small incident that shook me a lot. It made me think about the people I could reach out in case something goes awry and I needed someone to be there for me when I couldn’t help myself.

I was shaken because things went from good to bad then ugly in a matter of minutes and lasted about four hours. I was hanging in there – in a body that was caving in to what felt like nervous failure and a headache from hell. Yeah, that’s what happens when you overwork yourself for almost three straight weeks.

I was also shaken because, had I been alone in town, the experience would have been unimaginable, or so I thought. I would be alone in this city where expression of concern is considered rare.

Before I go  on, I happen to be on W’s ICE and that is why we were in town in the first place. W had landed herself in a technical mess the previous evening and I knew the right person who could fix her problem. People who watch movies on their laptops while tucked in bed need prayers.

Back to this moment when my nervous system has decided that I will feel nothing and do nothing.

“Here’s my phone,” I groaned. “Unlock it and call E”

E was not in Nairobi. He called his brother who was closer. As close as Rongai! How close! I was in CBD. How helpful!

“Who else can I call?” W, who is also my partner in crime asked.

“Try my cousin, C,” I said. “He works around here and he can be of help.”

“He says he’s away upcountry,” W said.

“Okay,” I muttered. Trying to think and getting the sharp headache, needles and stings under control. 

“Call J, he’ll call a doctor for me.”

This is the part where everybody you need is away and you are almost alone.

In hindsight, I have learnt the importance of having people who know what to do when they get that call telling them that you are not okay. It is very possible to have over 2000 friends and acquaintances on Facebook, 2000 followers on Twitter but zero people on your In Case of Emergency (ICE) list. It is a frightening thought to say the least. And by that, I exclude parents. No parent who is miles away wants to be told that their child collapsed in town while taking a walk. I am talking about friends who will immediately pause their lives and rush to where you are and see what they can do.

Interestingly, like on this particular day, ambulances also proved quite hard to come by. Dialled 1199. They took their sweet time. Called St Johns Ambulance. Nada. But that’s when that cab guy you befriended a while back shows up immediately and joins you, helping W to handle the emergency situation that I had become. All he asks is for you to tell him what hospital he can take you and not to worry about the cab fare. He coordinated with W in communicating with a doctor friend and eventually we settled on a hospital.

“W, you have to go home,” I said. “I am in good hands now”

“Weeee!,” W retorted. “Then what happens?”

“I can take it from here,” I responded, like when the CIA and FBI folks in movies tell the local cops.

“Cow!” I was told. I laughed quietly to myself. All this time popping in and out of hospital reception. A head scan here. Medication there. A doctor asking what’s stressing me up.

“I said a prayer for you in that waiting room,” W mentioned much later.

Buses, Lifts and Fires

Many weeks later, I have learnt the need to constantly evaluate the accessible people around me. Who knows where I live? Who needs to know where I am traveling to? Who needs to know where I am late at night especially when stranded? Not everyone. But people who I think matter and who will, in turn, make a difference should anything happen. Or just for the sake of knowing.

But then, I ask myself: Am I in anyone’s ICE list? Will I be able to stop my life to attend to a friend’s need till late in the night? It takes a handful of people to make a difference when all fails.

Buses have huge writings at the back glass window (is it a window really?): Emergency Door: In Case of Emergency Break Glass.

Lifts have stickers plastered: In Case of Emergency Call These Numbers 07XXX. Just in case you get stuck in a lift and you need the world to know where you are.

Some buildings have a fire alarm installation with a key: In Case of Fire Break Glass for Key. The key will always give you access to an emergency fire exit and you’ll be safe from the fire.

It is also a requirement in some of our workplaces for us to provide the details for next of kin. Same applies for life insurances and investment chamas and the likes. Just in case something happens to you at work and they need to know who your family is.

In case of emergency, I hope the 5 people in my ICE list will be the reason I will be in the ICE list of 5 other people.

This post was originally posted here

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WHAT IF WE: HARD WORK

A few months ago I was in a bus en route home from town. It was a Sunday afternoon. I sat next to this father who was speaking to his son on the phone (okay, it was either his son or someone else's son but there was frequent use of the word “Kababa”). I could not hear what the person on the other side of the telephone conversation was saying (partly because it was none of my business and partly because this man was talking too loudly and I just wanted to shut him off my mind trail), but you could tell by the words of this man that the person on the other side was important.  He kept asking the other party if he had been working hard and if he held on to his dream. He kept reassuring him to keep working on that dream and work hard so that he may not end up like his father (Enough with the pressure already lol).

Source: www.npr.org

Fast forward to a month ago when I sat in an audience where a person I admire from work was sharing her story. Well, hers is not the riches to rags story, neither is her story like what most people use in talk shows and such forums where they say how they are from a humble background (note, as a friend of mine said, coming from such backgrounds does not give you monopoly over suffering), and they rose above adversity to succeed. Don’t get me wrong, I do love those stories too, they are a source of inspiration. Hers, on the other side, is a story of how she set goals for herself, kept her eyes on that dream and worked damn hard to be where she is, regardless of where she came from. She is a dreamer, a hard worker, a spirited go-getter, and has neither the time nor the space for mediocre or substandard things. And you can see the result from her work to her family, her husband (you should see them together) and the way she runs life in general. Now, before you start fussing and start telling me how I may not know what she is going trough and that no one can have it all, lemmie remind you that what she kept insisting on was hard work. H.A.R.D W.O.R.K.

A good friend and I have been talking about dreams, goals desires and what we are doing about them a lot of late. *By the way, friend who shall not be named, this is just a permanent and polite reminder that you owe me a shout out. Remember. SOTMIII*. Where was I? Yes, Hard work. I always tell some girls I mentor that I am one staunch believer of hard work. Yes, success (and achieving dreams) comes in many ways and using different avenues but if there I one that I can take to the bank and I was brought up with is hard work. The good book states very well that 

“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23) 

I have never met anyone who worked so hard and it never worked out. If you meet one, please let me know so that I meet them. What we have these days are people who want it easy, people who are not willing to work hard or sweat for their dreams. Hell, we don’t even dream anymore or have these goals and aspirations. #YOLO has become a mantra that will destroy us, if we are not careful. Remember that dream you had when you were young? That goal you wanted to achieve, that person you wanted to become? What happened to those dreams and aspirations? Sure, you will say life happened. Sure, you will say priorities changed. But you know what, a dream never dies, no matter the circumstance…your gut still holds on to that dream, wanting to pursue it so bad. A dream never dies.

We all know that 10,000 hours theory, right? I talked about it here. What if we all started working on that dream? What if we started yesterday? What if we started today? What if we so badly wanted that dream? What if we were willing to spill sweat and blood to achieve it? What if we worked so damn hard? For our families, relationships, companies, ourselves? What if we did it #ForMyCity and for humanity? 

  

What if we worked hard?  

Facebook:  Njeri Kareithi

Twitter: @deekareithi

 (The campaign dubbed #ForMyCity led by Poetry Spot. Follow the conversation here)

  

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Are You Man Enough? by Kelvin Kaesa (@KelvinKaesa)

Who is a man?
Mwanaume ni?
Mwanaume ni wallet?
Mwanaume ni effort?

Men are all that
And double-caps bold highlighted headlines on the front page of a best-selling magazine, 
you can find 10 tips on how to know if he is the one,
Six more on how to keep him;
And 5 secrets on how to make him good in bed.
So go on and get yours while stocks last, get him while he’s still tall dark and handsome.

This is branding
The idea of manhood has now become commercialized
turned into a pop culture trend
the principles defining manhood can now be found copy-pasted onto newspaper lifestyle columns,
cut-out and pinned onto the walls of high school dorm room cubicles filtered into man-crush-Monday Instagram hashtags

“you thought it was hard being a woman?

Try being a man on a Monday morning when your crush posts a man crush and it’s not you…” 

it’s hard out here for ninjas like we
society is forcing us to evolve
we no longer stand straight and cannot hold up our heads backs bent typing away on google trends
a man has to make sure his personality traits are tagged just fine to show up on the first page your search results go on, take your phones and google “how to be a man” you will find more than 2.4 billion results in about 0.79 seconds
Now that is fast
Fast enough to teach man how to bend into a consumer sized package wrapped up and delivered to your door step
waiting for you to let him in
his heart now bends in ways that won’t let him feel
and whatever else is left standing straight, has stereotypes to fill its place the bits of human left in him are trapped inside a hard heart
hard as a clenched fist holding on to trends, and needs he needs…
he needs more morphine for the state he’s in
more dope to lace his lips so they get hooked to what he says he needs more bass for the chiqs he wishes he’d win
he needs more chisel-chipped abs for the freeze-frame photo-shoot photos his followers want to see
They want to see more smiling… less frowning
“smile wider… don’t let the world see your frown. You are atlas go on hold your head up and don’t get your world off-balance”

I wonder, how many of you ladies take time to make sure you go out with the right guy?
I mean a crop-top, high heels and classy clutch bag need a fine brand to accessorize I wonder what skin tone of a man will match your dress tonight
There is a saying that goes
“teach a man to fish and you save him for a lifetime”
but, teach a man how to hunt like a dog and all he will ever know is to follow commands sit…he sits stand…and so he does here have a bone for your efforts
now wag your tail, roll over and die
whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks forgot to mention that survival is a basic instinct so old dogs can learn to adapt and humans…well humans are not far off from the rest of the species keep repeating a slogan and see if he does not adapt… even bone of his bone can be made just that…a bone that… that is how you identify awesome branding!!!!

Now, how many guys here today think they are man enough?
How many of you are sure you are not just brands?
Go on. Think about it. Look into yourself
Look keenly, look closely
Because I can bet… that all you see are blurred lines
Your blood line has become so twisted you can form jungle-gyms inside your heart You cannot trace down your ancestry
In order for a man to find the true definition of manhood
We have to go back to the beginning
Hebrews 1:3 “…the son is the radiance of the father and he holds everything by the power of his words”
The son is the radiance of the father
The sun reflects the light of its father
The son is a perfect image of his father…like literally
He was made in his image and likeness.
Life breathed into his lungs, heart pumping he speaks things into existence

Now, you need to realize this is why God intended that man become head of the family
Because in him he holds the power to hold things in place, be a provider and sustains those close to him. He reflects good character that defines hiss offspring’s well being
So, do you still think you are man enough or just a brand?
You can wear your snapbacks, saggy pants and cool hairstyles. But that…that is just branding. Be a man

This piece was originally posted at Story Zetu. All rights preserved to Kelvin Kaesa. Read More of his works and projects #OfSmallBoysInBigCities and #MadeToRise here

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WHAT IF WE: APPRECIATE

“So I called my dad to wish him a happy father’s day and he laughed saying I've got jokes”.

 

 I swear I burst out laughing that day. See this young lady known as Shiru wa Wanjiku is a funny one. Not only does she write beautiful poems that kiss your soul over and over (read them here), she is also a crazy one. You should hear the two of us having a conversation. I would like to blame the fact that we attended the same high school but that wouldn’t look good for the high school right? So I’ll just blame my circle of friends and make a mental note that I should get new ones.

 You’ve got to love how we love these “Day” days. Valentine’s Day, Christmas Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Labour Day, Independence Day, Birth-Day (lol)...then there are those days that we have invented;  sijui WhatsApp Admin Day, Best Friends Day et al. Any reason to buzz over social media platforms; right?

I remember when I used to volunteer at a certain children’s home where this young lad who we shall name Jude used to reside. Among his peers of ages two to three, he was the sweetest thing alive…stubborn he was, but I mean, he would hide sweets given by the frequent visitors to give to babies that were asleep when visitors came. Occasionally he would give me one when I left for home in the evening and ask me to take it to keep it as his way to say “thank you for taking care of us today”. Well, he would also add that I should not eat it but give it to that baby we had at home because “sweet ni za watoto (sweets are for young ones)”, but that is beside the point.  You know that warm fuzzy feeling you feel in your stomach, your insides warming up and you feel like hugging someone? That's how I felt...each and every time. Believe you me that small act would make me look forward to being in that home as early as possible.

Ever attended a  burial where those in attendance fill their sentences with “so and so was a good person…they did this and this for me…..they used to do this every day…I wish  I could tell them how I appreciated it…if only they would wake up and see how grateful I am…”? Many are the times that we take for granted what others do to us, until the grim reaper takes them away or they stop doing it; then we start singing the “I miss the way you used to” song. We live in a society where when and if someone does something for you, you think they are obligated to do that because, I mean… it is you. Or some society rules dictate that they do.

Well, I say break those societal rules and obligations. I mean, do we have to wait until the next “Day” day so that we appreciate someone by putting their picture as our profile picture, or post on  walls about how much we appreciate their existence (while knowing too well that they are not on the social media platform you posted and you would rather do that for the “likes” than say it in person) , or wait for the day things start going south and memories of what they used to do is all we have, or death takes them away? 

We need not to! Appreciate that person who sacrifices for your sake. Someone makes food for you? Appreciate. Someone does your laundry? Appreciate. Someone keeps checking on you? Appreciate. Someone is always there? Appreciate. Someone teaches you a lesson? Appreciate. Someone takes care of you? Appreciate. Someone taught you what you now know? Appreciate. Someone did that thing for you? Appreciate. Someone helped you? Well, appreciate!

I appreciate you all who take the time to read my posts. 

What if we appreciated each other? What if we started today? What if we did it #ForMyCity and for humanity?

Facebook:  Njeri Kareithi

Twitter: @deekareithi

 (The campaign dubbed #ForMyCity  is led by Poetry Spot. Follow the conversation here)

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