BUILD A BOAT AND HELL, CROSS THE PACIFIC IN IT!

Boat In The Middle Of The OceanLook who’s here! It’s been a minute, and I’m sorry; been a busy past couple of days, but I’m back.

Welcome!

You know what a boat is, right?

I had a chance to go on boat rides some time back when my beloved dad would take us out to Uhuru Park (Sorry if you’re not Kenyan. It is the equivalent of Disney-world, at least during my childhood days….lol!), school trips to Paradise Lost, et cetera.

Of course, back then I did not care to know how a boat is built nor how it moves really well in water. I was a kid, and honestly, some part of me wishes I still was, you feel me? Okay! You don’t have to.

Now, thanks to Dear Old Google, I got details on how to build a boat. The article I read started off like, ‘Of course you don’t have to start from scratch as we did; there are a few other boat-building options available that could save time and maybe cash too.’

It went ahead to give options like buying an old, tired boat and refurbishing her, or buying a bare hull( main body of vessel, including the bottom, sides and deck) for home completion, or starting from scratch and  building the hull, yourself. I don’t know which you would opt for, but certainly, you need to take a deep breath before setting off along the last route.

Generally, a boat should: have high resistance to capsize, be robust and easy to maintain, have good performance under sail, have a comfortable and easy motion underway, be easily manageable by a small crew, have sufficient internal volume for comfortable living aboard, name them!

Your life is the Pacific; it goes without saying.

I promise, no one will force you to cross the Pacific. Your life, however, has to be lived! You should live. You are here, hello!

When you were born, you were right at the shores of the Pacific. Thank God for your parents, or whoever raised you, they let you cruise in their boat, then!

While aboard, your peace and well-being was their priority. They determined what clothes you would wear, what you would eat, to some extent, the people you spent your time with, the places you would be at, and stuff.

You grow up, and it is time to cruise in your own boat. No one tells you to. Time does that! You are faced with choices. Your folks suddenly have no much power to make decisions for you. What you do and who you are while in the same Pacific, lies entirely in your hands.

What boat are you cruising in?

What materials are you using? Who are the people helping you build it? Is the boat you’re currently in sinking? Is water getting in? Waves mounting high?

The Pacific, just like our lives, is full of uncertainties, but with a proper navigator, it gets easier. That is your mind! Train it and ensure it is healthy. Meditate, practice religion, hydrate yourself, be around good people, listen to podcasts, be happy and do not entertain negative vibes. You know these things!

Your body is the hull! Take care of it. It carries you.

All I’m saying is, a smooth sail is guaranteed when the mind is stable. With experience, forecasting of storms becomes more accurate. A clear sense of direction keeps you going, no matter how tough it gets. Just like getting an old ship and refurbishing it, or getting some parts of it to make another is an option, you can learn from people’s mistakes, and become a better person!

When it gets really bad, you can cruise in your friend’s ship, unless you have selfish ones. Ask for help when you need to, or better yet, get friends who will know you’re drowning without you screaming. You are lucky if you have one of those! There is no need to sink alone.

Repair your boat! You will enjoy crossing the Pacific, I promise!

I wish you a fruitful week ahead. Be well:-)

Sincerely from my heart to yours!

 

 

THIS IS FOR YOU!

We seemingly all are really hungry for success, hungry to be in a better place in life, hungry for a change in careers or studies, hungry for better relationships, fitness goals (yes ladies! I know you want that flat tummy!), hungry for changes in diet; just hungry!

This hunger motivated me to pen down my experience because this issue has plagued my mind for the longest time now. My name is Njoki and I study engineering. However, I have not been happy doing what I do.

Is there a worse feeling in his world? Having to be in class by 8 am to listen to a boring Thermodynamics professor and write notes on ten A4 sheets within an hour, or to go to the electrical engineering lab to meet an instructor who seems to be more frustrated about where he is now more than anyone else, or do assignments whose marks, my friends say, are similar to betting odds. These constitute the worst feeling there is.

I had always seen myself working in a hospital, touching people’s hearts directly, every day. I wanted that, but my points slightly missed the cutoff points for medicine, and I just had to settle for engineering.

A few people I know got scholarships, but when I tried checking what was available for me, all I could get were postgraduate and diploma scholarships on Eclipses and Moon Technology (you get my point!) I couldn’t get any helpful link. The frustration came at such a crucial time of the semester, where exams were approaching, we were trying to beat deadlines for submission of assignments and reports, and there were rumors that the dons would strike. I was fighting negative attitude because as much as I wanted to be elsewhere, I did not want to fail my exams.

A few weeks ago, my closest classmate quit engineering (sobs). My friend from high school who was my roomie here in campus also transferred to some other campus. I felt resigned, and all I wanted to do was take a break and go for a holiday in Maldives.

I didn’t know how bad it would get until I realized I was losing appetite, couldn’t sleep well on most days, I could not concentrate on anything, and I found human interaction exhausting. I had to pretend that I’m laughing yet my heart was breaking. I felt bad about being a child to a common mwananchi because otherwise, just one phone call would change my location, and my life!

Now, it was not until the other day that I came across a sobering vlog that I decided, you know what? I am going to be happy, right where I am, right now. I know I’m not the only one, who hasn’t been very comfortable with where they currently are. But you need to know something very important.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s truer than true. We often find ourselves in situations we can’t get ourselves out of. That is just life. It is full of uncertainties, but one thing is certain. We do not control our lives as much as we would want to because there’s a Supreme Being that sees the end very clearly from the beginning. It is beautiful to trust that He who made you has placed you where you are, for all the right reasons. You will understand it later, or not! It doesn’t matter.

It could be an unappreciative boss/child, an unfulfilling career, name them! Instead of being bitter about everything, just pause and think. Only then will you realize that there is so much to love, and so much to learn. Seize that opportunity to learn, to love, and to grow, and in the process, you’ll know it was never really that bad anyway.

For the things you can work on about yourself; diet, fitness, sleep pattern, self-care routine, I wish you well. Get the motivation, start working and love every bit of yourself while at it.

Consistency is key!

Hating your life takes too much energy, it could turn turbines. Channel that energy into making yourself a better person in all ways possible. Hit that gym. Get those good grades. Start that business. Ditch those bad habits. Just be a better person!

You will be happy, I promiseJ.

I am striving to be the best engineer I can possibly be. It is gratifying, and I am definitely happier than I was a few weeks agoJ.

So slow down, pause, get a good pace and enjoy your journey!

I pray you learn to find and spread joy in the spaces you are in.

Sincerely from my heart to yours!