Tribute to a great woman

Susu Velesi, my mum’s mum passed on a few hours after my last post last week.

She was just a blessing to me and many many others.

Though for the last few years it has been very difficult to communicate and relate with her as age continued to weaken her mind and body, I remember all the good times we had with her as we were growing up. I feel I cannot do her justice in terms of tribute, after my sis Mueni, pictured here above with her namesake, did such a wonderful article.

For me, as I have thought about my grandma this week, and even reviewing photos and videos taken with her, I have been wondering about my own life and asking myself strange questions like, would I want to live to be close to a hundred years? Is there a point where it is ok to just rest? What do I have to do till then? Many Many questions.

If you know me well, considering my last post, you will agree that to blog again today, exactly a week after that one, is really a commendable effort. But I am finding myself quite excited about blogging. Partly because of an inner feeling of having so much to say but largely from inspiration from one SavvyKenya. I have not met her yet, but I have followed her blog for quite a long time. Her latest post is just spot on. I feel it was written with me in mind!

So, what is going to be next? What can you expect soon from this blog?

Well, I think a weekly schedule is possible to handle so I am going to do whatever I can to maintain this. In the next few posts I will tell stories that are part of my life that I have told so many times that I am either beginning to forget some details or exaggerate, that are so important to know about if you are to get to know me well. We all have incidents or events or even full seasons in our life that become significant milestones. Some split our history into two, as in, you remember your life in two parts, before that and after.

So I think I will start with a few of those beginning next week. Wacha I go bury Susu Velesi this weekend then we catch up next friday.

PS: Thanks for the 2 comments I got last week. (3 million more than I expected). Tuendelee kuongea!

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Let’s do this…

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I do not know anyone who is more of a procrastinator than I am (except maybe er… anyway I’ll think about that later). See what I mean? Someone once told me that one of the easiest ways to cheer yourself up is to write a to-do list with things you have already done, then just cross them off! Then lie back and think to yourself “hmmm… I really am among the movers and shakers of the world”.

This blog is in itself a testimony of my struggle against the habit. My wife will tell all of so many times that she causes for me (typical Nairobi expression – brace yourself by the way for more of these) about what she calls my “pushing things ahead” (yeah, women use many words) but honestly in my defense, many of those things I ignored ended up being unnecessary and unhelpful meaning if I had done them it would have been a waste of time and energy. Some of those things just end up sorting themselves out without my intervention. So after several months of waiting, it occured to me that this blog was not going to write itself (yeah, I actually waited for it to happen, it is that bad!). This is not even my first attempt to blog, there was a time I tried it before in 2008. Then it sort of just fizzled out. You will also note that this was not the first post in this blog. Ni kubaya.

I once learned that relationships are about expectations. That strife or tension happens when expectations are not met. Of course there are many reasons for them not to be met. Sometimes ni maringo tu, as in, you know what is expected of you and you chose it does not matter, so you don’t meet them (Genesis of impunity). Sometimes the expectations are unclear or shifting so you get tired of guessing what is expected of you or of getting it wrong all the time. Sometimes the expectations are not verbalised. Ladies, let me tell you a secret that will help you in your relationships with men, men don’t get hints. Don’t hint, say it! You can dress in red, draw funny love hearts in notes, serve dinner in red heart-shaped plates, talk about how so and so’s husband is taking them for dinner, play what they call baby-making music etc. All this time in my mind I’m thinking “why does Marende have to say something simple in so many words?” as I surf channels on TV. We don’t get hints. Where am I going with this? I suggest we set out our expectations of this blog and blogger right away.

Here’s the deal,

I will blog when I blog. Not weekly, not daily, not monthly. Whenever. So subscribe and just wait. It will happen when it happens. If it is too regular, if I blog every hour, sawa. If it doesn’t happen sawa.

I will blog what I blog. It could be personal, official business, a repeat of a church sermon, a guest post from a Siberian monk, about marriage, raising fish, an observation in a mat, pictures from a picnic with immigrants from Ethiopia, a discussion on whether women should say anything in church, personal development, Mr. T our first tortoise pet, current affairs, technology, whatever. Eat what you are given. Let the blog grow in its own direction, if it gives birth to other blogs so be it.

That is what is expected (or not) of me, what should I expect of you? You tell me. All comments, questions (bright or dim), requests, suggestions are welcome.

So let’s do this, shall we?

Small beginnings

This is the beginning. Genesis. The time when we will all look back and say “wow, remember the day we started?” heee tumetoka mbali.