Tag: creativity

11 Things That Make Me Happy (Day 21 UgBlogMonth)

As the UgBlogMonth draws to a close, I am delighted to share the things that make me happy. 

Life would be one huge dull blob if there was nothing to look forward to. I am grateful for moments of smiles, laughter and warm goodness. The following are what make me happy:

  • Understanding Grace 

Understanding the grace that comes from a relationship with God truly freed me to live a guilt-free life. I was very legalistic in the past and though I was raised in the church world, religion kept me enslaved to a life of tradition devoid of freedom. I wasn’t fully happy in my Christian journey; in fact, I was one of those Christians that didn’t make Christianity look attractive. However, when the revelation of grace started sinking in, it released me into a new kind of happiness. I’m getting happier with each new passing day and I am thankful for the blessings that come from being a child of God. 

  • Family

I love my family. As most families do, we have experienced issues too. That said, my family has also had some really happy moments. I am happy we are in a good place now and we experience a lot of peace and laughter with each other. My favourite moments are when we all gather together in my parents’ living room and share a meal while watching TV. God has brought us out of some murky waters of the past. Currently, we are all more understanding of each other and happy to have each other. Watching Nigerian programs with my parents really makes me happy; we always share lots of laughter in those moments because as we all know, our Nigerian brothers are not short of drama. I treasure those moments; they are golden. 

  • Bae

On one of my birthdays, bae took me to the lakeside where we watched the sunset over a good meal. A few days ago, he walked a distance to come see me, since public and private transportation is not operational due to the lockdown. Apart from the many acts of service, gifts and more, we have great conversation and lots of laughter. He and I haven’t had a perfect run but I can say without doubt that he makes me happy.

  • Great Friends

Where would I be without good friends that support me and understand me? The friends with whom I can talk effortlessly for hours on end are the absolute best. Time seems to stop, the tea is poured and a new world is formed for hours of pure bliss. I am so blessed to have great friends with whom I can share such moments. 

  • Great Music

Music is my first love of all the Arts. Listening to great music does something to my soul that feels so divine. It’s like entering into Heaven for a moment and being totally transported to a surreal world of happiness. Music nurses my heart so well if I am feeling sad and it has the ability to instantly shift the mood and give me hope. I am very picky with the music that I love and I ensure that it’s uplifting and positive either because of the beat, the lyrics, or both. 

  • Beautiful Spaces & Items

Beautiful spaces, clothes, jewellery, décor and other items, make me feel very important. I love feeling like royalty. Beautiful spaces and items boost my confidence and desire to continue living in ways that I can’t explain. When I enter a space, I instantly start either appreciating it or redesigning it mentally. 

  • Nature

Nature is God’s genius creation filled with beauty. I feel closer to God when in beautiful natural settings where the sun shines warmly, casting vibrancy over the horizon. Calm and peace fill me up and I am easily happy. 

  • The Performing Arts

Watching good performing arts gives me goose bumps out of feeling pure wonder. I can also remember a number of times when I have stepped off stage, after performing poetry, thinking ‘I was born for this’. The wide range of performing arts excite me. In fact, to kick up my energy and enthusiasm, I often watch talent shows such as The Voice and the ‘Got Talent’ series. 

  • Good Fantasy Stories

Good fantasy literature and movies transport me to other worlds and I love being transported to places I won’t ever go to physically. I can get lost in these made-up fantasy worlds willingly. The happiness that fills me in those moments is immense. 

  • Being Around Talented Positive Artists

Being around these kinds of artists energizes me tremendously. There is something about being with likeminded and driven artists that confirms my purposes to me every time I am with them.

  • Good Comedy

The laughter industry makes me happy without a doubt. Comedians like Trevor Noah and our very own Pablo add a lot of humour to a serious world. 

I am very happy about the above 11 and more. Life is certainly not dull but rather, filled with so much colourful variety. Thank you for reading. Like, share, comment and subscribe.

Stay safe. Stay HAPPY. Stay grateful. 

Regards, 

Keziah. 

The Child I Love to Remember (Day 20 UgBlogMonth)

I had to dig deep down for this day of the UgBlogMonth Challenge. Thankfully, the Arts came to my rescue with some happy childhood moments. 

When I was around 8 years old, while seated at home one sunny afternoon, something like a tune started dancing in my head and along with it, words. I was a reserved child which meant the world in my head was rather eventful. However, even for my eventful mind, this was a new experience. I picked up a pen, and wrote the words down in an exercise book. I don’t know where the book is anymore however some of the words stuck with me and so did the tune. I’ll never forget the tune. It resounds in my head even as I write this paragraph. Perhaps one day this song will see the light of public day. I started writing more often from that day forward. Strangely though, the pieces that came to mind after that came with no tunes despite the fact that when I wrote them down on paper, they followed a similar structure to that first one. Somehow, the words that I put down on paper helped me explain what my emotions couldn’t. I never shared those pieces with anyone. It was much later in life, when I joined secondary school, that I found out that those pieces I loved to write had a specific name. It was Poetry; and I’ve been in love with it ever since. 

On a different day when I was about 10 years old, without anyone instructing me to do so, something in my mind told me that it would be nice to draw the front facade of the house we lived in. I had been drawing little sketches of people for a while and I needed a new challenge. I picked up my clipboard, ruler and pencil, and positioned myself in front of our home. It was a rather engaging process. Just when I was about to finish, one of my brothers returned home. He saw me drawing something and asked to see it. Please note that the age difference between him and I is almost 9 whole years so he was about 19 years old and must have just joined university. 

He sounded pleasantly surprised when he said, “Wow, did you do this? You should do Architecture when you grow up.” Architecture. That was a new word that was introduced to my world. I was very blessed to have that word introduced to my heart and mind so early in life. 

The third and final memory is from the age of 11. There was a channel called Lighthouse TV where one of my favourite shows was aired – Colby’s Clubhouse. Oh, how I loved that show! I loved the music and the kids. I loved that they were so proactive and creative. It opened me up to a whole new world of possibilities. I decided with great resolve that I too would form my own group of young musicians. The band would be made up of my friends and I. 

My parents had a beautiful big radio which could record on tape. If you don’t know what tapes are, I don’t know how to help you (insert smiley face). I asked someone to buy empty tapes for me, I don’t remember who. I told them that I wanted to record some music. Then one weekend when I was set to go for a sleepover at my friends’ place in the Bugolobi Flats, I asked mum if I could go along with the radio because I wanted to record some music. She agreed without asking many questions, which was really sweet of her.

I got there and gathered all the kids. I told them we were going to record music and one day be on TV. I had very big dreams. I led us in practice. I can’t remember what songs we practised but after that, I got the radio and started recording. I recorded once and asked that we repeat the recording. I think it was on the third recording that the other kids started to look out the window. They were tired. I was so determined but there was no way for me to convince them to continue. And that was the end of my dreams. There is no Colby’s-like band for my friends and I, to this day. 

I’ll sneak in a quick bonus memory. I don’t know what age this happened at, perhaps because it looks like something I probably did more than once. Because of the massive age gap between my older brothers and I, I often had only myself to entertain me. I remember locking myself up in the girls’ bedroom, tying a cloth on my head (to mimic long hair) and going to stand in front of the mirror. 

I would strike a pose, smile and say something like this: “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this week’s show. I am your host Keziah….” I proceeded to say a bunch of things I can’t remember. A part of me still thinks I’ll be a TV show presenter in this life, someday. 

Thanks for reading to the end. Like, share, comment and subscribe below. 

Stay safe. Stay happy. Stay grateful. 

Keep dreaming like a child. 

Regards, 

Keziah.