It’s my 49th Birthday!

I am 49 today and to be honest, for the very first time since I started celebrating my birthday, I feel every year of my new age in my bones and heart. However, I am grateful because I’m one of the lucky ones who get to celebrate another birthday. Every birthday is a reminder of precious life and our mortality, cos let’s face it, every birthday brings us a step closer to our graves.

However, there is something about my 49tth birthday that has been bugging me. I felt like it was consumed by thoughts of the 50th birthday milestone. I keep reminding myself that 49th is important in and of itself. You can’t just skip a year to jump into the 50th. If I were the 49th birthday, I’d be slightly annoyed because after all I deserve recognition too. Every Birthday Life Matters. Maybe this is what middle child feels like, ignored for the first or last born.

Anyway, I have made a conscious decision to be fully present in my 49th year on planet earth and not live it as a stepping stone to my 50th. Today, and indeed the very minute we are in, is all we’ve got, the next minute, tomorrow or next year is not promised. Instead of the mindset that I am going to use my 49th to prep the grounds for that mighty 50s, I’m going to live my 49tth for the sake of my 49th. Cherish it for what it is, the last of my very eventful, memorable 40s, filled with precious life memories of good health, success, love, and sadness.

Top on my list of to dos in my new age is to take better care of my physical and mental health. Be consistent. Do not make the gym a distant memory of something I used to be great at. BTW, I deserve a cookie medal for fitting into my very form-fitting birthday jumpsuit!

Step out of my queendom and go out to interact more with mere mortals, maybe even go on a few dates, yuk and ew! I do need to step out of my comfort zone.

Most importantly, honour the memories of the loved ones I’ve lost in the past year by living fully, and not just existing for work and my tempting sofa.

Do more of the things I loved doing which have taken a backseat in recent years. Write and blog more, go back to making videos discussing issues close to my heart. Never stop dancing to my favourite tunes and bring out the camera while at it, also definitely take more selfies!

Happy birthday to me, this Lioness is ready to roar when needed and purr out of pure contentment too. At this age, I would say roaring is OK, purring is also OK. Afterall, contentment is pure bliss.

 

 

Happpy 48th Birthday to me!

Wishing myself a very happy 48th Birthday on planet earth. This has not been the happiest of my birthdays as the past few months have been about healing from loss and fighting hard to not let the haters, who can’t stand BlackGirlMagic, silence my voice at work.

However, I am grateful for life, good health and prosperity. I am proud that in the face of adversities, my crown has not slipped, this queen is still standing strong and proud.

The past year has tested and reminded me of things that have kept me strong, happy and contented over the years. They are also things I will be taking into the next stage of my life. A few of these reminders are-

1- I am my own tribe and there is nothing wrong with this because j am enough.

2- Never sweat the small stuff, life is too short

3- When things gets tough, take a deep breath, adjust my crown and face life head high.

4- Never expect anything from anyone because the things I value most, compassion, empathy, loyalty and honesty, are the things humans find most difficult to give.

5- Continue to be myself wherever I go. My whole self is a gift to anyone lucky enough to be in my presence.

6- Never let the world change my smile or take away my joy. My life is mine to live, not for others to ruin.

7- Remember the loved ones I have lost with happiness because they live on in my heart .Therefore I must make my heart a happy place for them to be.

8- Family are those who love, respect and show me compassion. Never let blood determine who I call family or who stay in my life.

9- Hold my loved ones closer to my heart because the greatest gift of all is unconditional love.

10- Live. Love. Laugh today because tomorrow is never promised.

Thanks to everyone who has enriched my life one way or the other, may we all celebrate many more years of love, happiness and good health.

My 47th Birthday Celebration

It was my 47th year on planet earth few weeks ago and i celebrated it in my signature style; with selfies and a birthday dance!

I can’t pretend to have the age-long answer to the meaning of life. However, what I do know is that life is to be lived not spent pontificating on its meaning. Yes, we have got one life to live, however, the most important thing is to live each day with gratitude.and on our own terms.

The last two months were one of the most intense and scariest of my life . I had to go to Nigeria unexpectedly for a family medical emergency. I am grateful that I am here today , able to celebrate my birthday with a big smile on my face. If i was asked to make a birthday wish, it would be to keep all my loved ones safe and heathy. Heath is wealth. And well, to win the big lottery while we are at it!

I’ve experienced life’s twin fountains of pleasures and pains, love and loss, happiness and sadness, good health and bad health but I knew they were all part of the deal called Life.

Life is a race I was enrolled in without my consent; I might as well aim to win it.

I am very grateful for where I am today and for the people that have been part of my journey through different stages in my life. Those that passed through it and those that are still part of it.

Life is a beautiful story as long as we keep writing our pages and chapters in our own words , on our own terms and live it unapologetically.

I say thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, I appreciate you all. May we always have abundant love and happiness in our heart to share and celebrate with others.

For those who sent me prayers and thanked their God(s) on my behalf, please always bear in mind that I am an Atheist, therefore your prayers don’t mean much to me beyond being patronising. Your intent might be good ( to you) but the impact isn’t. Thanks all the same but don’t do it again.

Some are surprised that some of us women are happy to splash our age on social media, I’d just say, growing old is an honour and privilege. We will not always be alive to celebrate being a year older. Also, when we die, people will print obituaries and splash our age all over social media, with or without our consent. Why not celebrate, embrace and own our age while we still can?

Here is to growing older gracefully, disgracefully or in whatever manner we choose to celebrate life!

I raise a glass today and toast everything that makes me the extraordinarily fierce, passionate, mentally and emotionally intelligent, discerning, sexy, strong, independent, beautiful black woman I am today.

To many more years of living life with a passion!

 

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It’s My 46th Birthday!

It’s my 46th year on planet earth today! I still remember the day I was born, okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit. The years I do remember makes me feel like I’ve lived three livetimes already because I have truly lived.

I’ve experienced life’s twin fountains of pleasures and pains, love and loss, happiness and sadness, good health and bad health but I knew they were all part of the deal called Life.

I am very grateful for where I am today and for the people that have been part of my journey through different stages in my life. Those that passed through it and those that are still part of it. You all contributed whether positively or negatively to my experience in life so far and those experiences, good or bad, have contributed to my emotional and mental growth.

Life is a beautiful story as long as we keep writing our pages and chapters in our own words, on our own terms and live it unapologetically.

I raise a glass today and toast everything that makes me the extraordinarily fierce, passionate, mentally and emotionally intelligent, discerning, sexy, strong, independent, beautiful black woman I am today. To many more years of living life with a passion.

My birthday is not complete without my annual birthday dance. This year I celebrated with the beats from motherland and danced to the music of the legendary King of juju music, King Sunny Ade. What better tune to shake my original land cruiser to than the beats of KSA.
Emi o ba won wa, emi o ni ba won lo…

Happy Birthday to me.