Naladise

This is by a friend whose writing amazes me no end. Enjoy. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

OddyMacfoy

To be totally honest I have never fully understood what love is, I have come to understand with each passing day that the meaning of Love evolves.

The most amazing part of it all is that we are faced with this invisible mirror constantly showing us what we fail to see.

Looking back now; I have no regrets about the past, with all the  love lost or even the lust for nothing teaches like having gone down the rabbit hole.

Today is valentines day and we are all expected to put up a show or spectacle to impress others, but really what is valentines days about?

Should it not be a day to appreciate all those that put out their necks for u? , all those that were there when you were  down and out, I believe that we are missing the point and that if we continue to market…

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Days Without Writing

This is one I believe everyone should read. Enjoy.

Waiting Outside of Parnassus

At what point is one allowed to call oneself a writer is a question that I’ve spent far too much time contemplating. When I was younger, I would shy away from calling myself a writer because my writing wasn’t serious, wasn’t good, wasn’t published, wasn’t published in a paying magazine, and myriad of other reasons. I now say that the only thing that makes a person a writer is that they write (something I’ve heard a lot of other people say for a long time before I accepted its obvious truth). As long as I spend a good portion of my time getting words on the page, I am a writer. Maybe not a good one, a successful one or any other qualifier, but I am inarguably a writer, though there is always a little (or huge) part of me that doesn’t think I can call myself one. Part of the…

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Be Your Dreams’ Bride

 

Morning after morning as the sun

Doth sit upon her throne from the east

She poses to you the question

Why not give your heart a feast?

 

Not one of material things

Which soon fly away with the wind

But with seemingly little beings

Whom upon your heart so bid.

 

Your dreams hope to feel her warmth upon their skin

As they hear her whisper to your heart

They hope that her words will one day win

The battle you are so much reluctant to start.

 

I hope you never have to regret

Why you ignored the voice of your heart

Your room of solace is the mood into which you get

Sad that you didn’t throw a dart.

 

You might not hit the bull’s-eye for starts

But you would, no doubt, have tried.

Enough with the numerous planning charts

Just come alive and be your dreams’ bride.

Live Life for Love

For most of my life I’ve always preferred to take things easy and make everything perfect. But I’ve realized that taking the easy road has made me more like a river; crooked and uncertain.
Heaven tried to teach me for so long but I was unfortunately a slow learner but I believe I’m picking up a bit faster now. Life should be loved and lived, for in the end it’s measured by the lives you touched through love and not just what you’ve done.
I’m taking life by the horns now and steering it in the direction I please. I will be like a flowing spring as I hope to bless more lives. I hope you do the same too.

Have a fabulous Friday night!

With love,
Tosin

WHERE IS SHE?

She almost lost confidence in herself

Almost stumbled over her self.

Last I remember she stopped taking out

The time to take care of herself.

Because she didn’t think it necessary,

Or maybe the world just didn’t deserve so much.

She stopped liking much of the person she saw

Each time she looked straight into the mirror.

This didn’t happen in one day

This didn’t happen in one week,

Neither did this happen in a month.

It was, rather, a monthly downward spiral.

The beauty became so ordinary- even to herself.

Then she started to see reasons why

Things didn’t go right- or even as planned.

 Her plans were always right

Her predictions always precise

Where could she be?

 

She didn’t even know that   

she was going in the wrong direction.

She needed to see the person she was before.

Not to go back to her past

But to find that gracious person

Who had a smile on no matter what.

That person who saw only the good in others

No matter how badly hurt she was.

The person who believed only in the Truth.

The person who never doubted for one moment

That dreams always come true.

The person who made others happy

The one who lets go of all her cares.

The person whom the little angel

Always wanted to grow up to be like.

The person who changed for love

The person who gave all for love.

The one who always won against all odds

That ray of sunshine in the dark world.

I’ve asked myself through it all

Where is she?

Ignite My Fire

My wood crackled without the amber colour

But with smoke arising from the ashes beneath

I looked around to find leaves to protect the charcoal

From getting ruined in the rain

Unfortunately all I found wouldn’t stay put.

Thinking that there was no hope

And no flame to fan to keep me warm

With the night time approaching

Along with it’s able cold companion

Here I am with nothing but the trees as my shelter.

Heaven please lend a hand or even two

For I know that there is hope for tomorrow.

Please help me find the perfect stones to strike

After my wood be dried

That I might once again ignite my fire.

SILENCES

 

I wrote this a few months ago while I was doing my internship, earlier this year. I sent this in for a competition but I never got a feedback so here is my write up for you to enjoy. I feel if you pay attention to the words you will round up the year beautifully and have a fun-filled Christmas.

Today I’ve decided to remain in my silences

And hear myself breathe lightly and slowly.

To hear the sound of my ball point pen

Kissing the coloured pages of my journal.

I pause and smile to myself

But I’m interrupted by footsteps

 Of a man who walks into my office.

Looking up at him as he smiles softly at me

I listened carefully to the syllables

Of his early morning greeting.

“Bonjour!” I reply with a smile.

 

As I walk down the lift lobby

I hear the rings of elevators

As they skilfully create a beautiful symphony

Making an awesome musical melody

Along with the rhythm of my footsteps.

I’m welcomed into the coffee room by warmth

As I pause to hear the door close behind me

Along with the sound of my cappuccino

Slowly filling my paper cup.

I reach to pick it up and then

I take a sip as it marries my sense of smell.

 

 

As I seat and place my cup on my table

I hear the clicks of a mouse along with a keyboard

Coming from the table behind me

Partitioned by a thinly sealed glass wall

I’m interrupted by the ring of my cell phone

But I dance along as I allow it to ring on

It stops before getting to the end of my favourite song.

As I reach to pick it to shut off its sound

I hear the sound of my bracelets

Racing down my wrist hitting one another

In semblance to balls on a pool table.

 

Walking out of my office building on my way to lunch

I hear the wind as it sweeps through my locks

But another sound beckons my attention.

It’s a leaf grazing the cemented floor

As the breeze sweeps it along

I wonder why it lay there unaccompanied

As if it awaited a journey with the wind.

I walk down to the buffet table

Hearing the sounds from people chatting

In no rhythm with clanking cutleries

With them hardly even noticing.

 

This was the most breath-taking experience

I ever had with my true nature.

Letting go of surrounding distractions

And letting my heart slowly lead me

Towards the hidden beauty in my world.

I felt completely plugged into to the flow

Of the entire universe

As everything in me seemingly spoke

And connected in the most systematic manner.

I found an inner adventure within myself

Without having to spend a kobo on any plane ticket.

 

Merry Christmas

Peace and love to forever keep you aglow,

Tosin

Could I Ever Not Be Distracted?!

I have been plagued with not being able to focus on one thing per time. That is my biggest problem! I am presently on a quest to finding out how I could control that and I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggles with concentrating. I mean, we live in a world where information moves even faster than the winds along the coasts of Antarctica and we are by make-up attracted to new things. Oh, the struggles of our information filled world!

Do I go around with my head fitted in a box so that I don’t get distracted or do I just pretend to listen when people try talking to me? The worst feeling in the world is when I finally get my attention on something and I’m really in ‘that’ mood and some happy-go-lucky chap comes to distract me. If I never get my focus back it would be a terror.

It’s funny that writing this at the moment is the distraction from what I was doing some minutes ago. Do I go on? Oh well.

• Put away everything besides what you are presently working on

I have this really bad habit of clustering my work space while I work. I have it tidied when I’m through but it is always clustered while I work. People ask how I can navigate my way through, but I honestly don’t know. I’m only a master of organization on paper and after my work is finished. So for someone like me, this should be your first step. You really don’t need to see everything at once it makes the work a lot more overwhelming.

• Talk to yourself

Let your conscience guide you. It’ll take a little getting used to but you’ll be in love with yourself when you learn to master the art of not just talking but listening to yourself. But then again talk is cheap. So you could start by penalizing yourself for everything you planned to get done but didn’t do. Be your very own slave driver. Deprive yourself of something you love until you are done.

• Get ‘IR Baboon off your back’

DON’T ever tell yourself that you doubt you could ever change. There is power in our words. That monkey in your head could go on and on but you have the power to shut him up.

• Reward yourself

I mean, who doesn’t love a little treat?! Be my guest and down a human-sized cake or sit back and enjoy a good movie if you please. BUT you should do this only if you got things done. Be a go getter and do not settle for less from yourself. This might be the most challenging part but it’ll be a lot more rewarding when you know you are getting paid for a job well done- even if it’s from your wallet. You’re your very own slave driver, remember.

 

Take up the challenge of trying to be a better you. You have to be warned ahead that it might not be easy but you’d be living in the castles of the person you’ll build of yourself.

 

Peace and Love to forever keep you aglow,

 

Tosin

Does Nigeria need love or what?!

There is a lot that Nigeria needs (story of my life, you are probably thinking right now). I’m so sure we all have heard this being said everywhere or probably even said it or thought it ourselves. There are so many programs put in place to try to ‘intelligently’ solve many of the challenges we are faced with. So far we have tried; however, we could do a lot better.
It seems to me like when we try to build up a portion of the circumference of our development circle, someone somewhere is trying to pull it down in the opposite direction. Am I on a quest to finding faults within our system? No, I just need to bring us to the same perspective, which I believe will not be in any way difficult for any sane Nigerian.
We need to start talking about solutions and not just problems. We are progressing steadily to the end of this year and as countless questions arise on my mind I practically came to a ‘thought-halt’ and a four letter word resonated in my mind.
What Nigeria needs is the Miracle of Love. She needs to be hugged each morning she awakens for she has been shaken for so long by those who have a say in her state of affairs- this, I must emphasize, doesn’t lie in the arms of our leaders alone, but in the hands of the younger generation as well. The amazing story is that with our very hands we gradually brought ourselves to this point- slowly and steadily.
She stretches and yawns each morning to curse the morning sun for shining so bright on her. Unknown to her every new day is the beginning of something great that life has to offer. We believe that we have enough resources but a government that seeks selfish interests. This, I must say, overlooks a neighbor who is involved in dirty business, a friend who evades his tax payments, a child who would not dare speak for the truth- just because half the populace doesn’t think it is right, but thinks that it is okay as long as you don’t get caught.
Why do people shunt queues like those behind them really have nowhere to go? Why would someone splash water on a pedestrian on a rainy day and not simply say “sorry”? Why can’t we let our own desires down for others sake sometimes and not always think about ourselves? Why does it even seem so bizarre when you do something nice for a stranger without them even asking? Or you bake a cake for a neighbor without them thinking you are trying to poison them (too bad if you find out that they fed it to the dogs)?!
When will we ever realize that the power that love carries brings people together rather than separate them? We do not only have to show love in Christmas season but 365 days in a year. It is the only thing that can bring together a people whose diversity in cultures unites them to form a beautiful rainbow of a country.
All these show that we don’t really believe we deserve love. Someone who doesn’t think he deserves love will not do the smallest thing to show it. This season I challenge you to do the unexpected kind deed to someone, for life is indeed small. Your little act of kindness will have a ripple effect and gradually bring Nigeria out of her situation.
We should take every moment to smile at the lady at the counter, to pay for someone’s bottle of coke or even the least, say a prayer for the ones we love and the ones who don’t really think so much of us.
God Bless Nigeria.

When Life Hands You Lemons…

“If life hands you lemons, make a lemonade.” – Dale Carnegie

With each passing day comes a higher demand for responsibility and attention. Before now I used to wonder why sometimes my mum would come home feeling all worn out. Unfortunately- or fortunately- life has dealt me my own deal! I must confess, growing up is not so easy!

You make money- but after trading with your time, energy and sleep. In my first two weeks at work, I felt a bit sick and I thought that I probably would, one day, slump! I always took the lift even to the 2nd floor! x_x …I mean, I didn’t mind reserving some of my energy and it didn’t hurt either 🙂 . My body didn’t deserve any more torture- at least that was how it felt!

But as time went on, I have learned to manage some things- myself most importantly- even better than I had a head knowledge about prior to this period. I realized that I couldn’t go on feeling like I had the entire world on my shoulders. I decided to make a decision. To hope for the best. At that time I had no idea what the best even felt like, let alone knowing what it was. I just knew somehow that I had to look beyond ‘the now’. I must say, it wasn’t the easiest task for me!

I’d just run down a list of the things I decided to start doing, things I needed to improve on, maintain or change.

1- I had to be grateful and thankful

Many people would do anything to be in my position. Many would give anything to even have as many loving people around as I have in my department…everyone is unbelievably nice!!!

2- To always smile…a LOT.

Many assume that smiling makes people look down on you in some way. Fortunately, I have received a lot of compliments for this. I must say it seemed strange to some people but I always had a way of putting a smile back on their faces, without even so much as saying a word. Even my Manager smiles back…what could be more encouraging?!!!

3- I dress for success.

This gives me a boost of confidence, however trivial it might seem to some people. Plus I receive compliments too 😉

4- Eat healthy

Besides ‘The Breakfast’ policy we have in my family, eating healthy, even in the midst of a daily all-expense-paid buffet at a hotel restaurant (one of the best in Lagos State, Nigeria…Eko Hotel) for lunch daily, is a personal responsibility. What on earth was I thinking?!!!…I love my life!

5- Express myself to God and listen to what He always has to say.

You may call this praying, Bible study or anything. I believe it’s all about my relationship with my Father. It hasn’t been easy, but I must say He is The best Person who has ever given me a shoulder to cry on…and He hands me tissues too!!!

6- I journal.

It might not be so easy sometimes, but it has helped me pull my thoughts together. I am able to- even if it might not be convenient- talk to myself and ask quality questions and at the same time provide proper answers. This is one of the most rewarding parts of my day, each day.

These are just a few things I did and have kept on doing to make my mind much more receptive as well as productive and my activities rewarding. You could tell me how you manage the lemons given to you and how you also make some money (rewards) from the lemonades you make.

Yours Sincerely,

OluwaTos!n.