“You may not control all of the events that happen to you but you can decide not to be reduced by them” – Maya Angelou

This is not going to be just another one of them, this is indeed a blank page that can be filled with words that mean nothing or something however the call to choose is one that cannot be tossed aside in a spate of emotional outburst. I’m surrounded by a kaleidoscope of lights and noise even at this hour and it goes without saying, that sleep is a luxury meant to be enjoyed by the deserving. Control is absolutely nothing without power, I believe that used to be one of Pirelli tyres advert lines but I have less than an hour before I must cease writing and tackle face on the challenges of the brand new day, so I need to gather my thoughts from the swirling bowl of my mind before it is too late.

i was in Cuba a couple of weeks ago and the terrain, among other things, was breath taking – it was one of those moments where you realise that this should have been on your bucket list but notwithstanding its absence, you just enjoy the moment and be glad that you did. It has been a journey and sooner than we know it, it’s going to be time to usher in a new year and possibly evaluate our achievements. How well I have fared is a question that may best be answered by me however I do not possibly know all the answers but I do know that I have been the major player and regardless of how much control I had over the events of my life, the outcome reflects the consequences of choices made and whether they can be construed as successes or failures. After these events, am I reduced or built up?

My dear friend just informed me that she was relocating on account of a new job, and as we strove to catch up on happenings in our lives, she mentioned something that struck me – God brings us to a place for a reason and disperses us for a reason, how He disperses us is best left to Him because even if were given the privilege of being made to understand…..we never will and so we roll with the punches, mourn with those who mourn, rejoice with those who celebrate and generally just move on. This is a journey that began someday and will definitely end someday, having the same set of people at both times is nigh on impossible because with every change, there are new people in our lives. How we leave them is something that we can influence and so whether we are remembered or not, the fact is that we had the opportunity of meeting new people – we get to incorporate them as we write our story, and so parting can either be sweet or sour – the choice is ours to make.

Not everyone will relish our company, but will that deter us from being creatures with purpose? Besides being your own super hero or super villain, nobody else possesses the unique set of skills that you have and so yet again, hero or villain? The choice is ours however I have learned that you can be several things to most people but to yourself, you can only be you – that you owe yourself and so even as you traipse all around your world, you are either without clear cut goals or you have recognised what your goals are and are striving to work towards achieving them. This is one event that you definitely have or don’t have control over, what your preference is will be made manifest in your journey. It’s an abstract world we live in and sometimes we are like the raging bull in the china store while other times we are the demure maid in the house on the hills, regardless of the circumstance, we must play our role as close to perfection as possible.

Someday the curtain will drop and all that we used to know will cease to exist, our very lives will be laid out like a scroll and we will be evaluated not based on the influences that availed us but on how well we utilised them. Did we succeed in making our lives worthwhile or we just barged through life without a care or thought for the other person? That in itself is quite irksome for me because it is more than just a roll of the dice, it is an evaluation of how closely I worked with regards to the plans of Him whose works I strive to do each day. As the day unfolds before my eyes and I watch people scurry around with time being the universal criteria, I ask myself this – are the decisions I’m making aligning with the purpose of my existence? Hopefully, the answer is a resounding affirmation from My Maker…..nonetheless I do what I have to because I want to and pray that somewhere, someday a life will be inspired to do more than just the limits that we so blindly set for ourselves.

In all reality, what are the limits? What are our boundaries? That, dear friend, is best left for each one of us to answer. My desire is that when all this is done, I will truly enjoy the luxury of a well deserved sleep as I pray you do too.

Adios!