fffffffffFFFFFFFuuuuurrrrrp & respecting personal space!

I was the type of baby that was afraid of my own fats.

yap...

I don't remember it though.

 It's my Mum who liked to recounter the story.

It amused her to tell it.

ffffffFFFFFffffffffffffffurrrrrrrrrrrrrp!

She would imitate my scrunched up chubby petrified baby face.

I loved listening to her narrate the story because this particular memory tickled the cheeky part of her soul. 

 Apparently I was somewhere in the corner minding my own baby business and....

fffffffFFFFFFffffffffffffffurrrrrrrrrrrrrp!

Everyone turns to look at the cute distressed farting baby.

Now when I think more on it.....was the baby me afraid of the sound of my fart or the fact that farts drew people's attention to me?

Don't worry, I grew to learn that good girls don't fat in public.  

It's a story that make me chuckle to recall, and it tickles the cheeky part of my soul too. 

Baby me was frightened of my own body. 

Anyways... I am  sharing this story because I want to call your attention to space and respect. 

I think some human beings don't understand the concept of personal space, and I just wish that we could all learn this lesson carefully and responsibly.

When I speak of space it is not just physical, but emotional and mental as well.

Like for example unnecessary whatsapp group creations!?!

Dear millennials and eager generation Zs, please think these things through thoroughly 

before clicking on that add button...

We do not need a whatsapp group for everything!

We do not need to be in constant communication over a meme, pictures of dead celebrities or some misogynistic joke seen on twitter 

Sometimes we should just respect people's space,

and in turn learn to healthly assert our own.

[Unless you are one of my siblings...

cause really in an African family what is 'personal space'  anyway?]

Now....

How to connect the farting-baby-story, personal space and whatsapp groups ?

I don't know.

 Somehow my brain brought the two together...

So I started writing.

And here you are.

Thank you for dropping by.

Always appreciated.

ffffffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFurrrrrrrrp!

Oops.

Apologies.

That's will be all for now . 

Until the next post...

    

Dear B: No Longer Leaving Things Unsaid ...

Dear B.

I came home to find these 3D cinema glasses on my desk,

still after all these years they still grab my attention.

Do you remember the movie you took me to see?

Yours Sincerely M.

---------------

Dear B.

 You were miserable in the cinema that day.

But I held my tongue.

I didn't know how to help you.

How can you assist someone so busy shutting everyone out?

They told me, "You shouldn't speak to your man 

the same way you would your best friend."

"Men like to figure their s*&% out alone."

I let you pretend that you were fine.

 I stayed quiet.

Even as you walked right out of my life.

Yours Sincerely M.

---------------

Dear B

I have decided not to be silent anymore

I know they all told me to  keep my mouth shut in good faith.

They said that everything  happened for the best.

But it hasn't worked B,

cause I still think about you.

Yours Sincerely M.

-------------

Dear B

If there is one thing I hate about myself...

It's that I am loyal. 

Loyal to those I care about;

Even to friends & family  who wouldn't think to do the same for me.

Yours Sincerely M.

-------------

Dear B.

I am putting up my white flag.

I need to be my warm bubbly self again.

You were always so good at the 'silence' game.

I can't pretend to be cold anymore.

I can't pretend to be unwelcoming anymore.

My heart will always be happy to see you.

Yours Sincerely M.

--------------

Dear B

I am calling you back to me,

because I know this is exactly where you are

meant to be.

Yours always M. 

The Cup is Falling - Anxiety and Me

 Mini episodes occur

Not Regularly though

The last ones were years ago

Yet I remember them in detail

I know my symptoms & triggers.

The very first is my ability to inhale & exhale.

Conscious effort is required.

I doubt whether I am worthy to be here

Worthy enough to breath

Every five minutes I gulp air down 

But the world feels tight.

 Unaccommodating and heavy

I question whether I can do this.

Then I can't sit still, 

It is exacting to focus on my daily routine.

I live in a quiet bubble of imagined terror.

My mind is on loop, like badly written JavaScript

Something bad is about to happen I feel the urgency but I'm not prepared. 

You know you can't always fight every mind war 

with positive affirmations, lavender oil & chamomile tea.

The internet should know better than to tell us such things.

Best to find a secret place, put up your white flag and surrender.

Sun Tzu advises, 

" If he can fight, he advances and takes the offensive;

 If he cannot fight he retreats and remains in the defensive."

Picture someone placing a coffee mug  close to the edge of your kitchen table. 

Something knocks it... and you watch from a distance as it falls to ground,

 you are powerless to save it. 

I am the cup and and I can't stop myself  from falling.

 I just hope the mess on the floor won't be too difficult 

for me to pick up and piece back together.

 It might be a calm Sunday evening, however in my mind all hell is breaking loose. 

A fire is starting and I am not sure how long it will take to put it out. 

How much will it destroy along the way? 

I have built so much of myself during this time of peace & stability. 

Will there be anything left when it's done?

 I reach out to those close to me to tell them.

Maybe if I speak on it, it will retreat

 I exercise so that the raging fire will have less energy to burn through the night, 

But at some point in those 24 hours I know I will be alone. 

Alone in head, 

Alone with my thoughts, 

Alone with the shadows

 Until I let them overcome me, they will not go.

 Now I am worried,

  Will I find my way back?

Will it all still be there, exactly as I left it?

I scold my self,

 "There is nothing there, what are you frightened of?" 

"A grown adult cannot be afraid of mind monsters " 

But the shadows reply,

"You must let us swallow you whole 

then hold your breath long enough to find your way out.

But YOU know how this works! 

Why must you fight us every single time!? "

It's the power of my own voice that pulls me out from the ashes.

The one that recites Psalms in the morning before sunrise.

Exactly the way the Prayer Warrior told me to say them. 

That's how I say them.

I read them out loud, keep my voice steady and consistent

She clearly instructed me,

"It's your job to have the the faith of a mustard seed

It God's job to do the rest."

When these episodes are over I forget, 

Life becomes good again

I can breath in and out.

My chest is reckless.  

Oxygen is in plenty.

I forget the intensity and hopelessness, 

Until I see the triggers, then feel the symptoms

 I get still and frightened 

Because when the cup falls over the edge again 

I think to myself, 

What if this time...

What if this time, I don't make it out?

Fitness Update #2: The Hunger Monster & WAAAAAAATER!

I've  been dehydrated this whole time, and didn't know it...no joke.

I thought I had this whole WATER thing down.....but Nope. I wasn't even close.

Two years ago I started  drinking a glass of water in the morning, and this graduated to 500mls a day and then as of last year 700mls. The 700 mls was inspired by a nice shinny new bottle that I received at the beginning of 2017, and I liked seeing it on my desk every day. It made me feel very healthy and grown up.

So I thought I was a star at hydration...I mean I was walking around telling anyone that would listen about the miracle of drinking water when let's face it, I had only just scratched the surface of the  benefits of proper hydration.

So this year as mentioned on the blog I have incorporated some regular exercise into my daily routine. I  intended to make time every day to be active but now it's every other day. I alternate; one day of rest and one day of exercise. My body responds to this better. This coupled with regular upcountry travel, and the hot weather we experienced for the first part of the year, lead me to drinking more than 700mls a day. It's possible that I was up to a litre. I am not sure. I never measured my drinking habits but I am now certain it was still not enough...

Only on one of  my most recent trips did I randomly decide to take a litre of water two hours before bed time and something weird happened. All the uncomfortable bloating that I usually experience near the end of the day disappeared. So I decided to continue.... and the results just left me flabbergasted. Who knew something so simple could make such a huge difference?

All the benefits happened for me in the first week

Clearer skin

No bloating

Less cravings for sugar

More alert during the day

No fatigue in the early hours of the morning

Now when I first started exercising I complained to my big brother (who's also on a personal fitness journey) that I was unprepared for the hunger pangs. They would hit right after exercise and could not be controlled. The hunger monster would dominate my thoughts until I ate something..anything in carb form would suffice.  I once sat down and made my way through a whole bag of popcorn by myself and felt no shame afterwards. The hunger monster was ruthless. I even considered stopping the whole exercise routine because I was eating more, and my goal had been to curb my weight gain.

But when I started drinking two litres of water a day, the hunger monster all but disappeared, and I was left to wonder if the hunger monster was just the dehydration monster in disguise. Another unexpected result is the slight weight loss, which I attribute to the water because I discovered that my daily sodium intake was high, and to balance this out my body must have retained water. 

To make this a permanent habit, I bought myself a 500ml glass that sits beside my bed and a huge cup for work, I use them both to monitor my water intake throughout the day and to reach my goal of two litres. On days when it's hot or my exercise is a bit more intense I drink more.

After I started seeing results I did the most predictable millennial thing and started researching on You tube. I found ton of videos... from the benefits of 8 glasses a day to the benefits of  a gallon a day.  Here's a list of some the videos I watched to help me on this journey:-

Why Does Salt Cause Water Retention 

Gallon of Water a Day for Year Challenge -My True Story and Results 

What Drinking a Gallon of Water for 30 days Did for Me

I Drank Eight Glasses of Water A Day for a Week...And This Is What Happens

How to Reduce Bloating |Water Weight +Sodium| What I eat

Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, so please don't be mad at me if it doesn't work for you. Learn how your body works and always consult a physician.