⇰ Be Alive - ➹Rise ✣ Fall➷ - Repeat ♌

I turned 44 today and I am so excited I cannot contain my joy! 💙

I never really outgrew my love for birthdays. It is a great time to celebrate life and reflect on the things that really matter to me. So I celebrate being here and honour those who choose to have me in life adventures. This year is significant because of many unexpected things I had to contend with. I drew some insights which are helping me along the way…

Oldoinyo Lesatima 
2022

1. Dare to taste life: Courageously seeking the art of embracing life. Taking in everyday joys and pains and the constant negotiating and navigating the now has been the best remedy to balm any wounds of regrets that may fester in my future..

2. I love people and believe in humanity: I am endlessly intrigued and heart-warmed by encounters with others' ideas, thoughts and connections. I remain hopeful and optimistic that we are not defined by narrow notions of ourselves and each have the potential for  greatness...transformation is closer today than yesterday…

3. I belong first to me: I am learning  how important it is to know I matter and I am worthy. My ideas and thoughts count. Ever so slowly, I wean off the habit of ceding ground and making myself small to fit into tight folds. It is this kind of pressure that pushes me to prioritise everyone except myself. In this pervasively  misogynistic world, my belonging takes new meaning as I refuse to be contained in traps that shames me and my choices ..

4. Grateful to be alive; I am in awe reverence of life and because of this I work hard to contribute to life projects that reflect my deep appreciation of the universe forces that conspired to mould me into who I am…

5. Healing and shadow work is lifelong commitment for me: Parts of me are split off, rejected and hurt in order to survive in this world. It is my life quest to reclaim all of me by working to understand, reconcile, and tend to the wounded and lost parts of myself.

6. Gratitude, compassion and grace are great companions and precious gifts as I contend with my choices in life and grapple with the entirety of what fruits they bare. 

7. I revel in the power of faith: I marvel at the remarkable ability of miracle-mindedness to melt away whatever is considered impossible and unattainable. Knowing the frailty of life is an unfolding miracle in and of itself.

8. Those in my orbit remain under review: My connection and state of being with; self - body, mind and spirit, my beloved, friends, comrades, allies, communities and ancestors are constantly examined and explored. Understanding the ebb and flow of my relationships is a lifetime devotion.

9. I am blessed: In everything and in all ways, I feel fortunate to have people who are generous in spirit (like you) who offer me their precious time and teach me the importance of being my best self everyday. These blessings tide me through tougher times.

10. Being alive to the beauty of life: Overcoming the paralysing effect of fear of the unfamiliar has helped me embrace discomfort, discovery and wonder—it has been the fuel I needed to power and transform my stuckness and limitations into positive life experiences. 

That is why  I choose to celebrate today and whatever it brings unapologetically. …