A Reader and Writer in a Global Pandemic.
My Journey as a Reader and Writer.
A talking of Gratitude.
It’s always a great and exciting feeling when we(humans) get and feel appreciated by our fellow humans for something that we did which might have created a positive impression on them. The same thing happens when we reciprocate appreciation or do something for others, no matter how little or small it may seem. We tend to feel some sense of inner joy, happiness and peace. A genuine smile and a little gesture of kindness might create a lasting impression on someone or even change their life. Always smile and be kind.
As a creative, it’s greatly humbling, exciting and overwhelming to see how people positively respond and show genuine appreciation for your work. This is especially when you can plainly feel and sense that their appreciation of your work is coming from deep down their hearts and/or when you can clearly see the smiles on their faces and hear the tone of their voices about how your work has effected them; positively. It’s probably the best feeling of contentment and gratification in the world for a creator! That’s where all the motivation and inspiration to create comes from.
That’s exactly how I felt the past few months I’ve been writing. The love and support I’ve been receiving from the people that I know(family, friends and college mates) and from those of whom I don’t even know and never met before is just so unexplainable!
In all honesty, I didn’t expect or see this coming my way. Me embarking on the writing path was just like the “Big Bang” theory. “It was just a random thing.” And unexpectedly, the feedback and support has been positive and overwhelming.
Koffee on Toast sings something like, “Yeah we give thanks like we need it the most. We haffi give thanks like we really supposed to, be thankful!…Gratitude is a must!” Most truly, Gratitude is a Must!
With that being said, I take this time and space to express my gratitudes even though I’m not so good at them.
I’m thankful and grateful to the people who believed in my writing abilities (even before I could believe in myself) the first instance I started writing or the first time they came into contact with my work. (It’s just so priceless when people believe in your abilities to do something great when you can’t even seem to believe in yourself.) I’m also thankful to each one of you who spares their precious time to go through my work and genuinely appreciate it. And if you are reading this, know that I deeply appreciate for sparing your time and the effort you made to read this.
To be Frank, like the veteran broadcaster, Frank Mutubila, there’s nothing much that I can do to show my appreciation and gratitude but say a big big “THANK YOU” to all the people who have been supporting my work through their positive and genuine comments. That’s what keeps me going.
All in all, not everyone will believe in whatever you decide to do. And that’s not a bad thing that you really need to worry about. It’s actually an indicator that you are destined for something great. Be worried, when and if everyone believes in your dreams, because it could just turn out to be a nightmare. And even if the world seems to be against you, just keep on going and do your damn thing!(Nasty C, All In)
On “The Climb back,” Reading and Writing.
Among other things, I’m a huge fan of music. That means I can spend the whole day listening to music than on a screen watching movies. It also means that, I listen to music more often than I listen to people.(I’m just kidding though…because in the actual sense, I’m listening to the “people” who actually made the music.) If music is a drug, then it’s one with the properties of an anodyne; Calming, comforting and soothing to the Soul, heart and mind, giving them some sense of peace.
This year, The Climb back is one of the jams that made (and still makes) the cut for me. I know for certain that most of you who know me well are probably thinking it’s because of the vibe that I have for Cole which is partly true, quite alright, but NO! It’s Sorely because I found something fulfilling and that I deeply related to.(In other words, food for thought.)
In the intro of the song, questions that I think(just a thought…) every normal and living human being needs to ask themselves before they decide to embark on a journey or on something new in their life, are asked. They say;
“Are you doing this work to facilitate growth or to become famous? Which is more important? Getting or letting go?”
Funny thing is, I’ve never really asked myself either of those questions and as far as I’m concerned and I can remember, no one really ever asked me the “why?” question as in to why I am doing what I’m doing. The song definitely came out at the right time for me.
Well, over anything and everything, growth is of absolute importance to me in any case. And in this case, I started reading and writing in the first place as coping mechanisms from the stress and fatigue of the Covid-19 pandemic. We can all bare to the fact that most of us did something that helped us to cope with the pandemic stress. Mine was Reading and Writing. Other obvious reasons were; for growths’ sake and a way to spark my creativity.
On a positive note, the pandemic helped most of us look within ourselves, find ourselves, discover our hidden abilities and new things that we hadn’t even known or thought about. Like in my case, on a real note, I was never the one for reading books and writing. Not to say that I couldn’t read or write anything. At least, I read the Bible and other bible based publications, newspapers and just something that I found to be worth reading, but NOT books. And I also journaled(on a regular basis) in the pages of my small notepad, but NOT writing Articles that people would relate to and like. Funny thing is, I didn’t even like the Literature class at all! The whole thought and idea that the Literature class was all about reading books and writing about them, was a total turn-off for me. I was lucky I never took the Literature class of which I regret it now.
Living under the lockdown with not so much of productive things to do than getting infested with the negative and toxic information from the media, I resorted to reading books and for the first time, I found reading books to be an interesting, enlightening and adventurous thing to do. (Its pretty much funny how certain things turn out in the end.) Reading has become part of my lifestyle. I make it a goal to read at least everyday. The reason why I endeavor to always carry a book with me, unless otherwise…
Then, some sort of magic happened. I discovered my ability to put words together and play with them in a way and manner that interests the reader.(I’ve been told so, lol.)
Benefactions from Reading and Writing
In the last couple of months that I have been reading, my reading experience can be summed up by Dr. Seuss words, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” I can concretely testify to that fact in the court of laws! But if you (slightly or highly) doubt that, I won’t argue but just ask one simple thing; try and give it a shot and see how it works out for you. And if you do, one thing is for sure and for certain; like me, you too will concretely testify to Dr. Seuss words in the court of laws.
When it comes to writing (even though I’m not a painter), Its just me painting a picture of myself through the written word and walking people in my life to see life and the world through my eyes. And If you’ve been following since I started writing, you can surely tell of how selfish I am. “I’m only writing to myself and about things of my personal interests.” (notes to self. ) The bizarre thing is, I don’t really know whether that’s a good or bad thing to do. All I know is, I’m just telling my story to the universe and from my observations, it’s paying attention and listening.
Many are the days that I spend late nights writing down my little “boring” stories with hopes that someone out there reads them, relates and gets some sort of inspiration to do the same — Just tell their stories, experiences etc.
I believe(subjectively) that everyone and each of us(humans) is gifted with a unique ability and has got a story to tell to the universe and the good thing is, it’s always ready to listen. But if you don’t, whose gone tell it for you? Let the universe know about your story by telling it through your art, craft and creativity. You never know who you might inspire by letting your light shine.
Writing for me is a way to be creative and express my thoughts clearly on paper or on the flickering screen of my phone or laptop. Truthfully, its been quite an amazing journey I have had to embark on and a learning experience. Every piece I ever penned was part of the growing and learning process. I’m still learning and have a lot more to learn and with time, I will surely get somewhere.
The Uncertainty and Certainty…
From the time I have been writing up to this point, I don’t really know whether I’m eligible for the title “Writer” because of the uncertainty as to whether I qualify or suit the title. Who is a “Writer” anyway? What defines one as a “Writer?” And what are the qualifications or implications that make one fit for the title “Writer” if at all there are any? Somebody please tell me!
But just so you know, I just updated my bio on all my social profiles and added “Writer” to it. Macdonald, Yandila, Sapi, just a few to mention, told me quite the same thing of which I wasn’t so sure about at that time because I thought they were just bluffing and flattering me with all the accolades. All of them seemed to be saying one thing that sounded something like, “You are a gifted writer.” Well, I guess it’s just about that time. The time I had to be sure!
I am a Writer!
