Rain!

A word not many people like to hear. In Nairobi especially.

Rain causes havoc.

It rains and it floods. Nairobi doesn’t boast of a good drainage system- if any. It rains and the roads are flooded, pools of water are everywhere you practically have to hop skip or jump to avoid landing in one. Those driving do not always pay attention to pedestrians and proceed to splash you with muddy water and never ever stop to apologize or show remorse. And if you have a ‘jirani’ and you think s/he will be kind enough to offer a ‘lift’, forget it! Ha!

It rains and the cars multiply by a hundred-fold. Literally. Then traffic from here to Timbuktu builds up-I mean Uhuru highway, Kenyatta highway and all other roads become a grid-locked. One time it rained and a trip from Westlands to town which would normally take 20minutes with little or no traffic took 2 hours! Yes, 2 hours. I sat in the car at that time and thought, what is the traffic cop doing? Is he asleep? Can’t he effectively perform his duties? Never found an answer to why rain=traffic.

It rains and fares go up by a hundred percent. Oh, Matatus are special. {Read Matatu Madness} A drop of rain changes a lot of things. It changes the fare. It changes the routes- that's because Matatus will prefer to go to Embakasi and make a 'killing' than go to the Ngumo route! Basic profit mathematics for them!

Ladies are the worst affected... there are those who got out of the house with dressed like its summer time! Then it rains and people look at them thinking ‘really?’ Must admit I have suffered this once. The sun was out so I thought to myself ‘time for that nice dress’ shock on me! It was 4pm and it suddenly rained cats and dogs and it hailstorms! Freeze and shine is not a predicament a girl would like to find herself in! Then there are those with weaves… I shall not comment. 

Its amazing how the rains sometimes just start at a peak hour… 4pm. This is not a bad hour. The worst of it all is when you are in the office counting down the minutes to 5pm and at 4:48pm the skies open and it pours!

Luckily today the rains started at around 3pm so by the time it gets to 5pm (am crossing my fingers and all) I pray that the rains will be over. The cold I can handle but the confusion that comes with rain, uh-uh!

We should all develop a habit of checking the weather forecast. It will save us a lot of trouble-me thinks.

If it’s raining and you are in your house; warm cuddled with a blanket or a hot cup of chocolate or with your significant other then you are happy. Otherwise, misery!

Special Day

Today is a special lady's birthday.

She has been my rock. The one person with more love in her heart for me than any other person I know. 

My mother.

She has loved me from day one in this crazy world through to my teenage years... oh those difficult years when the only person I adored was my father. [not that it was wrong] That was until I realized there are things I just could not talk about to him, he just did not get it!!

She has loved me through my University days when my untold but suspected escapades caused her worry! What with me being miles away from her protective nurturing care!

She loved me through my post-university days when I was jobless! Busy sending out Cv's, penniless but with a dream in my heart of making it big.

She has loved me through it all! The joyous moments we have celebrated together. She has stood with me through the challenges. Encouraged me to keep my head up when I could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. 

She has been on her knees praying for me numerous times. She's claimed God's blessings on me on more than one occasion. She has been a major part of my support system.

I remember one time in my life when I was going through a particularly rough patch, and I was constantly in tears... she was right there with me, crying with me. And then we were done crying - we dried our tears and decided we are done crying. We are moving forward, that is after all the only way forward! We fall down but we get up!

Happy birthday mom! I am blessed to call you mom. You are the best there is and ever will be. I pray to be a great mother to my children like you have been to me. A loving, caring, supportive and giving mother. A mother who does not only focus on today but also prepares and plans for tomorrow. A mother who has encouraged me to stand on my two feet and loose the 'help me, give me' attitude. Oh, not forgetting a disciplinarian! Can never forget how you would whoop my ass when I did wrong! 

Mom, here's a toast to you; I wish you a long life full of love, good cheer and peace knowing that you have raised us well and we are doing well. Those values you instilled in us will live for many generations to come. 

Cheers to you mom, you are deeply loved!

Second chances.

I'm from the school of thought that second chances are undeserved. Well, not always but most of the time. I take violated trust to heart, unfortunately, and it usually takes a minute to get through it. It's just how I'm wired. So sometimes I may tell myself 'you know what, just let the past go and focus on today' and the load in my heart eases.

That said, I have discovered there is nothing more elating than someone giving you a second chance! Choosing to overlook whatever you may have done wrong and start on a clean slate... it's like a breath of fresh air. Now, what you do with that second chance is entirely up to you. You could use it to be a better person, or after a while revert to the old you... and loose any chance of making it right. The choice is all yours!