New Year Norms

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

It’s a New Year, Happy New Year from mine and mine.

I reckon the most important tradition that comes with the beginning of a new year is having a new years resolution. Recently a friend of mine came up to me and asked me the question “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” this sent me on a journey of reminiscence; remembering my past resolutions.

Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com

2016: listen to your creativity (Among others)

2017: Become less self critical (Among others)

2018: Just breathe (Among others)

2019: … (Among others)

To be completely frank, I never did achieve any of those.

Though I only smiled in response, here lies my true answer.

As Humans, we all make an effort to better ourselves and every year, once the clock hits 00:00 a.m. on 1st Jan..We are provided a chance to redeem ourselves whilst carrying the flaws of the previous year.

It’s like one of those mobile games with limited moves; you die, an ad shows up saying ( watch video to get 3 free moves), you watch the ad hence gaining three free moves as a chance to redeem yourself even though you used up most of your previous resources in the previous game. You end up commencing from where you left off; with issues from the previous game weighing you down…That’s just how this life works.

However, we seldom realise this because we’ve been given the chance to do something different. We try to erase our failures from the previous year without a thought, but they’re always lurking, putting a strain on us in the background. When you make a move it becomes a step or two backwards rather than forward and we make more mistakes leaving us unsatisfied with how we’ve played the game for the umpteenth time.

But sometimes we reach some form of Nirvana. We identify all our wrong moves as we go along and understand which moves lead to what we want out of this game and that we must face obstacles that tamper with our progress. When the time comes to redeem ourselves, we have our strategies set and we play the game smart this time. Hence when the year comes to an end we can confidently look back and say we’ve learnt how to prosper in this thing called life.

As much as I think I’ve made sense of the whole New year resolution phenomenon, We’re now in a new decade. I’m not sure what to expect…but I can feel a shift in the air that’s slightly confusing to digest and I’m not sure whether or not it’s going to be amazing or a disaster…I can only hope it’s the former and not the latter.

New year! New me! New year! New me!

I’ve chanted that for as long as I can remember, but 2019 taught me that I cannot strip away all the things that define me in order to create a different Gabrielle, I need to find something else hidden deep within in order to accessorise my personality. Hence, this year – as a result of the wrong moves I made in the previous games – I choose not to abide by a resolution. Instead, I choose to say a prayer…It goes a little bit like this

Dear God, let this decade be Kind to me, let fate hold my hand as I cross rivers, let it lift me up over the mountains that stand between me and my prosperity, let it be my shield from the arrows sent from my enemies, and most of all let me find a friend in it as it unfolds my destiny. Amen

At least with this, I know my expectations are not too high, I’ve given myself room to mend myself up when the cracks start to form where I’ve built a foundation. and when the moment of redemption comes again, I will be proud of what I’ve achieved and then I will go on my knees and say “Thank You God.”

The first unreckoning

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Last night I had a dream I was walking on a familiar path overlooking a lake, The aura of my surroundings was nothing less than calming. The birds were a symphony matching my steady heartbeat…a soft ba-dum that filled the millisecond of silence where my feet rose to take another step forward.

I could feel my senses tingling, woken by the strong scent of pine trees and my sheer curiosity fed by the single thought running through my mind ‘Where am I?’. I kept my pace steady along the path, letting my eyes wander in wonder of the beauty I beheld.

I took my rest beneath a baobab tree, the only baobab tree I could see. My head laid atop a bed of Citrus scented mushrooms and I looked up to the sky to watch as the clouds zoomed from one horizon to the other.

The wind was like a song that lulled me to sleep, and in my dream I fell into another slumber that took me into yet another dream. Here I was a child again; drowning my fingers in a can of paint.

I mixed the yellows and reds and greens and blues and began painting futures…my own futures. Each was the same yet different, and each held a story of its own.

In one, I was Lioness… with seven arms stretching out towards various corners of the earth. I was atop a mountain, overlooking everything below me and everything seemed to grow towards me.

In another, I was the sun… effortlessly radiating my light towards the earth. As my rays touched the heads of every living being I became home to each that embraced my warmth.

In another I was a forest, so green and healthy. I breathed life into those that ventured into my woods. I was gentle yet tough and there were those who feared my very existence too much to even spare me a glance.

In the one that demanded my attention, I was just me, Boldy timid and vice versa, a pot of all the other futures stirred together: A lioness, the sun, a forest. I was powerful beyond measure but my power was birthed by being a vessel of something positive to those in my midst and even beyond.

My seven arms were stretched to provide for those who looked up to me. I shone light in the deepest darkest crevices and waited for the lost to find their path as I illuminated the way. I was cut down a million times, set on fire and left to rot, but I found my will, building myself from the ground up in order to keep my tormentors alive with only a single exhale.

I was everything I hope to become, fate did not conspire against me but merged different takes of my movie into one perfect scene…that is when I began channeling my dreams into reality. As I woke from my slumber…my purpose became clear.

Baring my emotional innards

Dear someone,

 You know yourself, my words here are for you. Read them as though they're coming out of your mouth, birthed by your mind alone, then read them as they are; as a letter from me to you. Please don't judge yourself too harshly, or me for that matter. I'm sorry if you feel offended or sorry for me, I just need you to move past that and read this with an open mind. when next you see me, take my hand and tell me you got me.
let your ears guide you.
I'm watching my every move like a cop trailing a criminal, I reckon I'm hypocritical in the sense that I'm always telling people to stop enabling the bad habits of their loved ones whilst I'm single handedly enabling every Tom, Dick and Harry that crosses my path. Nonetheless, there's only one person that's draining my enabling cup more than anything I've ever experienced. Each night, I refill my cup with mental pep talks, telling myself how I'm undeserving of this emotional fatigue, how no matter how much he drinks from my cup, he'll never be quenched. I fall asleep knowing that the next time I'm around him, I wont offer him a drink to moisten his parched tongue or wet his cracked lips, I vow to myself each night -sometimes subconsciously (with the single tear that always threatens to put an end to my strength) -that I'll let him thirst until he finds another source of water; water that won't satisfy him as much as the one that comes from my cup, water that won't go down easy, water that will leave him chocking to a metaphorical death. His resurrection will be the realization that I got this thing figured out, I wont need to be the enabler anymore because I am the voice of reason, I am the rehab and not the dealer, I am the remedy.

let your ears open your heart for you.
I'm watching my every move like a cop trailing a criminal, I reckon I lie to myself when I stare at my reflection and tell myself that the growing pains don't affect me, that my skin is too thick and my soul too sturdy for me to feel the disregard to my emotions. I put out so much love and affection but rarely receive any, I assume that's partly my fault because you see, the lies I tell myself are the truths that other people believe. To the world... I am strong, I absorb each shock wave, wrap it up in positivity and release it to the masses as something pleasant while losing a fragment of myself in the process. I'm scared that soon I'll be too used, bent out of shape and too rusty. To most I'll be the old piece of furniture that gets thrown out while to the select few, I'll be an antique piece of jewelry or the prized family heirloom passed down from generation to generation, an epitaph of past times, when I was at my best.
Let your ears be a companion for you.
I'm watching my every move like a cop trailing a criminal, I reckon I'm constantly in denial of the things that have been bared out in the open for me. I don't need to be everyone's savior, I may want to walk this earth like Jesus did...but I'm not Jesus. The more I try to help, the more I push them away because I can be very forward; I speak things that need to be heard but they don't want to listen because I point out their flaws, I pick out every nitty gritty detail from every crack and crevice hidden in this life and beyond. I go deep, unearthing every dirty little detail with no apologies; most times I keep the findings to myself and only speak about what's necessary, mine is not to judge, I simply observe silently but don't fail to voice my solutions whenever I'm the sole confidant. I want the best for everyone around me, indeed I care more about their mental health sometimes than I do my own.

let your ears bless you.
I'm watching my every move like a cop trailing a criminal, I reckon at a glance I seem standoffish, utterly unapproachable and downright unmesswithable. I apologize for how I choose to protect  myself, I fear rejection more than anything else; it's something that's been engraved on my soul since before birth, hence I tend to keep every situation - that involves me getting hurt- at bay. but don't get me wrong, I handle rejection better than anyone I know, I sit tight holding on to whatever willpower I can conjure and say to myself 'they let one of the best things that would ever happen to their lives pass them by'. my words don't mean I'm proud, not at all, my words are a declaration of the fact that even though I fear rejection so deeply, I can always rise above it because I'm bigger than rejection, I'm the David in this body and my rocks are the words I feed myself each time I'm beaten down and left to rot in my own misery. I'm bigger than what the world makes of me.

A pinch of Bluster

I reckon I’m like a high density type of glass;
A couple of hits don’t faze me,
yet I seem to store that impact until a time comes when cracks form on my physique, the cracks turn into major tributaries feeding the mouth of a river…that river is my anger, my pains that have been growing like mold on spoiled milk…I am the spoiled milk.

Trust me when I say I have your best interests at heart, I’m constantly taking blow after blow in the background whilst your sorry ass is frolicking with needles prickling at your feet, you haven’t been stabbed yet…karma hasn’t hit you yet; she’s almost there…not too long, and when she finally introduces herself you’ll run in my direction, will I take you in my arms? Or will I turn away because you’ve always cried wolf, and each time I believed you; never learning from my faults, I guess they’ve become my driving force.

Hush now my heart, I see how she’s like fire…I’m like fire too. Do you like dangling off the edge of a cliff; knowing that at any moment your grip could fail and you’d mimic the movements of a raindrop falling from the sky, you’d hit the ground and fall apart or do you seek solace in the fact that I’m stupid enough to wait for you to fall into my arms; spread out like I’m calling the rain…like I’m calling to you.

I’m sorry for being me, I’m sorry for being so soft and curvy, so sweet, so round, so beautiful yet so distantly yours; I can’t touch you anymore…I want to, but my heart is torn. You know how we do this, it’s like our unspoken routine; your hot in the winter and warm in the summer, I’m hot and cold and a little bit of both whenever I’m met with your aura. I wish it was always winter because sometimes all I need is your heat to tame my uncertainty.

You’re pure, yet so tainted by your own evils, but I feel as though I’m always going to be here; your holy water, ready to cleanse you no matter how much it takes from my own purity.

Anxiety

There are times when I’ll wake up bright and early, ready to take on the world with nothing but my will to live, and there are times where my body won’t move from that bed; the one that has been my refuge, the one that whispers to my soul ‘the world doesn’t need you to rise for it to go round‘, the one that holds my tears and fears and dreams and every hope unspoken but yearned through my slumber filled thoughts.

There are times when I’ll walk through the crowds, shoulders back, head held high and that ‘boss lady’ look plastered on my face, while there are times when the mere thought of being around people sickens me, my knees go weak, my head spins and my whole being is weighed down by the constant fear of making a complete fool of myself.

There are times where I laugh and go with the flow of happiness where I am one with the world; loving deeply and unapologetically, while there are times when all I want to do is hide from the world and cry till the rivers run dry, when every malicious thought merges into one entity that feeds on my sorrow as I dive in deeper and deeper into the pools of my despair…such despair.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo.jpg

There are times when my high is above the universe, where nothing else matters except the things that give me inner peace; God, the trees, music, love…the thought of being in love. Other times my lows dominate my soul; I can’t feel the beauty around me, I can’t see the sun shining down on me, I can’t feel the warmth associated with tranquility of mind and the favour that’s always above me.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-810036.jpeg

There are times when I seek a version of myself that isn’t plagued with the overbearing entity that is anxiety, when I seek a version of myself that has the power to disregard that voice that speaks negativity on everything i’m yet to do. However i’m stuck in a time where I’ve resigned myself to the inconsiderate grasp of disquietude. I am one with anxiety and anxiety doesn’t wan’t to let go of me!

Bounce Back

Hello,

I reckon I’ve taken enough time off from this blog. I’ve been putting it at the back of my mind for quite some time… not feeling appeased by the content my mind deemed worthy enough for the public.

I journeyed far far away to a place that smelt like fabric softener, a worn out place that still held a beauty so divine.

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com

I’ve been battling war, upon war, upon war with myself; trying to mediate with the constant wheels rolling through my mind, and sometimes my heart. Each time I unravel, a new diffidence begins to unwind from the creases of past fears I’d thought were long forgotten.

I am a remnant of something that once was and a premonition of something that is to come. I’ve merged time into one little sphere of hope and dreams; each fragment existing as the other and as itself as a whole…does that make sense?.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I think I rush through my brain sometimes, its become a race track and I’ve burnt the wheels of the car that is my strength, my willpower seems to lack, cause each bend represents the turning point to a finish line and the start of another marathon alike.

I write a lot about my thoughts; its where the real magic happens. when I’m lost in such a place I stare into the far distance, acknowledging the nature around me and swaying to melodies in my head. I resonate with the vibrations that speak to my soul, the beauty of simplicity unknown, but once you detach your person from the world, you become a part of an oblivion that feels familiar, an oblivion that feels like home.

Rain

When the rain fell upon the land, my soul began to develop. Yet the rain had no desire to watch the seed it had watered flourish.

The rain sought the waves and ordered it’s force to wash me away, but the land held me firm; my roots etched deeply in her, she would never let go.

When the rain disappeared, my soul did not dry up. The Land drew waters from deep within and fed me, till I grew into a crooked tree.

The rain abandoned the land and I, yet the land never dried, in fact…she thrived each waking moment; bearing more and more souls that merged with me and made me upright.

When the rain called, I answered. I am drawn to the rain; in it my vision is birthed, my emotions come alive and I see a vision so vast my mind cannot comprehend.

The rain I speak of is a rain that you have not had the opportunity to encounter, but yes, the rain is part of me and within me and all around me…as is the land.

The Upright One.

image

I often wonder about you, a carefree soul you would have been, throwing caution to the wind and planting seed upon seed hopeful, yet certain your toil will amount to something.

You’d take your heart in your hands like you always did in your younger years -when Lion King was the only thing deserving of your tears- and offer it willingly to the one who hears and never steers clear of your fears but holds you near and whispers ‘your soul is deserving of my love my dear’.

You’d swallow your pride, and let your feelings guide you into a life where your happiness matters more, as opposed to when you hide it inside. Ride the waves high, get lost on cloud nine as time becomes a mere constraint of the mind.

You’re in love with your shine, even though it’s meant to be mine.

But no, I suppose I’m a selfish person for taking that away from you. You say I’m not to blame ‘he’s the one who made us this way’. I was exposed to our past; a defining past that existed before we came to be and instead of leaving it in peace I had to take you down with me.

I yearn for you to be free, without the burden that is me. You’d accomplish our dreams so flawlessly without having my negativity in it’s stead. But I Reckon you’ve come to accept why it can’t be that way; the baggage of our past has bound us together and made me the superior mast.

Higher Self

image

I reckon sometimes you feel miserable, like there’s something you’re meant to accomplish yet there’s something holding you back.

I feel as though my higher self is beckoning to be let loose. She feels trapped inside this facade I have created.

It’s currently 00:02 am.

I’m listening to a song as I write this, I’ve been listening to it on repeat.

this is said song. Please listen, you shan’t regret it I promise.

My eyes are also watering uncontrollably.

She’s sad, extremely tired of being locked up inside my body.

I’ve been ignoring her call for weeks now, simply wallowing in this feeling of self-loathe. I don’t want to keep on ignoring though, I’m trying to open the gates but there’s something standing in my way.

Before I continue, I’d like to talk a little about her.

Her name is *bleep*.

She’s me when I’m in a good place mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally.

She’s me when I write, when I paint, when I meditate and when I seek God on a deeper level

She’s a lover of life, she loves to hug trees on the streets, she plays with children and smiles at people ( a select number of people…She’s wary on most occasions)

She’s a Zephyr; she doesn’t announce her presence violently yet you won’t not notice her.

Now the reason I’m stuck trying to release her is due to the fact that I’ve become slave to procrastination, reason being I put off things that benefit me because I’m afraid.

Why are you afraid? You ask.

Well I have no idea either.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m hesitant that if I’m too happy in life then people will start to notice. Maybe it’s the fact that I never really know how to be really happy. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m focused on the fall that comes after the rise. It’s probably all of those things I guess.

The math is basically this

People + Me + My thoughts = Fear = Procrastination = imprisoned higher self.

Poor me.

Poor higher self.

She’s not going to go quiet anytime soon. I know the more she yells the more my fear dies, it’s safer to let her fight I think; if I interfere I know I’ll regret something…not that there’s even anything to regret really.

It’s currently 00:54 am.

I’m still listening to the same song on repeat.

My eyes are no longer watering.

She’s here in fragments because I’ve written this to the end.

Me and Me and Not Me

I Reckon you’ve had that feeling of not being yourself. You feel as though you’re a you whose an onlooker to another you that isn’t you ( I hope you understood that, its the way my mind phrased it).

Maybe you and I share this feeling.

Sometimes my soul withdraws itself from my physical body…not in the astral projection sense but in a way much less esoteric. During these times I become numb in a way, i’m left with my thoughts and feelings while my body sits limply against a wall. I watch how utterly miserable my body seems without a soul bound to it and then I begin to travel my mind.

I think about a lot of things, most of them don’t even need attention because they’re simply meaningless. For example, I think about how I was a book thief in my younger years and how I’d love to make a cupcake in a mug. Aside from that, I think about myself, the body that I observe and the soul that I am.

I think of how my soul calls out to me everytime, warning me of the dangers that life holds for me but also making known the fact that there’s something I need to do in this life, something way bigger than myself. My soul speaks of great things while my body is in a reccuring state of decline and revival.

My body and my soul will never be the same, I feel how strongly they respect each other yet they still oppose each other, I am my soul whilst my body is another me that isn’t me.