“Fight against something and we focus on the thing we hate. Fight for something and we focus on the thing we love. “ – Simon Sinek
It’s 1 : 42 PM on day 2663 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Ezekiel 34:12, have breakfast and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – raised $6 166 only $6 334 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot .
Yesterday someone asked a question which made me realize that people in my life, though they truly love me, expect me to be an object of someone’s care for the rest of my life which is not going to happen EVER instead I’m going to find a way to be financial independent (in an ethical and moral way) and that financial independence is going to afford me the luxury of hiring more people to help me out physically and with the help of those people I will travel the world, meet new people and continue making a difference …I already have an extraordinary present but it pales in comparison to what the future holds I KNOW IT because I am the BEST and DESERVE NOTHING LESS of course it goes without saying that I have to continue working really hard which I am more than willing to do.
It’s 4 : 10 PM on day 2662 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray,read Psalm 55:22 have breakfast and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – – A HUGE thanks to Matt Callanan of We Make Good Happen who donated $15 and Mèlise Butler who donated $10 which brings the total raised to $6 166 only $6 334 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot.
Yesterday I watched “It’s time for women to run for office” – a Ted Talk by Halla Tómasdóttir about why she believes it’s important for women to run for every kind of office – I love Halla’s courage to try she inspires me. Watch “It’s time for women to run for office” below:
We can only have compassion for that which we’ve seen and experienced – that’s what I’ve realized.
It’s 10 : 26 AM on day 2661 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Matthew 2:11-12, have breakfast and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – raised $6 041 only $6 459 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot .
Yesterday I realized that I cannot blame my brother for wanting the same material things that kids his age want because he hasn’t seen what I’ve seen and experienced what I’ve experienced
If you’re going to live might as well enjoy the best of life– that’s I’ve realized.
It’s 1 : 40 PM on day 2660 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray,read Luke 2:13-14 have breakfast, and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – – A HUGE thanks to Tim Fargo , author of Alphabet Success – Keeping it Simple. My Secrets to Success and founder of Social Jukebox, and Shahrina Ramphaul who donated $250 each which brings the total raised to $6 041 only $6 459 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot.
Yesterday during a mental recap of 2017 I remembered some of the best things I’ve heard, seen and tasted some of which I’d like to share. Take a look:
Best of 2017
Best songs of 2017
Best movie of 2017
The Shack – a movie starring Sam Worthington, Olivia Spencer and Tim McGraw – it’s a moving tale of a man’s journey to faith, redemption and forgiveness of self and others I don’t cry a lot about anything but by the end of the movie both mom and I had tears running down our cheeks I LOVED the movie and would recommend it to every Christian in the world.
Best books of 2017
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing Worldby the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams it’s a profound yet simple book about the keys to having joy and living a joyful life (I love that both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu emphasized that being of service and looking outward from one’s own suffering were at the core of living a joyful life (it’s so true)).
Custard Apples – it’s a sweet fruit with a buttery texture I LOVE it
Cookies & Cream Ice-Cream from Hagen Daz (in Cape Town) – best Ice-cream I’ve ever had
Cinnamon Pancakes from Heavenly Pancake House (here in East London, South Africa) – – best pancakes I’ve ever had (thanks Salomie)
Best places I’ve Been To in 2017
Southern Sun The Cullinan – a huge thanks to everybody at The Cullinan for being so accommodating and friendly (my brother loved figuring out the elevators and the Nugget)
Gonubie Beach – it’s absolutely beautiful
Best Moments of 2017
Meeting my twin nephews Jacob and Jeremy and meeting my niece Maya (I’ve known my cousins my whole life they used to read me bedtime stories and make me scrambled eggs there was something truly special about seeing them as mothers I could literally see how motherhood had transformed them a love so fierce burned in their eyes it made them more patient and slow to anger it is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever seen)
Seeing my cousin Vineeth getting married (Vineeth has always been my Believer-In-Chief always trying to convince people I was capable of more than they thought I was and so seeing him get married to a very nice girl was such a special moment for me)
Planning and executing local community projects (I will never publicly share anything I’ve seen and heard while working on my local projects but I will say it has transformed the way I look at life – all the faces I’ve seen may in time forget me but I will never forget them)
My Superhero Catherine Constantinides flying across the country to support me Paragliding to Raise Awareness about the Western Sahara (of all the gifts I’ve received in my 26 years of life her presence was on that day was the best by showing up I heard from her actions you matter I love you and that I will always appreciate because not everybody in takes time to say sometimes so kind with their actions (thank you Superhero for literally showing up, for all the phone calls, voice notes and everything I’m crazy about your kindness you’re so busy and yet whenever I’m with you either in person or on the phone I feel like the center of the universe it’s truly so so special. I picked the right Superhero. #MySuperheroIsTheBESTEST)
Meeting Ella Bella (nobody has taught me more about love, loyalty, teamwork and hard work than Ella has she is the friend, family member and colleague that everybody deserves (Ella you’re the bestest I love you to the moon and more than the stars thank you so much for all that you are and all that you do)
Video-chatting with Laura Schroff, author of Angels on Earth: Inspiring Stories of Fate, Friendship, and the Power of Connections (imagine actually talking to someone whose books you been reading forever I was shocked that I was able to speak in complete sentences but Laura was so nice and normal I quickly got over my star-struckness I love her so much and her dog, Emma, is supercute so that gets her extra points (thank you Laura for making time for me and being so nice)
Paragliding off Signal Hill – everybody thought I was a whackjob but I knew that with support I could do it and I’m so glad I did the view was EXTRAORDINARY!! “` `
“Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.”- Eric Sevareid
I’m with my family the whole day I hope you are to physically, mentally and emotionally.
Today is Christmas Day and in effort to revolt against the commercialization of Christmas I’m sharing what Christmas has always meant to me. Watch:
“The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” – W.C Jones
It’s 12 : 29 PM on day 2658 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, watch a few episodes of Gilmore Girls with my sister, hang out with the cousins, have breakfast, read Luke 2:6-7 and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – raised $5 506 only $6 994 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot .
Today is Christmas Eve there’s just something about this season that I absolutely love it’s like just for a month the whole world is blanketed in love and goodwill. Merry Christmas Eve everyone.
I am only as happy as the saddest person on the planet– that’s what I know.
It’s 11 : 44 AM on day 2657 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, have breakfast, read Galatians 4:4-5 and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – raised $5 506 only $6 994 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot .
Today I realized that although Christmas is a very happy time for me that’s not the case for everybody which makes me sad. For all those who have a hard time during the Festive Season I send you my love and warmest wishes. Please know you don’t have to pretend to feel a certain way however you feel is okay. You are loved. You are wanted. YOU MATTER!
Every year is a different chapter of one’s life– that’s what I keep realizing.
It’s 12: 40 PM on day 2656 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, have breakfast, read and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – A HUGE thanks to David Boutin, content manager at Social Quant, Inc., who donated $30 which brings the total raised to $5 506 only $6 994 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot.
Yesterday I was thinking about all the lessons I’ve learned this year and just so I wouldn’t forget I wrote them down. Take a look:
6 Life Lessons of 2017
Hope for things to go right but expect things to go wrong (things seldom go perfectly and when you expect things to go awry you won’t be distraught when they do)
A good life is one part noticing the small beautiful moments and one part giving all that you can (this year I recorded one good moment of every day that I remembered and I couldn’t help noticing that all the moments that I considered “good” were ones in which I either appreciated the little things or gave something)
Most moments are meant to lived not captured (nowadays everybody has a camera and with that comes a need to capture every moment but really most moments are meant to be lived not captured)
Some of the best things you do won’t be the things you listed on your To-Do List (I have a To-Do List for 2017 and while I’m proud of having accomplished some of my goals I’m proudest of doing things that were not even on my To-Do List to begin with )
BELIEVE YOU CAN, YOU WILL and sometimes you will even get others to believe in you too (I went PARAGLIDING WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO WALK – when my mother saw someone else taking the leap off the cliff she started to change her mind I saw that, looked her in the eyes and said with so much conviction mom I can do this at which point she decided to take a leap of her own by choosing to believe in my belief in myself)
You will only ever get that which you have the courage to ask for (this year I asked everybody for every kind of help I needed and while things didn’t always go in my favour some people did shock me by helping me just because I asked)
Being emotionally attached to objects is a dangerous thing– that’s what I keep realizing.
It’s 11 : 17 AM on day 2655 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, have breakfast, read Luke 1:32-33 and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – raised $5 481 only $7 019 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot .
Today I was reminded that being emotionally attached to objects is a dangerous thing sometimes we love the things that people give us so much that we forget that love is not in the things people give us love is in the people who give us things.
Death is a reminder of the temporariness of life– that’s what I keep realizing.
It’s 10 : 36 AM on day 2653 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read and promote my 50 New Feet Campaign benefiting MiracleFeet – A HUGE thanks to Stan Faryna, author of Francesco Augustine Bernadone who donated $50 and Meg Guegan who donated $25 which brings the total raised to $5 381 only $7 119 more to raise by June 17, 2018 to help 50 kids with clubfoot.
Today we woke up to the sad news that our family friend and the man who helped bring both my sister and brother into the world, Dr. Thomas, passed away I remember the last time we saw him he told us that he was the reason for my brother’s existence (apparently he convinced my parents to have baby number 3 even offering to pay for the baby’s food and diapers LOL 🙂 ) he was such a sweet man who I will forever remember with great fondness. Rest in peace uncle till we meet again.
