The Nature Trail..

 Saturday Jan 25

My colleagues wanted to jumpstart the year with an easy trail 

I suggested Oloolua as I had done it twice before and it was quite OK

we reached the venue at 9am sharp and off we went after making the payments. A group of elderly women and men also came at 9am each having a stick and they started off slowly and we were like...this is the life...enjoying a quiet walk as part of your Saturday morning routine! self actualisation at its best....

as we started off, we decided to do 10km (mind you I was coming for the 5km...but isorait...we soldier on)

I had no idea Oloolua had such a trail!

the 10km was very long for me; but I enjoyed it

we began at 9.30am and cleared at 1.30am - 4 hours of a slow walk...12km in total

the cherry at the top was finally making it to the elusive waterfall...we almost didnt see it!

I wore my hiking boots so that  I can break them in and that was part of the reason for my limp...I think i didn't tie them well

Oh well.....hears to more trails!

ACT NOW for 2025

 I was listening to Dr Cindy Trimm speaking about 2025 and the Urgency of Now! (dated Jan 6 2025)

Loved it 💓

here is an excerpt from the notes i took!

ACT INTENTIONALLY NOW!

• ALIGN yourself with purpose
• COMMIT to courageous action
• TRUST in Gods timing

• INVEST in yourself
• NURTURE strong relationships - everything rises and falls on relationships, build connections, have a deliberate success circle of trust
• Taking TERRITORY - ask God to enlarge your reach like Jabez - not just physical but spiritual. Convenience is where I shoot my potential at point blank range! 
• INVEST in others
• OPTIMISE your time, Time is a currency of purpose.
• NEVER Quit, there will be storms and challenges, but stay focused 
• AIM high! raise that bar, dream big
• LEAD by example, LIVE fully!
• LIVE with gratitude every day!
• YIELD to the Holy Spirit

• NAVIGATING challenges - obey God and you can be able to ride the winds of change
• OVERCOMING doubt, this is the first step to victory -esp doubt of self
• WORK and excellence - excellence is the language of KINGS, and the currency of influence!

Go out and conquer!

The mountains await....

 So I decided 2025 is the year I will push myself to walk more... hike more...and not to give excuses when opportunities come

so when I saw the poster from Itchy feet Hikers that their first hike was ranked as moderate, I was like letsgoooo!!

vitu kwa ground was different...

very different

off we went on Saturday Jan 11 to Empaash Conservancy in Kajiado county, some 2 hours drive from Nairobi

we reached the conservancy camp site...and, i must say i like the way its been done..a gazebo place and washroom/shower 

at 9.30am we started off .....after the briefing and intros

the starting was ok...and clearly this was not a trail that had been walked on often...the conservancy began recently

then the climb began...ok...it was a slow climb....but I was already panting...and this was not even hour 2

after trekking for some 2 hours, and seeing very interesting vegetation and  great landscapes....we reached a section where we were to basically push thicket aside to get the path to the caves....this is where we gave up.....the thought that we need to come back the same way....my sister and I decided we can go back now

and so the other group went on....and we turned back

mercifully we had two guides for the tour

so one could take us back to base

he was very patient with us, as we walked slowly

at some point we heard a strange noise, and he said those are monkeys...we asked, which ones? he said the big ones....but its ok, they will not come near!

and then after some time we see him being more keen and looking around...he says...there are animals around, they just look at us...if we had goats then  probably they can attack ....sema adrenaline rush...weuhh

we reached base after 4 hours of walking (and resting....) and waited for the rest for close to three hours!!

meanwhile, some young ladies were selling lovely jewelry, we bought some and we took photos with the elaborate ones

(oh...and my shoes gave up on me!)

back to the story, i have come to terms with this, that me..am not ready for these tough hikes

i will still do the simple ones for now

still....

the mountains await

one day, i will manage it!

New Year 2025

 I M A G I N E

Its already 2025!

I can vividly remember the turn of the century - 1999 to 2000 when the world went berserk regarding the Millenium...oh, so many conspiracy theories were spinned...including the world ending, the computers switching off....weuh...I know IT guys who keshad at work just to watch and be on guard when the change happens at midnight

My sis and I were in Carnivore to usher in the millennium at an electrifying show by Chaka Demus and Pliers and of course, this is when I first heard the Redemption Song!! sang by none other than Rita Marley herself!! weuh....I have never attended another concert that matches this one...and the fireworks? Carnivore outdid themselves!!

Now its 25 years later...so much has changed

am 50years old....

and my phrase for my next decade is 

Rejoice in the Lord Always, and AGAIN, I say Rejoice (Philippians 4: 4)

I have a good feeling about this year...5 is the number of GRACE! 

I read somewhere that 5 symbolizes Gods grace, kindness and mercy towards humankind! 

May this be true for all of us!

Happy New Year!

 

Whats in a name?...varied sources

 What's in a name?

back to my keen interest in names...

1. Angel/Malaika

2. Blessing / Baraka

3. Faith / Imani / Iman

4. Goodness / Wema

5. Joy/ Raha / Furaha/ Faraja

6. Kindness / Fadhili

7. Love / Pendo / Wendo

8. Mercy / Rehema

9. Peace/Amani / Thayu/Salama/Salem/Shalom

10. Praise/Sifa / Namsifu

11. Promise / Ahadi

12. Truth / Adiera/Kweli

13.   Life / Maisha /Aisha / Ava

14.  Goodluck / Bahati

15. Grace / Neema

16. Pray/Sala/Shalom

17. Gospel?/ Injili

18. Purpose / Nia

19. Goodluck / Bahati

20. Thanks / Asante

21. Amen / Amina

22. Teacher / Mwalimu

23. Karani / Clerk?

24. Winner / Mshindi/  

25. Witness? / Shahidi

26. Patience /Subira

27. Honey /Asali

28.  Tajiri / Rich? Boss?

29. Daima/ Forever

30. ....................

others?

Whats in a name? Days of the week..

 Names have always fascinated me

Here's a sample of names derived from days of the week

• Sunday /  - Sunny /  - Sunne /  - Kwasi
• Thursday /  - Alhamisi /  - Hamisi
• Friday /  - Kofi  /  - Juma / - Mwajuma 
• Saturday /  - Kwame

Others?

Guard the starting point!

Reflections on Life!

I heard this quote once and it stuck with me...it doesn't go wrong, it STARTS wrong!

This is so true for so many circumstances

Whereas I do believe that all things will eventually work together for our good (Romans 8:28), for those who trust in the Lord, the truth is that we do make decisions in life that guarantee us a long period of suffering /strife before we experience light.  But this should not always be the case!

So how does one communicate to others especially the young ones who are starting off in life?

Lets do it with an acronym

S  - Self awareness is key. Be conscious of who you are and what you are about. Take time to learn about yourself and your non-negotiables. Understand what made who you are today (you are a sum total of your past experiences), what has informed the choices you make/ will make; who are the main influencers in your life and what value they bring- all this so that your antenna can be high up on what you want for yourself in this beautiful life! 

T - Time is precious. Go through life with some sense of urgency. I remember periods of my life where I just went with the flow. No project in mind, no self deadlines...niko tuu! and with time...boom...its five years later and you wonder where the time went!

A - Adapt and Agile.  Learn quickly from mistakes (yours and that of others) and move on with it. No need to stay in one place because you feel comfortable in it. Someone once said that there is no growth in comfort, and for sure no comfort in growth!

R - Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice (Philippians 4:4) . Being anchored in the Lords word will be a game changer! Go to church! Connect with like minded people. Be challenged by the Gospel  - to do more for the Kingdom!

T - Treasury - money money money! it does make the world go round. Have a plan for how you will get money and how you will invest it! Build a culture of investing early on in your life, and there is nothing like its too little to invest; and leaving money in the bank is not an investment channel!

It doesn't go wrong....it probably started wrong...so guard your starting point!

There you go, wisdom from the MinK Jubilee corner!

Peace!