Thoughts and Other Things

Celebrating birthdays used to be about milestones for me... 16, 21, 30… and of course the crown birthday. But this year has taught me that the celebration should not just be about the number, but about the victories of the year. Others will think of achievements as these victories…finishing school, buying a house or car, finding a job… It is that too. But for me, this year, these victories were about making it out in one piece. It’s on that note that I’ll be celebrating New Year ’s Eve tonight, not because this was the year of completion or all those lovely catch phrases that we attached to it, but simply because I’m still standing…and it’s only because He made a way. This year left me with a scar, literally. Looking back at it, I realized that more than learning this year, I’ve had to do a lot of unlearning, and I’m not close to perfection. I said the other day that one word that best describes my year would have to be ‘trust’. This because in this year, I have had to learn to ...

I was pondering about the use of hair conditioner. As you know by now, I’ve been dedicated to loving and taking care of my natural hair for the past two years now. Conditioner is applied after shampooing your hair and before moisturizing it. Conditioner for hair is similar to what a toner is for your face. It’s an in-between stage which determines the success or effectiveness of the next. Now a conditioner’s purpose is to, well, condition the hair follicle. It strengthens it, preventing hair from breaking and preparing it to be moisturized. I pondered about this because of the season I’m in in my life, this blurry, in-between season. I say blurry because at this point I have the ‘what’ but I really have no clue how and when. My goal is visible, but the details aren’t so clear. I’m hoping this only last for my twenties, so I’ve called this stage the blurry twenties. What makes things blurry is the fact that in between where you are and where you want to be, life happens. And w...