Random Musings. . .by Kui Gathua

“ Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small .” ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War The long rains are here finally and with them, cold nights, mosquitoes, wet days and lots of time spent indoors. As an introvert, it’s the perfect time of year for me, but not without lots of preparation. This past week was ‘spring cleaning No.1’ of the year week. As the dusty season makes room for crispy cool air, it was time to wash the curtains, dust out all the surfaces that tend to collect dust too fast and change the light bedding of the hot season to heavier ones that can withstand the coming cold. I had a bit more planning to do, though. My indoor time does not just happen – it has to be planned. So there were reading and craft lists to do and organize supplies. A list of podcasts to catch up on because craft time is also learning time. And on one of those podcasts, I got to hear about a concept that I’ve never really given deep thought to. The Black Book of my...

  “ You’re either in it, getting out of it or going into it! ” A reality check statement from one of my favorite speakers of all time – Les Brown. That and “this too shall pass” . . . because it shall. Whether that be sickness, or health, wealth or poverty, hunger or satiety . . . nothing comes to stay; seasons rotate. Why should this matter to anyone? Three things – gratitude, mindfulness and empathy. When we live in gratitude, no matter whether we are in it, getting out of it or going into it, we are likely to have a realistic view of reality and actually see that there is always something to give thanks for, someone doing worse than we are and that we are still here. If you give thanks for what you have as a continuous practice, you are less likely to have a distorted view of reality when the scales tip south. Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. Most people’s minds are caught in their worries, their fears, their anger and their regrets. This is a ...

  “ Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. ” ~   Epicurus Easter is back again! Already. Last year at Easter, we had just been sent back into lock-down and all ‘non-essential’ travel and gatherings been put on hold or put off. This year though, the masks are off, that dreaded ‘corona’ has all but left our lips and the crisis of the moment is fuel shortage in Kenya! Indeed, when “this too passes” something else replaces it, fast. One of my favorite functional medicine podcasts is in its third season and their theme for this season is ‘gratefulness’. I had mindlessly listened to a few of the episodes until it struck me that I was zoning out at the end where the guests were being asked the final 2 questions: do you have a gratitude practice and what two things are you grateful for in this moment. So I retraced my attention, rewound all the episodes and noted down what each o...

  “ The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step outside the frame. ” ~ Salman Rushdie Last Friday was the first day of April, the first day of the second quarter of 2022, and the 91 st day of the year. It was also a day to stop and check – check how far I’ve come this year, how far I still have to go. I’m I still on course? Take bearings and course correct. Have I completed goals? Stop and celebrate my achievements. One of my greatest joys of the quarter was fulfilling a goal to say ‘thank you’ to a dear friend in a special way for something I’d taken for granted for over 10 years. It was a moment of heart-swelling joy to watch them realize they were appreciated, even as I was absolved in a small way for having taken their gift for granted for so long. Of course my check point did not pass without shedding an unwelcome floodlight on some goals that are lagging behind – but that is the point of a check-point. A reminder, a reason to re-think and question...