THE REAL GIFT...

i will make the costly confession and say i actually enjoy the finer things in life(never mind that i don't have access to them).i don't know where i got the liking but its just there.i will also say that i am comfortable with the simple life i have presently,it is pretty cool i tell you.many of us will confess to be victim to this,and maybe you like expensive things.i want to tell you the gift i love the most, the most expensive rarest gift,better than the diamond on the queen's finger,more valuable than the latest Rolls Royce,and the one gift we give least to people.i treasure DEARLY the people who have given me this gift.
the gift is simple,the gift of time and person.we all have 24 hours in day and are busy running around with errands here and there. we give money,jewelery but never ourselves.we silently tell people the money ,gifts,the errands and material things are better than us, otherwise why would we work so hard to give these gifts instead of ourselves?none of us have time,we have to look for it,for this reason this gift is the most expensive, after all isn't time money...literally?
we have to understand that the very gift of ourselves and our time is what most people desire.our presence is vital,our time...priceless.give of yourself,be there in person,sacrifice the time,be vibrantly present in the moment,give a helping hand,be the invaluable person you truly are.it doesn't matter how many coins you have in your pocket,package yourself and give of yourself, you are simply a great gift.
the jewelery may fade,the car may lose value,the clothes will go out of fashion but the memory of "you were always there for me and you never missed time for me" will never fade.it will only mean more to people as the passage of time goes on.the person i value most in my life currently is one who has always been there regardless of the hectic schedules,i turned and he was there...what wonderful memories i carry with me,how thankful i am for that gift.i want to give that gift to the people i call friends and family,the ones i truly treasure.no more easy way out for me,i will spend that time,that effort,and give of myself....

for the rest of time do GIVE MORE OF YOURSELF THAN FROM YOURSELF,you and your time are perfectly good gifts...:-)

JOY OF LIFE....

many of us walk around with this 'dead look' on our faces,the one that tells everybody life is not well with you.it may be true things are as bad as they can get but does it really have to put you to death...literally?
i am primarily a sanguine by nature and there is something about my character i wish we could adopt.i find myself being amused by the very simplest of things,the kind that to another person are just normal.to make me smile has got to be the easiest task for anyone.that quality right there keeps me going in this thing called life.i find joy in the simplest of things even when the worst has just hit.it is true i look like i don't take things seriously,but that's not the case,i prefer being positive and not killing myself early.my sister used to wonder how come i usually carry around a happy attitude,when stressed i get back to life pretty quickly.

there is no secret really,no pills,no meditation. i go through stuff just like everybody else but i have one policy...in any one day there are many things to smile about you just need to see them as worth smiling for.for the Kenyans, i had a really nasty day recently,nothing was working,i was pissed off ,tired,mad ...you name it.when evening came i was glad the misery was over.when i got to the stage the conductor said the magic words(at least for me that is) "dere wacha kufinya watu,lipisha raia fifty" believe me my day turned around right there, i went home smiling like a Cheshire cat,very happy indeed.when i got home no one could suspect the bad day i had had because that little incident turned it around.my sister could not believe those words just made my day,but they in fact did.

the point is this-life will look like you see it, no one will always be there to put a smile on your face,things won't always go your way to make you smile,you wont always be in a good mood.in life learn to search for the little things that could make you happy, the small things you can call a blessing, the tiny irrelevant things that can make you smile.when you begin to notice them and actually smile about them,when you begin to look for them in your daily life,trust me that 'dead look' you have been giving every one will go away slowly...you will begin to really like life because i believe in life...it is the small things that really count,the rest are a result of the small things...

do laugh,smile,and enjoy the small things.....

TO FIND STRENGTH....

it is true that situations have a way of literally wrecking havoc in your mind,and in most cases they do.there comes a time when we are caught up between a hard place and a rock and we just cannot do much about it even though we try.we just stand and freeze waiting for life too take its course.
the thing is when we are faced with such times we learn to look on the inside of ourselves for strength.you cannot control the world around you but you can control the world inside.in each of us there is a strength we have, a capability given to us by God,it is a strength based on character.when we discover that unique ability, we can handle anything that comes our way. we can learn to draw strength from the inside and walk through whatever life throws our way.we learn the power of the voice within us,the amazing ability of the mind.we learn to discover and decide who we want to be even within the trials we encounter.we can either be warriors or spectators of our own lives.the thing is when it happens in the mind,it happens in reality.when you free yourself and find strength in your mind somehow even in the real world the strength will come up.
funny as it may seem trials in life have taught me to trust the strength within me, to look within and find the will to stick it through,to look in the mirror and decide to choose a path of strength and courage.it is true when they say something will hurt you as deeply as you allow it to hurt you,trials will break you as much as you allow them to break you.there is an amazing strength in the mortal human,the things that human beings can endure have amazed me time and time again,you and i are no different. we can go through the good the bad and the downright ugly only if we see the capability within our very own selves.
as i disclaimer i will tell you it is not the easiest thing to do when disaster strikes and you find strength within but once you do, you are able to take it one day at a time and the trials seem to grow you more than anything else.the best part however is when you are done walking through the fire and you are amazed by your very own strength.like a brilliant singer once sang "i found my own strength....".
next time life seems nasty,brutal even...take a moment to look to heaven to show you the strength within,dont crush at the thought of trouble.learn to rise to the tough road,to walk along it for within you God placed the ability,the strength and courage to deal with whatever comes your way....

find your niche strength this week....cheers.

HUMBLING THOUGHTS....

this was a thought shared by my sister funny to realize we were thinking the same thing!!anyway here is the lesson we saw in different circumstances.....
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At times in life we just have to learn that you can do all you can do and all you know how to but still nothing comes up or nothing comes out of it.you will try your best, push your hardest, give your best shot but still...nothing. E.g

- You can eat healthy food to protect your self from diseases but you still get sick. You can drink clean water all your life but still get typhoid.

- You can go to the best schools, get A's in your academics, but still get trouble finding a good job that you can apply your skills. It can even get worse when you get called for numerous interviews and the interviewers complement you and they don’t take the bold step to employ you.

- You can be the most lovely human being but still have enemies. Believe it or not Mandela too has enemies.

- You can work hard at your business and at school but the results don’t show your hard work if anything they are the opposite

- You can be the best parent you know how to but still your kids turn out bad or you can be the best kids but still have bad parents
this is the point where you realize there is a higher power than you,whether you are christian or not. it teaches you that there is more to life than your abilities. It humbles you and reminds you that when all is said and done you are just but human. It teaches you not to judge others for they might have tried more than their level best but still they just don’t get it right; in a certain situation.it teaches you not to point fingers thinking you are the best in the market for even you have met that road block you cant help. it teaches you not to blame others for their position but to realize they are just human and uncertainties too happen to them.
when you get to that point you realize that life sometimes doesn't work out.not because you are wrong or you cant get it but because stuff just happens.its not his fault,not your fault,no one is unfair...its just life in action.for sure it will discourage you,frustrate you and bring you to your knees but the point is not to break you it is to make you.

Of course this is not to encourage mediocrity or a spirit of giving up, it is just to help us be humble, not to judge others and realize that we are only human and we do need the intervention of divine nature in this walk of life.it is for us to realize that when all is said and done we do have our moments of inequities even though we are the best there is. the spirit of humility finally finds a home in us as we begin to see that life...is just that...life...we cant understand it,fathom it, but we can adopt the very best nature to deal with it.

that right there was a reality check for me, i don't know what it was for you but this is something worth thinking about.

FOR A MOMENT...STOP...

a story is told of a young boy who's brother needed help but no one was stopping to help him. in a desperate attempt to help his brother the boy took a brick and threw it at a car.the car was shiny and new and the brick damaged the side of the car.needless to say the owner was very angry.when he stopped to see the boy so he could beat him up the boy stopped him and said "sir please i am sorry for what i did its just that my brother fell off his wheel chair and i couldn't get him up. i have tried getting people to help me lift him but no one would stop.i am sorry about your car but i really had to find a way to help him.will you please help him?"the man was in balancing tears in disbelief that he was so concerned with his own life that he did not notice the boy.
far fetched the story may be but isn't this what we do on most days? we are far too busy with this and that to notice the people around us.i do understand that life can get crazy at times with deadlines to beat,bills to pay,work to do,meetings to attend but when that is done what do we remain with?i am a culprit of yet another crime i have listed on this blog,the crime of rushing through life busy with the many problems in life.
life has a lot to offer to us but we are so concerned with those things that take away life from us we forget the things that give life. we run about our duties of the day which end up piling stress on us but we forget to spend an hour with those we love yet that hour would refresh our day.we fail to notice the distant look on our friends faces for we have neglected them for so long it is like we don't see them anymore.we are so concerned with the going ons in our own life we don't see the hurting neighbor,the injured child,the crestfallen friend,the neglected partner.all we see are the problems of today.
time is never there for either one of us,we all have 24 hours.it is up to us to make choices to stop every now and then to pay attention to the world around us,the things that beg our eyes to see and our ears to hear them.i don't know how often you should do this,but as often as possible will do well.take a little time to notice what is around you, you will be surprised at how relevant,how needed and how valuable you are to this world.the next time you feel life has gotten the better of you,put you down,drained all you energy, look for that person who needs your input,attend to them and you will be re-energized...

have a week full of stops!!

CONFUSED SOCIETY.

one of the things that i promised myself earlier on in my life is that i will never listen and pay attention to society. the reason is that there is no other confused sense of direction other than this thing called society.society tends to not know what it wants,it is never solid, it will never be satisfied and it will never have enough.if i were to start looking at people the same way society does then i would not go anywhere considering society has two codes for everything.they think a man is a man when he beats his wife and they praise a gentleman for being man enough...talk about confused.
the thing we all have to learn is that society will always have something to say,and it is never nice. we can never be right by society we will always be on the wrong side one way or the other.society will never fail to give you a brand for what you do.you read to much "bookworm or geek",you don't read "airhead",you're thin "anorexic", you're a bit thick "hog",you're independent "miss independent",you depend on people "parasite/lazy" and many more....
society has its own code of thinking and considering its a whole group no unanimous decision is ever made.i look at the prejudices i may have grown up with that damaged my view of life in more than one way.i accumulated a good amount of negative world views which i lived with for quite a while,toed the line in a sense.the reality of the matter is the prejudices hold a little truth but they cannot be depended on.people are not who they are because of gender,race, their last name,where they were born or what they do.they are intricate patterns of being that represent diversity.you look at people and see their heart,who they are and learn their being.you look at yourself in the same way, no brands on you, its just you, your heart,your desires,the fabric of your being.
sift through the words society has said and see peoplw for who they are. perfect example is according to society most women like flowers and chocolate,i am a woman but i hate chocolates and flowers are not gifts i prefer.imagine if someone bought me those for my birthday?.....
i guess this explains why i have always wanted to be unique,stand on my own,to be different and why i always hate it when someone bundles me in a category such as "you know most women","people who go to that school","people who live in that area"...for crying out loud i think i am right when i say i am a human being named Faith and not people/women/east-lander/kikuyu/.those things contribute to my identity but they don't make me who i am!!
i want to let people be individuals and see them for them.no more categories,prejudice,pre-conceived ideas.i have just freed myself from society.... :-)

free yourself and others...

DOUBLE STANDARDS.

i will admit there are many things that tick me off in regards to some human mannerisms, but this character is on the top five list,red-tape i mean.the fact that it is common does not in an way help me.
i am still yet to understand why people do this thing of telling you to do something, demanding something from you,reacting to you in a certain way yet when the same exact thing is done to them they will blow the roof top about it. to be fair i will say i have been this thoughtless a couple of times, am no angel.
most of us if not all of us have high expectations that even we ourselves fail to reach, we love to complain about how someone doesn't fit into our perfect world or the don't conform.if we are ever to achieve even the least greatness in this world we must steer clear from this.
take a little time,look at the things you demand from others,do you do them yourself?do you qualify of your own making?i am a culprit of this nature once in a while but i found something that works,before you open your mouth to tell someone something,check if you qualify,if not either you drop it or start doing it - period!!when dealing with someone get out of your box and think of them as you would have wanted them to think of you,feel the pinch in their shoe.
the greatest and most successful leadership is that which starts, it initiates, it guides, it leads,it sets a pace,it goes beforehand.it has to start from you and believe me when you tell someone to do that which even you have proven capable they will want to respond simply because you have been humble enough to do it.do you think the disciples would have refused to serve others after they had been served by the most high?Jesus was wise...very wise.when you don't do it you get resistance, either passive resistance or active resistance.
if you like someone to spend time with you,start saving time for them, if you want someone to be considerate be considerate with them, if you want to be shown love, show love....the list is endless but i think yo get my point.
the golden rule still stands "do unto other what you want done unto you".let stop this pragmatic behavior of putting harsh standards to others yet we ourselves don't have the guts to stick by them.i want to be a woman of my word, in that the same way i will judge others and the things i will expect from them will be the same things i will have. i will crucify myself with my words and be the example that i wish to see in others.chances are i will shut my mouth more often and i will be more understanding of others faults and inequities.i will end up being prudent in my choice of action.(this sounds good ....)
no longer should we tolerate that dangerous form of mediocrity(yes it it mediocre!) in ourselves.we set the bar, we set the pace, we rise to the occasion, we stand by our word, we are what we expect...

we are the standard...set a good one.

CONSUMER CULTURE...

when i heard someone mentioning the 'consumer culture' i never thought much of it until i really got to see what this person meant. you see as humans for most part we always want, i want this i want that,i wish this, i wish that...its our natural language.ask anybody what they want (i am no exception)and they won't fail to give you a drop down list.ask the same person what they are willing to give in return and they have little or no idea.
what we do is consume,consume and consume some more,at this rate we will never replenish our world and we will have nothing to show for it after a while.i wish i would want less and give more, i wish that for every one thing i want i have extra to give.the concept of good measure shaken together running over will never get old.this is a project (of the many that i have)i will mark in my life calender, i want to stop this madness the world has brought about in me, the madness that cares not for what it leaves but what it can gain,the madness that goes out to the world as a hungry child and not a giving parent, the madness that cares about me and I, the madness that depletes this planet of the true meaning of life.
i am a culprit of being a demanding person, i demand a lot from people and myself.most of the time i am conspiring how i will get a particular thing i desire.this is a culture we all have and frankly speaking it has began to drain me and make my life lose meaning.if who i am is what i get,when i do not get what becomes of me?-that is a question we all need to ask today.
when you begin to look at the world with an eye of giving, of building, of replenishing then life will truly begin to make sense,days will start to seem shorter, more exiting,you will become busy and much happier.people will respond to you in a much different way because you will finally make a true difference in this thing called life.
next time you feel like 'consuming' look at how much better it is to just give.as always it is not the easiest thing to do but it sure is a good feeling to have.begin to save more often than you spend, begin to conspire to give more of yourself,begin to take things to a different level,begin to have bigger eyes than those that only see you.start figuring out how not to consume so much from the environment around you and the people around you too!

do have a consumer free week wont you....

THE BEND AFTER THE U-TURN....

I am finding it surprisingly interesting documenting this process of my life on the blog, kinda feels like a diary thing going on...
anyway when the whole u-turn thing began believe me i had not seen this one coming.it is the bend after the turn. so you have made the turn and are now moving then you meet this turn that we all dread, the one where you reach and begin asking yourself, will all this pay off? (it always does but we still ask anyway)when things get a bit rough and you don't get the kind of reception you were expecting,when you are trying to mend your errors and something keeps you back,when you suddenly get that urge to give up on the whole idea but you cant do it seeing how your life has changed for the better?
believe me i thought this was going to be a ball...far from it.i see it as having four stages namely 1.The euphoria moment. 2.The messy drama 3.Awesome discovery 4.Deep depth.lemme break this down for you then you will see...
1.The euphoria moment.
this must be the devil itself(for real) anyway this is the point where we have just began the journey when we are busy plotting and scheming our plan of action and the next course.when we are full of zest and we are ready to go. when our psyche is so high up and even those around us are busy championing us to go on. our hopes are high, our ambitions clear,our faith unshakable.yes this is the euphoria we all experience when we beginning this journey. as for how long it lasts it varies with our personalities.for some its long others short.

2.The messy drama.
how we wish we could skip this one...now this is where code name drama begins.when the zest begins to fade,when people still insist on carrying that grudge against you that you have forgiven yourself for, when people don't seem to believe you(these usually are the majority),when it begins to look like work and it starts being heavy,when you simply want to drop your bags and move on back to the old ways.many of us get stuck at this bend and we fail to move on with it.it gets so rough giving up seems like a wonderful option...well don't do that,its not worth it, wait till you see the rest of it you will be glad you stuck it through.

3.The awesome discovery.
i like to see this as the hallelujah bit of this journey.very few people get here by the way. it is usually after one has struggled with the battles,tough moments,lost faith,endless bitterness,people who want to hold you back, the temptation to turn and all that characterize the second stage. it is when we have fought through that and come out successfully that we begin to experience a discovery. we begin to enjoy the journey in a more realistic manner realizing that not everyone is going to support you for it or even believe you. it is after we have experienced challenges within the turn and have learned how to deal with this(for the record prayer helps to get through the drama).it is after we have seen the mean world and faced it with strength and courage.the u-turn is no longer that much of a struggle for we have developed a thick skin,we have seen the benefits and know this is worth fighting for.

4.The deep depth.
now this is the cherry on top!!but do i say. this is the point where the u-turn begins to be like an inborn thing in you. when the youth of the moment returns and you are constantly looking for ways to get back there again, to do another turn.this is the point where you desire to improve the turn and make it sharper this time more wisely.you have become a guru, a master of your own self.you have won over your own mind and can now pursue that which you eye. you have doubled your strength and have become phenomenal even to your own self....sounds good doesn't it?sadly the number of people who get here are few and countable because they get stuck 'discovering' instead of moving.
am not promising you an easy journey though the euphoria is good,don't live there too long its too simple, too fickle,too shallow a stage to get caught up in.the messy stage will be as hard as any rock, you will be stuck between a rock and a hard place, you will want to give up but hold on, the best is yet to come.the discovery is good we get to see the errant ways of the euphoria and we move over to realistic measures,but that is not the best yet.when you get to the depth,it will be so good you will not even want to look back(even if you do its the best part and you will want to go back). my word to you is nothing good in life comes easy,for this will you will fight the hardest battle of them all- a battle against your own mind, own will and desires.fight a good fight and you will reap sweet rewards...am still on the road to the depth,just easing out of the drama bit into discovery....

cheers to all good warriors...

thank you.

now to be honest i write many things on this blog many life's lessons.to me its a record of the things that i learn in life and like to share them.it is a representation of my journey in life and the meditations of my heart.from reading it you may assume i am this very straight person but that's far from it. i am as human as the next person with no different a life. the thing is tracking my life on this blog zaps me back to reality as i read what i had once learnt.(you might be surprised to learn that the awakening thing happened to me a month after i had posted it,i guess i was just waiting for it) i make a mistake en then i read a post i had written en i quickly take it back.as i write so do i learn.to all the readers,thank you for your suport and sharing this journey that is life with me.maybe putting something in writing doues have the strength it is rumored to have ,trust me.
may you be richly blessed.
with love.

THE U- TURN...

now besides having "the awakening" moment we move to the next point of having a "U-turn".this is the point after the awakening, after all the factors have come into play,after you have seen your errant ways, your shortcomings,life's disappointments and the mess that was created.after you have accepted what is and have let it be.
it is the point where you stop blaming yourself and other people for it all and realize that all those were 'storms' in life that needed to happen.you begin to see that they were there not to punish you but to make you a better person.you begin to see that had they not happened you would not be who you are.you begin to turn back time and learn from you mistakes and those of others.
you start dropping the burdens,the attitudes,the pain,the resentment, the regret,the prejudices,the convictions and the anger you had been carrying all your life. you begin to forgive, to laugh, to celebrate,to reconcile,to give,to love,to share,to work.
you start going about your life in a different way.you see the best of it,take it and run with it. you begin to see life's events as an opportunity, an opportunity to mend your ways and get things right,an opportunity to turn back the clock.you begin to do things with the new attitude that you picked up, no longer with the tears pain or hurt.you begin to be an optimist and expect the best from yourself and others.
you begin to let go of your past,refusing it to define you and make you who you are.you begin realizing that this present day will be your past some day.how you want to look back at this time begins to determine your actions,thoughts and decisions.your present becomes your future past which you want to define you positively someday so you don't let yesterdays past ruin your tomorrows memories.you begin to live it well so that you may look back and smile at it and be thankful for what you gave,though or did.
you start taking stock of your day taking time to see how good or bad your doing and promising yourself you will do better tomorrow,you pray about it and commit yourself to it.you begin to face each morning with a zest of life that never was,a sense of purpose, direction,passion is born.each day begins to hold promise for you as you push harder to reach the reality of your awakened moment.
you begin to touch your own heart with your revelations to yourself. you begin to laugh with yourself, to look in the mirror and see a new beauty arise in you.you begin to see people as they really are. you start accepting they are human, never going to be perfect and neither are you. you begin to appreciate and accept the diversity they have and you help them mend their ways. as you impart their lives you realize your own life becomes more meaningful.
you let go of the shame, the guilt and the mud you had on your face.you accept your mistakes, forgive yourself for them, and take responsibility for them.you start walking with a new spring in your step as you have freed yourself from your own self.you realize that only by letting go will you become a better person.
you see that those who love you never mean to hurt you it is just that they are prone to mistakes.you stop punishing yourself and them for it because you realize it will only rob you of your life.you realize the value of forgiveness and the strength of love.
you begin to embrace human emotions of love, fear,pain,hurt.you realize they are real and exist in you. you stop wanting to avoid them and instead you confront them with the humanness you have. you stop judging yourself for being weak when you experience them or being too scared to confront them.you realize that they are a part of you and you have to face them,work with them instead of pushing them away. you realize strength is not in the emotionless nut in dealing with the emotions arising.
you stop letting the words "what if?" from defining and making your choices.you begin to think "what if not?". you begin to take your chances in life and take the risks that are there for you realize "what if" is a thief of all opportunities.you also realize that "what if?" is a question that will never have an answer and so you stop torturing yourself to death with it.
you begin to be a better person,full of warmth,love and faith.you start exerting yourself in the promise of a better tomorrow. you begin to be expectant of yourself, of life,of God and of others.
the thing with the U-turn is that it is a lifetime process that never ends unlike the awakening which is the occurrence of a moment.not only should we be awakened but we should move to make the U-turn.Given you may fall off the wagon a few times but with the turn you will learn from it and get back on the line.

as they say "a changed soul is the miracle of a moment, a saint is the work of a lifetime"

inspired from above with love,cheers!!