29 EVE

I am officially about to celebrate my last days in my 20s. I can say for a fact that I am not the same woman who started the journey, and come next year, God willing, as I hit my 30s, I won’t be the same woman.

I started my 20s a bit naïve, with a lot of love and stars in my eyes. Life and its happenings quickly fixed that. I remember outgrowing my first love (the boy I loved fiercely as a teen) and also him being my type. Then I met my type in my early 20s. He was tall, dark, and handsome. That was all I needed. Tall men are my weakness so I guess I haven’t changed that much. That heartbreak was for the books, man. That was probably the last time I felt something for a guy. I dated someone after him, but I don’t think I like that man as much as I thought. Now that I have taken time to think things through, I don’t think I felt as deeply for the guy from last year as I thought. I just loved the illusion or idea of a partner. It was more like I didn’t want to be a single friend anymore. I know better now. After dating for all the wrong reasons and selling myself on stories that didn’t exist, I am finally content not being in a relationship with anyone. I am finally at peace with being single now or even forever. I have seen real love in people’s lives, and I believe I deserve to be loved like that too, because even for the wrong ones, I loved well, so imagine how well I would love the right one. So, I will wait even if I become old and grey. So, dear young person, or whoever you are seeking a romantic relationship with, wait. You deserve the real kind of love too. Don’t settle. This post is going to be long, or not. This post was supposed to be about some of the gems of wisdom I picked along the way. My favourite gem will always be “Be afraid, but do it anyway.” I have done some audacious things thinking that way. They didn’t pan out how I wanted them to, but at least I challenged myself and got out of my comfort zone, so, dear reader, get out of your comfort zone. Growth rarely takes place there. One of my latest gems is “The Journey is the Destination.” I got this from Apple TV’s hit teen show, Swagger. Please go watch if you haven’t. After that shameless plug, I want to get into why this gem resonates so much with me. I thought a lot about how things were going to be when I hit certain milestones and how after every time, it felt like the goal post kept shifting and I had to reach new milestones all the time, so when the teacher in the show said what if the point is to always be arriving or something of that sort, I remembered that I used to say that the journey to a place was more valuable than the destination. Because the value was in the story the journey told, I decided that come what may, I would focus on my journey and celebrate my little wins So in that vein, here are some things I got myself this year without any help:

• A laptop
• A phone
• An office table
• A wardrobe
• A microphone
• Life insurance policy

They don’t seem like much, but they mean the world to me.

So, backino my 20s, I lost some friends and that hurt but I found some other ones and that is life. I haven’t been able to open up to people since some friends left my life because I don’t want to push these ones away. My life has been interesting, and I thought I could rant to my friends, but not everyone is cut out for that, and I agree. I’d be sick of it too if it were me, so I get it; no hard feelings. Right now, the circle I have is valuable to me, and I am watering it the best way I can. I hope I am as valuable to them as they are to me.

So, for friendship, you don’t need a large crowd, dear reader. Just one or two people is enough. The grass is always greener where it is watered, so don’t just be a taker; be a giver as well.

I am talking too much, aren’t I? So, I started quite a number of business ventures in my 20s. I hope the latest one lasts and becomes everything I envisioned it to be. I have worked so hard on it, and I hope to enjoy the fruits of that labor in the near future. I still work as an employee full time, and I still hate where I work. I am actively looking to switch. I pray that one of these days God gives me the right opportunity.

I really don’t know what year 29 has for me, but I hope it is as kind to my mind as 28 was. I am fully embracing whatever my last days in my 20s have for me, and a year from now, I will tell you a tall tale of this dramatic turnaround in all aspects of my life.

Cheers to a new age! Happy birthday to me! 29, I can’t wait to experience you.

28, Thanks for all the love and the lessons. You are my best year yet!

Brighter days are indeed ahead, and goodness is finally here!

Thanks folks! It’s been fun ranting to you! See you at the other side when I turn 29!

Love, Baawa.