A Lover Who Never Visits.

Anyone who’s grown up around me knows that I generally don’t enjoy visiting people—or as we say, “okutambula.” I’ve always been that child who preferred staying home. Besides, home was strict. If you weren’t at home, then you were supposed to be home—unless you’d been sent somewhere.

Later in secondary school, when we’d started making friends, the rules still applied. We were only allowed out until 5 PM—even during the holidays, and this included church activities. I got my first phone in Form 2, so I’d spend my time on it, indoors binge-watching movies.
I was that child who was always home .
During some holidays, I’d visit my aunt’s place, but even then, I rarely left her house unless we were going out—to a birthday party, swimming with the kids, salon visits, or running small errands. That was it, until it was time to go back home.

Our curfew was something else—they’d send us to buy bread; from Tuskys Supermarket (now Fraine) in Ntinda and expect us back within 40 minutes. But to be fair, home was close and walkable. That was my life until campus.

At campus , I stayed in hall. The only time I was ever out late was when we went for fellowship—and even then, we were dropped back at Africa Hall by shuttle. My friends will tell you, weekends meant going back home. If I wasn’t in a lecture, I was in the library, with my best friend or coursemates in a discussion, grabbing lunch at Kikumi Kikumi, or just in my room (hall) scrolling through Instagram reels or watching movies. That was my routine.

Sometimes I’d visit my best friend’s hostel, especially after COVID when I was commuting. We’d pass time there while waiting for the next lecture, then I’d head home. That’s really been my life.

Visiting people just isn’t my thing, and I really hope the people in my life can understand that about me. If you’re admitted to hospital, I’ll always show up 90% of the time -but once you’re discharged and go back home, it becomes really hard for me to visit. I can’t explain why—it’s not personal, it just feels hard. If you ask to meet and it involves coming to your home, you might as well never see me. But suggest a meetup at a restaurant or café? Way easier.

I grew up being most comfortable indoors, especially at home, and I think that shaped me. People have given birth, gotten married, fallen sick and recovered—but once it involves visiting their homes, I keep postponing… until suddenly, it’s too late.
Just a girl with😒

When we were still kids, we’ve witnessed how adults were living their lives; and the initial thoughts we have of being an adult were getting jobs, traveling to places, buying stuff that they want, enjoying your day off and rest days, and experiencing many things for you are growing. That when you started to realize that you are encountering major changes in your life, you are already in the process of becoming an adult.

But no one told us that behind these good things, you will also say that this is adulting when you get to work even if you are not feeling okay because you have more responsibilities now than before—that it’s not just about you, but for some people, too; that sometimes, you will travel to places just because you want to be away from the noise your own world has, and that you want to get lost to unfamiliar places carrying such wonderful scene and beautiful view, instead of feeling astray on areas you are really familiar with—you just feel so lost inside of it; that you buy stuff that you’ve been wanting for yourself not only because you deserve it, but for the reason that these are the only things that keep you going; that you enjoy your time-off, because that’s the only time you can be with yourself, you can be weak after a week of trying real hard to get through a certain hell week; and that you will experience many things—not just the good things in this life, but also the worst times and you will need to survive.

We thought as kids that once we grow old, we can easily solve problems because that also means we are growing up; that being an adult is the very solution to finding ourselves—but now that we are here, we see firsthand how difficult it is to be these persons who age day by day but feeling so small on most instances of our lives; that there are more days of feeling lost, instead of finding ourselves; that disappointments are bigger than it once were. Because yes, we now have the means to almost have the things we desired, but we didn’t know back then how difficult it would be even if we are adults now.

—Ren Ednalig, The Storytellers

Anniversary In Business

I’d been doing this small business as a side hustle to get me through campus and keep me afloat with the small money I needed to keep up, like data, celebrate a friend’s birthday, and basic things but last year when I was making 24 years, my Mentor advised me to pick out a few things that I could focus on so that I PRIORITISE, PLAN and PRACTICE to improve on and do better.

I decided that this is what I wanted to do, I loved it and fell in love doing it, I love to make people HAPPY with the things that I do, and it gives me JOY when I deliver a package and leave a smile on ones face 😍so, I doubled my efforts and I started to plan, reinvest more than before.

If you look through our social media pages Dru’s Gift Collection, you’ll see that from JUNE last year, there’s so much improvement, in the packaging, and the gift ideas, I research about so that I can have new gift ideas for a client who comes back for the 4th time.
It has grown into this beautiful thing that has become a part of my life, I love to serve people, and I’m doing it through my work.

So this Month, we are officially celebrating ONE YEAR in business, I’m so excited. There have been so many lessons, and so many wins, and I have made new friends, my clients who believed in me and blessed my life through this platform.

25 Lessons To 25

1. Allow me to share these 25 lessons with 25 Years
2. When the time is right, things make sense.
3. People can only understand what they’ve experienced.
4. Most humans can’t handle other people’s growth
5 . Half the time, no one is paying attention
6 . Most people don’t like themselves, it’s okay if they don’t like you.
7. Defend someone only on account that you know their sins.
8. Be your friend
9. Build self-discipline, practice small things
10. Take 100% responsibility for your life
11 . Be careful when everyone likes you, they’re mostly using you
12. Invest in yourself, healthy, mentally and physically.
13 . Use the Internet wisely, there are many opportunities
14. Plan, Prioritize, and Practice
15. Be willing to let go of things that no longer serve your interests
16. When you find people who love you for who you are, keep them
17. Accept and understand people the way they are, you’ll enjoy them.
18. Follow God and Flow
19. If you are a giver know your limits, takers don’t have any
20. Always remember to have your own back
21. Don’t be afraid to fail, there’s always a lesson not to fail again
22. Honor your thoughts, and be objective.
23. Strive to live a life that’s both comforting and intimidating
24. Self-love is a journey
25. Practice who you want to be on a daily
A hand that gives never lacks

Staying For Myself

Sometimes i regret being the person who always absorbs other people’s rants and dramas, it took me a while to process what kind of advices i can give to them because i knew deep inside my heart that i also have problems on my own that i need to process while keeping it secretly and try to solve them all alone without telling it to everyone or to someone i can trust.

Sometimes it’s really hard for me to give constant opinions to people because i want to feel them the way that i understand their struggles, but it’s me at the end of the day who also suffers from deep pain and honestly i alone also experiencing excruciating emotional damage.

I realized that at some point I wanted to express my unwillingness to not listen with their problems but at the back of my mind it kept on telling me to let these people feel that they are secured with me.

I also have things to settle and problems to solve and from time being i also need to reminisce myself alone and find that time for myself to process my thoughts all at once.

I apologize to those people who trusted me to tell their pain but for now —i wanted to secure myself alone and process my feelings secretly.

I wanted to stay for myself for a while and give myself that pamper to ease my thoughts because i deserved that peace in my heart.

I promise to be back and share my authentic opinions about everything that bothers you —but for now, i need to be there for myself. I need to be available for myself and heal my own wounds.

Writer’s Blossoms 💛

#To25

Become Of…

Knowing oneself is a journey, each of us defines it differently because of how and when we experience it. The journey of discovering who you are is infinite, and sometimes, all we can do is rate ourselves between the layers of who is in the present.

Knowing who you are and want to be are the same thing, the difference is what you choose to focus on, and what you choose to give your energy to.
What you do every day in the present is what you will do in the future unless you change your routine. This is regardless of where you are ie school, home, work, etc.

What you do today is most likely what you are going to do tomorrow. The things we do carry a pattern that the brain stores as memories and with time, the brain tricks us into the pattern in which we become of.

We must choose what we want to make of our habits, from the things we focus on, to the energies we draw from because they are what we become.

The small habits that we keep procrastinating about while we continuously repeat them on a daily, play a big role in the making. If you look at the things you do daily and there’s one you wouldn’t want to do tomorrow, change it.

Whatever you do today, it’s who you become tomorrow. With every detail about it. #LessonsTo25

Of Influence, a piercing .

If you’d paid attention to me for the past 24 years, you’d know that I hadn’t tempered with my ears.

First of all, I have Trypanophobia that extreme fear of needles, I remember swearing before my mom that I’d never Pierce my ears no matter what. There was a time I even bought Clip Ons just to have a feel of wearing earrings, unfortunately, these were painful and barely lasted 20mins and I was tired 😴 .

This never really bothered me because I had friends in the circle who were just like me, with no pierced ears, and I was good, felt nice having such company, it gave me the confidence to not even think about it, Until last year 😂.

On a random Sunday, after prayers, I noticed something different about one of my friends from the “non-pierced ear gang,” she had these little glittering pins, that looked like a diamond 💎 on it, well a fake one of course but damn these caught my eye. My friend had finally pierced her ears😳.

I paid attention to her for some time till I got the courage, and asked her how she did it, … and her ordeal wasn’t scary. It sounded like something I could handle after watching how she wore different earrings every Sunday, the ones that matched her dresses. It felt like an additional kind of beauty I was missing out on.
The following day, I braved through one of the Ladies’ parlors around town, paid for a piercing, and was briefed about the process by the time it was done, I was walking away with my additional beauty/piercing.

This piercing taught me one thing, your surrounding, and the environments that you are familiar with can cause you to make a certain decision. If it weren’t for my friend, I wouldn’t have pierced my ears. It took me 24 years, and a lot of convincing from my mother but I always found a reason not to do it. Until. someone that influenced me, I just saw how the piercing added to their clothing and I didn’t want to miss out on that.

I do not know how and who you choose to keep around with, what they are doing, and what decisions they’re making, you are going to be influenced by them at a certain point. It may be the fear of missing out, wanting to try out something, or discovering the unknown, It could even be a bad decision, kindly choose who to hang with, otherwise, you are going to get your ears pierced and if something goes wrong during the process, it could be a keloid with a piercing gone wrong, you are to deal with the consequences.

LessonsTo25

I’m Back…

I’d planned to put up quite several blog posts last year as I celebrated my birthday but I got busy and phew 😌… Anyway this year I plan on starting earlier and maybe I’ll have a number by June

Also, this year’s birthday is a bit special Dru’s Gift Collection. The gift store specializes in making personalized, customised and branded gifts for all seasons and celebrations.

We will be celebrating 1 year officially.
I’d been doing this as something to get me through campus (extra money ) but last year I decided to give it my best 😊 and here we are

Jaja’s Care.

Being away from home makes me realise how much I miss certain things.
There’s avoid that you long to fill but this whole adulting thing won’t let you breathe.
Most of my memories reminisce about my jaja (grandmother ) and mother. I was raised by these two women, I’m so grateful for their hands-on me.

My grandmother is the reason I am a foodie of all seasons. She made sure all the kids around would eat everything and anything available unless you got an allergy with signs so evident you weren’t exempted from eating whatever was cooked at home.

When it comes to food, I’ll shock you at how many dishes I can chew😂. From sweet potatoes that were prepared with leaves on, pumpkin leaves as sauce 😋, boiled mukene with kalo😂😂. These are meals I was forced to eat, they’d first spank me and then serve those small things with eyes🙄. You’d eat the Silverfish while it looks at you! Who does that?

What I miss about home, is the care you’d get while sick 😫 . Jaja wouldn’t allow you to go to school, play or even be sent to the shops. You’d be treated like a Princess, with everything at your disposal. She wouldn’t allow you shower, she’d get a soft towel with warm water and just wipe your whole body like a baby.

Right now, you fall sick and still have work to do. Bills to pay, books to read because you have exams and tests waiting for you. You have to pick up yourself and keep going. I miss being young. I miss Jaja….. I miss home.

#winterABC2022

Look Around You, Look Upto Someone.

Doing life alone can be a bumpy ride. Life itself is an endless journey till one’s demise.
While it’s tough and rough out there, it’s important to have people ride with you.

As a young lady who is just making 24years, I’m close to having lived half of my life as per statics. While I haven’t lived it flawlessly, I’m glad 😆 that I’ve made 95% of the decisions while sober and this has enabled me to deal with the consequences that come after.

My mom is one of my leading inspirations in certain areas of life. I can’t lie to you that I’ve learnt everything from her!
I’ve had and still have several ladies that I look up to in different ways. Women that have gone before me in life experiences, for instance, business, education, spirituality, lifestyle, and marriage among others.

Life is quite easy when you have someone to hold onto, someone who understands how much menstrual cramps aches and pains, someone who knows what childbirth is, and someone who knows how to talk to God.

With all honesty, I never reached out to any of these women, I found myself in the places where I could access them. I have women who l l look up to spiritually and I’ve met them at church.

Being a young entrepreneur, I’ve come across women who have succeeded in this out there and they share their experiences and knowledge with me. They guide me on customer service and financial decisions.
We are in an era of technology, we have these people at our disposal. When you are on your social media who do you follow, what do you read? How does it affect your life at the end of the day?
I’m not saying you should go looking out for motivational speakers, no, you need to balance out. Work without play makes one dull.

As a young lady who’s looking out to succeed in life, you need people that have gone before you. People that have been on the bumpy roads and seen the seasons in and out.

These people help you avoid the potholes on the road. They make your experiences with life more adventurous because of the briefs they share with you.
Look around you, don’t look up to one individual, pick a lesson or two from each one of them. Sit down and allow to be taught.

Life lessons are caught and taught. This doesn’t mean things will be easy for you but you will have lesser hours of Labour time if you have someone to guide you through.