Winter Ends, Then Spring Arrives.

Learning to trust the seasons of life, even when change comes slowly.

There are seasons in life when we wonder how we got here; we look around us and realise that things did not turn out in the manner in which we had imagined. The dreams we once held seem further away than they used to. The answers we hoped would come have not arrived. There are moments even knowing what is true does not make knowing what to do any easier.

Moments arrive that cause confusion and discouragement, we begin to wonder whether anything will ever change. But life has a way of reminding us that nothing stays exactly as it is forever, some seasons are harder than others.

Winter has always seemed like a good metaphor for the difficult seasons of life.
Everything slows down, and life can feel like that too. There are seasons when we lose our confidence and opportunities seem to disappear. There are also seasons when we work hard and see very little in return.

Maybe the hardest part is not always the struggle itself; sometimes it is the waiting.
Waiting for something to change, for an opportunity, and waiting for the moment when life finally begins to make sense again.

Change Does Not Always Come Quickly.

We live in a world that wants immediate results, we want the answers and the breakthrough now. That new beginning can’t arrive soon enough. But some of the most important changes in our lives happen slowly.
A seed does not become a tree overnight, and a wound does not always heal in a day, just as a person does not become who they are meant to be simply because they decided to change.
There is a process, and there are lessons and setbacks.

There are seasons when it feels as though nothing is happening at all, although something can be happening beneath the surface that we cannot yet see, that is one of the hardest things about life. We are often expected to keep believing in something before we have any evidence that it is beginning to take shape.

Who Set the Rules?

There are moments when I think we put too many rules around our own lives. By a certain age, we should have achieved certain things at a certain stage and figured it all out. We should have the career, house, financial security, and all the answers.

When our lives do not follow that timeline, we begin to believe that we have failed. But who made these rules? Who decided that everyone's life should unfold according to the same timetable?

Perhaps we need to be more careful about measuring our lives against someone else's journey. What looks like falling behind may simply be a different season.
What looks like failure may be preparation, and what feels like an ending may eventually become the beginning of something we could not have imagined.

We Cannot Always Choose the Season.

I would love to say that we can simply choose happiness and move on from difficult seasons. But life is not that simple. There are things we must experience, lessons we must learn with disappointments that change us.

There are moments when all we can do is keep going and perhaps that is enough. Sometimes strength does not look like conquering everything in front of us.
Strength is getting up again, taking another breath, and trying again. We have to make that choice not to become bitter but to believe that the current season is not the entire story.

Learning to Love Ourselves.

One of the most important things we can do whilst waiting for life to change is learn how to love ourselves where we are. Not the person we hope to become and not the person we think we should already be. But the person standing here, today.

We are often much harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love.
We forgive others for taking time to find their way yet become frustrated with ourselves for not having everything figured out. Perhaps we need to offer ourselves some of the same patience. We are still growing and always learning, and there is nothing shameful about that.

The future is often built from things that seem insignificant today: a conversation, a small decision, a small act of courage, or a new habit.
One thing for sure, we must create moments when we choose to hope instead of giving in to fear.
These are the seeds we plant without knowing exactly when they will grow and maybe that is where dedication matters.

We cannot always control the harvest, but we can decide what we plant, and we can choose what we nurture. We can decide whether we will continue believing that tomorrow can be different from today, and that does not mean ignoring reality.
It means refusing to let today's circumstances convince us that tomorrow has already been decided.

We Must Keep Going.

So, if you find yourself somewhere in a difficult season right now, remember that you do not need to have everything figured out, and maybe you simply need to keep going and give yourself permission to grow slowly and permission to change your mind.
Most importantly, give yourself permission to begin again. Never let someone else's timeline convince you that you are behind.
Do not let a difficult season persuade you that your story is over, and do not mistake waiting for nothing happening; things are being formed in us that we cannot yet see.

One day, we may look back at this season and realise that it was preparing us for something we could not see at the time, I am learning that life does not promise us that every season will be easy, but it does remind us that season’s change.

Some days we struggle, and there will be days when we question everything, and days when the dream feels too far away.

Remember that there will also be mornings when we wake up and realise that something has changed, something inside us and around us, something we had almost stopped believing could change.

And perhaps that is why we keep going, not because we know exactly what tomorrow will bring but because we know that tomorrow has not yet been written.

Winter is not the end, it is simply a season, after winter, spring must come.

Everything Starts with Just a Thought

The Power Behind Every Action

Everything we do, and everything we act upon, starts with a thought, and we make many such decisions every day. The power of imagination is potent. Visualising the future allows us to explore endless possibilities beyond the confines of our current knowledge.

I have often heard it said that we should be careful with the thoughts we entertain, because they will lead to action, whether good or bad. It seems important, therefore, to think positive thoughts and to picture success in all we do.

Cutting Through the Noise

Sometimes we become caught up in the noise of the world, and surrounded by it, which can make positive thoughts difficult to imagine. Yet it is in these very moments that we must intentionally generate positive thoughts in our minds.

Without imagination, the likes of Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare, the Wright Brothers, and many others would never have pursued their dreams of changing the world around them. The world as we know it would certainly be a very different place. Every invention, every scientific breakthrough, and every work of art began as a picture in someone's mind. Imagination is the foundation of hope and belief, bringing unseen visions to life and turning them into tangible outcomes.

Protecting the Mind

We can harness the power of imagination, but protecting the mind is the starting point. This means controlling the imaginative inputs we allow into our lives. The things we consume, what we read, what we watch on television, and even what we see on social media all have a profound effect on what we think. We should focus on constructive scenarios rather than dwell on fears and anxieties.

We use our imagination for many reasons: to gather experience and knowledge about the world, to better understand another person's perspective, to solve problems, and to create and engage with artistic works, amongst much else.

A Final Thought

Albert Einstein famously said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, whilst imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

Born Early and Built Strong

Some stories start with thunder, others with quiet determination. He arrived before the expected time, a tiny preterm baby born fragile yet fiercely alive. From the very beginning, life asked him to push through to rise and to grow against the odds, and he did just that with a steady resilience that has shaped him ever since.

I often think about how those early moments have become the foundation of the man he is today. Strength forged not in comfort, but in challenge.

A calm confidence born not of ease, but from overcoming. Perhaps this is why he carries such a remarkable tenderness for people. His hardships never made him guarded; in fact, they made him empathetic. He understands instinctively how much a gentle word or a simple moment of connection can mean.

One of the many things I admire about him is how naturally he moves through the world in an approachable way. While others may hold back, he leans in, and where conversations feel forced for many, for him, it unfolds effortlessly. I’ve watched strangers share their stories with him as though he carries a warm light that invites trust. He doesn’t rush people. He doesn’t pretend, and I’m sure people around him can feel that.

It’s a rare gift, this ability to connect without trying.
To make someone feel noticed, included, and understood. Whether he’s talking about art, history, or the eccentricities of daily life, he brings a sincerity that disarms and delights.

Today’s entry is an acknowledgment of that quiet magic. Of a life that began small but became expansive; of a man who has never stopped overcoming, never stopped growing, and never stopped extending his warmth to the world around him.

And today, I celebrate the way he turns everyday encounters into moments that matter.

Top of Form

 

Bottom of Form

 

Read the instructions.

 

This is more of reminder to self that when in doubt read the instructions.
Sometimes things look straight forward and easy to do, just flip the lid and the container will open. Well, not in all cases. The other day I needed to do the laundry and I had a new box of the soap capsules I had to open, it looked like an easy to open container so I just began to wrestle with the lid and with that I broke the flaps of the lid obviously, I didn’t read the simple instructions on how to open the box.

Another self-reminder is to not forget the lesions life tries to teach us through our mistakes. A few days later, I got a replacement phone, thinking the operating systems are all the same as on many phones, I went headstrong with the new phone as I unwrapped it and began using it as if I knew all about its functions.

Again, in no time I had to look for instructions how to find certain applications again I needed to refer to the instructions.

On my return to Zimbabwe from my surprise rendezvous with my partner, amazing experiences, better than great company, good food, it was fantastic! Ok, this is not about the Cape Town visit, that’ll be another blog with a Parental Guidance tag.

Back on home ground I now had to get back onto the local cellular network, in my absence the network made a few changes to on how to purchase either voice or internet bundles and there are other new items they added to the setup. Thinking I know it all I quickly purchased the required bundles I thought where the necessary selections I need to get me through alas, with the last resource I had, I purchased the bundles that would serve no good to me.

All this in a space of 2 weeks and I hope I’ve learned on how to get started with many things,
Read the instructions.

Pause, breathe, take time to understand. These are the words I need to constantly remind myself day after day.

My sweet love, Akin blessed me with a book written by Steven Furtick, ‘Do the New You’.
It has been a perfectly timed gift as what I am reading in this book has so far been enlightening and a feeling of building something new in me that I am yet to realise.

The extreme of hangovers.

 

I haven’t written a blog for a sometime now and I always put it down to how I am still so comfortable with writing on paper than publishing anything online.

We are towards the end August but still I am still getting over all the events of July 2022, I had the greatest of surprises for my birthday month, I have been back in my hometown for close to month but still remember how Akin made it possible that we meet up and spend the month of July in Cape Town.

If before this birthday I ever said I had the best of birthdays, I lied, this past birthday must go down in my history book as the very best of birthdays ever!

Not only did I get to spend the day with the man I love but he went on to make that day extra special I got gifts from him all through the day, it was one thing after another and even a special gift from him that keeps on giving, so unexpected but most welcome.

We are approaching the end of August, but I am still stuck and re-living those moments, my mind replaying those events and to this day I fail to find the right words to describe the entire experience. I have never known to be given such attention, such amazing care, and he has the gift of knowing just how to plan and ensure all works for the best.

No Network reconnecting, No Buffering.

A long-distance relationship is always one of the hardest to maintain and the fact that after all this time we still standing is a great testament that in any relationship communication is key and for most of the time Akin and I depend on internet connections to work for our conversations and communications to be understood, we do try to maintain such.

In my home country it still remains difficult for a reliable connection, so It is always enormously special and most rewarding to be in the presence of Akin, without any buffering or network reconnections, spending time with Akin in the flesh is something I will always treasure, and I do believe one day we will find our way through such challenges, there is something enchanted about being next to the one you love without any hinderances, I hope those who can be together understand this, but then comes a sort of pain in knowing that this time together is only on borrowed time.

As much as people need to be alone, having that time together is most dear.

As much as we should enjoy every moment, at the back of the mind it plays on you that this is only temporary.

Learning to know more.

Many things were different, our first stay was in Camps Bay, quiet a distance from the city centre this time, I did like it but hearing of all the break-ins and home invasions didn’t help much, I know Akin on many nights didn’t sleep well and that was a great concern for me.  As much as nothing happened to us, it proved to be quite a challenge as walking around the area was bit of a strain as the Camps Bay area is very hilly, I got used to it as I walked the area a lot and I took it as my daily work-out routine.

As the days passed by, we settled in and made the space work best for us. Akin fell a little ill, I thought it was just his move from the Northern hemisphere to this Southern part of the world, I did my best to make sure his recovered and was comfortable.

Over time we have become very fond of Cape Town with the great planning skills of Akin we have by now done much of what Cape Town has to offer, between the both of us Akin is better at planning thing and making sure such plans work out accordingly, in comparison, he is the most organised, and I am not acting out on been biased.

 As time would have it, Akin took some time out to continue his study and development for the passion he has in his field of work, I took the chance to take a leaf off that and as well continued to study on a course of interest, Project Management.

As he booked an office space for his study, back home I tried to figure out what I’d do with my life as my pervious employment had just come to an end. I did spend many days reviewing my C.V and exploring what other kind of opportunities could be around for to me to explore.

I am not much of a social person, so I hardly ever explored those occasions to connect with other like mined souls, I guess I had my head filled with uncertainties that I lost focus, many times I tried to think of things to do, but its either we had done it before or Akin was not inclined or just too tired and not interested in the events ever presented. Even so, I know he had much on his mind as well.

There is so much I could talk about, but in all I am glad to have had time in person with the man that has changed my life for the better and I believe I got to understand a little more, for anyone in a relationship, remember he needs his space.

 I am grateful for the sacrifices that Akin undertakes to make sure we get this time together; he travels thousands of kilometres just to be in the same space with me and for that alone I am humbled and much appreciative of.

 I believe in time things do get better and better stories will be written.