IWD2020: Five of my Favourite Women on Social Media

It’s Women’s History month and International Women’s Day tomorrow.

With that in mind I am celebrating Five of my favourite women on social media. They might be your faves too. Tell me who your favourite women on social media are and why you love them! This list is in no particular order.

Jollz & FK

photo via @fkabudu on twitter

This ‘dynamic duo’ have shown me that conversation is an art. They can talk/speak on most issues share their insights and opinions whilst making us all laugh. Their combination of intelligence and humour is unmatched, they took it a step further when they teamed up to create one of my all time favourite podcasts – I Said What I Said. I especially love the name of the podcast because it highlights women being unapologetic and assertive, qualities we definitely need to see more of in women! To FK & Jollz, thank you for all the laughs & the confidence you both exude!

Ozzy Etomi

photo via www.ozzyetomi.com

My personal favourite ‘twitter feminist’, but she is so much more she is an incredible writer, a mother and I would definitely say one of the most stylish people I follow. Ozzy is a bad-ass in every sense of the word, she takes no prisoners and speaks her truth. She has taught me how to own my opinion and stand my ground. She does not pretend to be anything more than what she is and is the level of self-assured I aspire to be. To Ozzy, thank you for your voice!

Moe a.k.a Mochievous

photo via @mochievous on twitter

Moe is amazing! She is my e-mentor, as a young lawyer it is amazing to be able to look up and see someone like Moe. She is a fountain of knowledge I don’t have any other words to describe her. She is a lawyer, a writer and the mastermind behind Scalemyhustle. Moe shares so much valuable information almost daily, she gives so much and is so passionate about everything she does. To Moe, thank you for being so inspirational!

photo via http://www.theufuoma.com

Ufuoma

Ufuoma is my travel goals, she is on her 40th Country and I am in awe. I love that she is a conscious traveller who takes her time to immerse herself in the culture of wherever she is visiting. It is even more amazing that she is travelling on her Nigerian passport because we all know that is an extreme sport. Ufuoma shares her experiences with us through her vivid Instagram and her blog theufuoma.com. She works full time but still has time to see the world. She has taught me that life is truly what you make it! To Ufuoma, thank you for living your life in colour we absolutely love to see it!

These are just a few of my favourite social media babes! There are so many wonderful women out there who are doing amazing things. I am so proud to be a woman and I have chosen to celebrate a few women who might be unaware of the impact they can have .

Make sure to celebrate the women around you and don’t forget to celebrate yourself!

Fike

Happy New Year x Life Update.

Happy New Year! I am wishing us all a wonderful year ahead filled with endless joy and more clarity. I know I have been away for a while but you’ll soon find out why.

We all have mixed emotions about a new year, what it really means if it’s even a ‘real thing’ etc but things are only as real as the people who believe in them. It’s real to me and so I am choosing to be excited and extremely hopeful! In an even weirder turn of events I remember feeling so unsettled at the end of 2019, very anxious and just a little scared to enter the great and mighty 2020, well I guess I know why that was. At the end of 2020 however, I was excited and spent the evening dancing in my room lol.

Anyway, how did you enjoy your holiday? Did you spend some much needed time alone, catch up with friends or chill with family? I was with my family for most of it and saw a few friends in between… I only had one week off work; which I spent sleeping, eating and watching way too much TV. I loved every second and I wish I had more time lol.

Towards the end of last year, I made a pretty big decision. I decided to make a career switch, barely one year into actually (finally) practising law and I wanted out. Now my sights are set on the Tech scene, thankfully I have been given some opportunities to work and volunteer. I am hoping to grow in this space a lot more this year and make some more changes.

Also, I started thinking very seriously about what I wanted my community platform The 2020 Vision to do for people, and how to be helpful. I am still thinking about this but I really hope this year I figure it out even more. @the2020visionsquad on Instagram if you’re wondering what I am talking about.

Another thing that took up my time was the fact that I took a random writing opportunity. This has turned out to be fun but also challenging. Because I am always wary of writing for people because – imposter syndrome. But, we don’t pay that any attention in this house! So I have been writing, I will share more when it is time.

Lastly, just before the year ran out I got the opportunity to speak to someone who I really admire, and essentially help her out with her community platform. This opportunity was definitely a highlight for me and I am still so shocked by how it came about. All I will say is shoot your shot and you never know where it will take you! You have nothing to lose from trying.

That’s what I have been up to, and you can see I have been a bit busy (swamped), but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My hopes for the new year are simple – do more of the things that scare me, go where the money resides, travel, and show up for the people who mean the world to me ( of which there are many).

What have you been up to? What are your hopes for 2021? Please share them with me in the comments

P.S my book club is reading – The Girl With the Louding Voice- Abi Dare, thought to share in-case someone needs a book recommendation.

What to do when life is hard.

We all want to know what to do when life is hard? Life gets hard, this is just a fact, there will always be highs and lows. The most important thing is how you handle the hard things. It could be the fact that you made a mistake or that you have a difficult job or dealing with hard family members, a failing business or just the uncertainty of the times.

I recently read a book called The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella about a high powered lawyer who made a fifty million pounds worth mistake! She ran away from the situation and ended up as a housekeeper! This is the short story… you can read the rest yourself. What I learnt from reading this is that there is no such thing as making a mistake that will ‘ruin your life forever’ and that’s the truth! One of my favourite quotes from the book is ‘‘ Life is a resilient thing…’‘

A few things to remember along the way:

Always remember that you are worthy.

You are not defined by your circumstances or even your slip-ups. Failure is an event and it happens to us all. With this in mind don’t forget that no matter what you’re going through and what people might be saying to you or about your situation. Don’t forget to remember you are worthy simply because you exist!

Remember to take breaks

Rest is so essential when things get overwhelming. Sometimes you might have to power through it but always schedule in time to just stay still. Being still is so underrated but it really helps you to confront whatever situation it is you may be faced with.

Your feelings are valid

No matter what they may be. Be honest with yourself about how the situation is making you feel and how you think you can cope with it.

Talk about it

Sometimes you’re shy or you don’t think you can trust anyone enough. You need to give people a chance to be there for you. A problem shared is a problem half solved. Your trusted friend might offer great advice or provide a listening ear. Don’t underestimate the power of talking through it.

Encourage yourself!

Speak what you want to happen and focus on that. Things might be out of your control but just focus on staying positive, I wrote about 10 positive affirmations to keep you going on the blog- you can find them here.

If you’re in a hard place or trying to handle a hard thing then hang in there! It will be okay in the end and if it’s not okay…… you know how the saying goes.

Share this with anyone who might need to hear this! Leave a comment below if you have any tips for handling hard things.

with love,

Ari’

Life In My Twenties: Two Dilemmas I Have Faced So Far.

Hi guys!

Back again with another post in the Life In My Twenties series! I hope you are all enjoying it so far?

Our guest today writes about two dilemma’s he has faced so far and has come to realise the importance of contentment and being patient with yourself!

I’d love to hear what your twenties have been teaching you, please share and leave a comment!

Happy reading!

Two DILEMMAS I HAVE FACED SO FAR IN MY 20’s.

Hey Ari, I hope you’re well, 

It’s certainly been an interesting few weeks since you asked me to be one of the contributors to this blog series about what it’s been like navigating my 20’s so far.

I was unusually excited, after all, we’ve had so many meaningful conversations about life over the years and spoken about how we’d like to share our experiences with a wider audience.

However, as time passed I found myself paralysed by the idea of sharing my experiences; and by my fear of being judged – what if I can’t get my message across clearly? What if I’m misunderstood? What if no one cares?

Anyway, that being said, I have decided to go for it and put my fears aside. I believe that there is always something someone can learn from another person’s experience. And that is exactly what this is, my personal reflections on my experiences so far.

-o-

The Dilemma’s

“Ari… you know I have a restless imagination at times and I can be a bit of a perfectionist.”

Thinking about where to start on a topic such as navigating your 20s. I was instinctively compelled to write about certain dilemmas I have faced so far. This is because the situations and patterns I have encountered have often provided me with an avenue for profound shifts in perspectives.

With that in mind, I would like to discuss the tension I have often faced fully appreciating my success and striving for continuous improvement.

Up until the beginning of quarantine, it had been virtually impossible for these two opposing approaches to life to coexist in my head.

On one hand, my desire to better myself has been a huge contributor to my achievements. However, it has contributed equally to destroying my motivation and eroding the joy and satisfaction from those successes.

You see, the continuous improvement side of myself would often spend so much time analysing how things could or should have been done better or differently so that the next time round I would ultimately achieve more, and in my head, maybe then I’d be satisfied. 

That continuous improvement side of myself would often rhetorically ask the other side of myself: “But I mean Fola, can you really blame me?” And would then proceed to give the very compelling (in the world of my mind) argument that:

“We both know the allure and promises of ‘progress’, ‘growth’, and ‘the next thing’, are very enticing… And besides, we have constantly been reminded, and also both agree, might I add, that there is always room for improvement, to never rest on our laurels and most definitely never to be complacent.”

Sometimes, this argument would spur me on to do more which I guess had its benefits, but at other times, the other side of myself would simply shutdown.

This shutdown was because that part of myself had found, through its practical experiences that manner of living was simply tiring, draining, unrewarding and hugely dissatisfying, irrespective of how much it had made me achieve. So much so that then achieving more had no correlation with satisfaction… You know, that feeling you get when you realise that what you were so sure you wanted didn’t turn out to give you the satisfaction you’d imagined.

Realisation

Now that hopefully you now see my Dilemma, I realised that it was as a result of my misconception of what I thought contentment meant.

I thought that to be content meant to settle, and because I refuse to settle (I still do refuse). I was always searching for something out there, dwelling on the past, fixating on the future.

Never really appreciating the moment (or the present success) for what it was. 

A new understanding of contentment has taught all sides of me that there is a time for everything. It has taught me to know that, sure things could have been done better or differently; and that there is still so much more to be achieved. But for now, in this moment, to consider all those facts and still chose to accept where I am at. 

Contentment taught me to be present. To fully appreciate my current successes and also at the same time strive for more. 

The Real Dilemma

Those are the things I would have liked to say about one of the dilemmas of navigating life in my 20s so far, but really in writing this my true dilemma has been that: 

Ari… you know I have a restless imagination at times and I can be a bit of a perfectionist.

Ari… You know I have a restless imagination at times and I can be a bit of a perfectionist I am scared of failure.

Ari… You know I have a restless imagination at times and I can be a bit of a perfectionist i’m scared of failure I am scared of my success.

And I know that although I have found it easy to express myself to you, I know that I will not be able to express  myself to your readers… so I thought why should I bother.

The end.

Life In My Twenties: Untitled.

This week’s guest shares so much with us, a good reminder to reflect and take some time to figure out who you are.

As always if you enjoy reading it please share and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Happy reading.

LADIES & GENTLEMEN, I CANT THINK OF A TITLE! 

(Kindly suggest a title in the comment section)

I had my first episode of Depression at age 20! (What a way to start telling your story #lol). 

I started my twenties with so many dreams and aspirations, and things that I really wanted to achieve in life. I HAD A PLAN! (Kai, God has a sense of humour, because you see those plans …just keep reading)

The beginning

So at age 20, I was observing the National Youth Service (NYSC) and in a relationship that I knew clearly was going nowhere. I was in a “bad place” with my loving parents, who I thought were being too overprotective and wanted to make all my life’s decisions for me. Especially when I had to pick my place of primary assignment. It was bad enough that they made me relocate from the North, where I had enjoyed my 3 weeks orientation camp; they now also wanted to pick my PPA for me… Ko Jo (no way). Anyways, “Ko jo” was the beginning of my journey in and out of depression for a number of years in my twenties. I was fighting “people” and situations in the name of fighting for my rights! #FREEDOMFIGHTER! 

The earlier parts of my twenties was pretty much a rollercoaster ride. I didn’t get into the places where I really wanted to work…In fact, for the most part, I didn’t get the kind of job I really wanted. I was in and out of relationships (okay, not like 100… just 3, but that seems like 100 for me). I was struggling with discovering who I really was, and finding the things that made me tick, paying attention to the things that drained me emotionally (I honestly couldn’t point out a lot, so I started suspecting my village people), dealing with past baggage that kept rearing its head in my everyday life (I had a strong need to be loved the way I wanted to in relationships, so if you’re not doing that- I’m out….The real issue was deeper than wanting to be loved).

Figuring it out

I started walking in God’s purpose without even knowing it at the start because I was so fixated on what I wanted for myself. My relationship with God improved and I found expression in ways that were definitely not in the initial plan. Gained insight into how to get the best out of all my relationships ( not just romantic) this started with knowing the kinds of relationships to allow into my life, not setting unrealistic expectations of others. As someone in her late twenties, I can say that a lot has changed about me over the years.

I now realize that some of the challenges I had earlier on as a young twenty-something, were actually part of a process to build me into the woman I am today. They weren’t palatable at the time, but today, I AM GRATEFUL for them.

So, this is what I have discovered usually happens to some people in their twenties:

1. You set out with plans for how your life should go—- (fair enough)
2.   If you are a God-led person, you see number 1 above—— it doesn’t quite work that way! God really does have a sense of humor…O ma shock e #lol. Is it wrong to make plans? NO…but don’t be so stuck on your plans that you don’t allow room for change.
3. You put pressure on yourself when you don’t achieve your plans ‘early enough’, especially when you have friends that seem to be doing so well…Please understand that each person’s life map/direction is different! Comparison is draining, focus on your lane.
4. When you set out to achieve something and you don’t,  some people,  are able to keep it moving, others, get stuck on it. NEWSFLASH: If you wallow in the emotions of not achieving one thing, you still won’t get it done, and you will be holding yourself back. One bad experience doesn’t make you a failure, Keep it moving! 

Resolve

When you are older, still in your twenties, you will look back and discover that all the experiences in your early twenties culminated into who you are now that you are about to turn thirty.

Now that I am in my late twenties, did I get into my dream company?, No! Am I still fixed on the plans I had at the beginning of my twenties? Honestly, I don’t even remember most of them. Have I healed from the past? Yes,  Am I still needy in relationships?  Nope. 

Do I now understand my life’s purpose? Yes, and I love it! Do I want to follow the career path I had when I was twenty, No! I have discovered myself and what makes me tick. Do I regret the experiences in my early twenties? Not at all.

Life is not “one size fits all”. Be true to yourself and keep it moving!

Life In My Twenties: I’m Twenty-Three!

This week our post is two in one, both of our writers have no idea who the other is but they somehow happen to be contemplating what it means to be 23.

I found their words really encouraging and I hope you do too!

Afoma

It’s my 23^rd birthday in about a month and I’m very hopeful for the next year of my life. 

My 21^st year was probably the worst year of my life and its largely because life literally hit me from nowhere. I had been waiting to finally be an adult and have all these amazing life experiences – but here I was at 21 feelings very unaccomplished and unsatisfied.

I turned 21 a month after my graduation from university and I found myself extremely unhappy with my career choices and feeling like I should be doing a lot more with my life, which then made me spend the better part of my 21^st year either sad or in tears.

By my 22^nd birthday, I had decided to stop being sad over the things I couldn’t control, be appreciative of what I have achieved so far and remember to take each day as it comes because I’m still young and I have a long full life ahead of me.

This past year has been very satisfying to put it in one word. I took each day as it came, and it has been so rewarding. This year I started several projects and initially my anxiety was skyrocketing because what if it fails, but really what if they fail? Well now, I’ve accepted that if they fail, I’ll just have to try again. Life really goes on.

The best part about my 20s is figuring out life with my friends. We are all experiencing different things, learning & evolving, I cant wait to see the women we finally grow into!

Mira

I spend half of my day wishing I was 5 and the other half wishing I was 35. But recently I am learning to relax and appreciate the chaos that is being 23.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have about 10,000 thoughts a minute, a ton of different ways your life could end up, and you get consumed with your ideas as time passes. I have always viewed this as something I need to fix – To grow up and not feel like a child concerned with childish dreams.

Lately, I am not so sure, I am thinking more about how I think about myself and my design. I’m realising ( trying to really) that just because a path is not mainstream does not mean it’s not valid.

Let’s be real, this process sucks! It’s really high highs and shattering lows. It is anxiety, peace, pain and joy all at the same time. It is droughts of uncertainty, breaths of clarity and plunges of confusion. But it is life, and somewhere between the chaos, we have to live, we have to be.

So breathe, you’re good. You’re still figuring it out, it is messy but it is beautiful. Yes, the mess can be beautiful. Not when it’s cleaned up, but right in the middle! Laugh a little. Don’t be too hard on yourself because you’re doing good. Maybe not by the standards of the world, but you’re good.

Afoma & Mira have reminded me of some words of encouragement I wrote in a previous post- check it out here.

Please share and leave a comment if you enjoyed reading this !

Life In My Twenties: The First Year of my ’20s

Our guest today is in the ‘first year’ of her twenties and she explains what that looks like.

My takeaway is – we are all figuring it out, but we have to answer our own questions & decide what we want our lives to look like, no one has the answers!

Leave a comment and let me know how you felt at 20! Share this if you enjoyed it.

Happy Reading!

My 20s started off the most chaotic way possible – I had an exam, it rained excessively, I was late for my birthday dinner, my makeup didn’t bang and I had a fight with my friendship group.

Despite the start whenever I was asked, how does it feel to be in your 20s, my reply was always “it’s brought me so much clarity” (LOL). The thing is I was an overly anxious teenager and by the time I reached 20, it was a lot clearer what I liked, what I didn’t like and what I wanted my future to look like. 

My plan was simple: graduate with a masters, work towards becoming a chartered engineer while pursuing my dreams of becoming a freelance fashion journalist on the side and eventually start working on moving out of the UK. In some ways, my 20th year was a demo for what I had planned for the rest of my 20s. 

You see, I had planned on going into my 3rd year but somehow, when I least expected it, I got an offer for a year in industry(lesson no 1 in my 20s, plans can change anytime!!). Truth is, I really was not in the frame of mind to do 3rd  year, as at this point I had started to resent my course, so, I saw this as a way out and as a divine opportunity to clear my head. 

So I moved down south, to my own apartment, to start the infamous 9-5. I was doing everything an “adult” should be doing – living on my own, paying bills, going to work, having drinks on Friday night, and I was even writing for my fashion blog and another publication on the side. Perfect right? 

The thing no one tells you about your 20s is that even when you seem to have your shit together, you don’t. This was the first time I was truly on my own and there’s no clear blueprint really on what life in your 20s is like. 

Should I still be going out clubbing or am I too old? 

Should I be getting into a serious relationship?

 Should I be “grinding” and saving for a house like Twitter says I should do? 

Should I be finding myself? Should I be feeling this old?

 Should I be feeling this lost? 

What I’ve learnt from my first year in my 20s is you have to answer these questions for yourself.

Your 20s are when everyone’s path seems to diverge (some people are graduating and starting work, some doing masters, some moving back home) and you can no longer look around you for guidance. 

To make things worse there seems to be a huge pop culture emphasis on teens and high school then boom unmarried in your 30s – with a huge gap in the decade that defines your 20s. All this has led me to believe that my 20s is a time for me to look inwards, to define the life I want, the values I want to live by and stay true to myself. It’s also led me to believe that if I have to rely on myself more than ever now I have to start working and investing in myself unlike ever before.

 I can only hope for the best while I do this. 

Ose. 

Life In My Twenties: Where Does It All Come From?

This week our writer focuses on faith…whether you’re a person of faith or just trying to have faith in yourself this is definitely one that we can all relate to in some way.

For me, the central lesson here is sometimes things spin out of your control but there’s a plan so don’t fret.

As always please share your thoughts in the comments I love hearing them!

Dear Ari,

When you messaged me and offered me this beautiful opportunity to be featured on your blog, I was super excited!

I remember the message saying “…faith, career, love, self-improvement, success, failure, identity, purpose, lack of purpose, killing it, struggling, relationships, friendships, family…”. I thought to myself easy-peasy.

These are topics I write/journal about as often as possible and so I thought sending in my entry would be super easy. That was the first place where I was wrong, writing for yourself and writing for an audience are two different things. 

Writing for yourself helps you understand yourself better, brings you some clarity. You are on the receiving end.

An audience? Wow. Getting people to understand you is a whole different thing.

While I would love to write on relationships, friendships or family, (as these are the things I find myself journaling about the most… because I think I have learnt way too much in the past few years).

I choose to write on faith as it is the one thing that has kept me teachable and open to learning in all these other aspects.

Let’s title this, WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM?

I am 26 years old now.

5 years ago, I decided to take on the opportunity of doing an internship in a different country for a month. In the beginning, the application process seemed so straight forward. I did not envision the hassle the next few months would entail, I realised later that I would have to pay for every week of this internship. I said to myself that it could be done. So I paid for it.

After paying, I found out that I had to take a professional exam to qualify for it. I paid for the exam and wrote it.

When this was done, I found out that I needed to apply for a student visa as I could not use a regular visitor’s visa. I accepted that. Then I was informed that I needed to attach a police report (this is not cheap where I live either).

I forgot to mention that I would have to sort my own accommodation and travel and all of that other stuff. The list of expenses kept getting longer and longer and it only upset me more because it was more than what I bargained for.

My other classmates had opted for internships arranged by the school and so had a way cheaper route.

I was discouraged every step of the way and I remember driving to my friend’s apartment to ask him to guide me through the police report. As I parked downstairs, I realised how stressed I was and how I was failing to meet the deadline and how I did not want to keep asking my parents for money they had not planned for and next thing, tears!!!!

I was full-on weeping. I was so broken by all that was going on and in the middle of this outburst, a question popped up in my head… who is your source? 

Ahn Ahn! I paused and said “ehn?”.  The question rang in my head again. The answer, however, was an easy one. Jesus. Jesus was and still is my source. He is the one who fills my cup so it overflows, He blesses me with good health, He gives me money, love, food, water, sleep, laughter, joy, everything! Most of all, Jesus is my source of peace. 

In that moment, I had to remember Jesus was my source of money to pay for it all. My parents were only the vessel. He would sort it all out. I started laughing at myself, ashamed that I had such a big God but still had time to worry and cry. I was filled with so much peace from that moment. 

There’s a good ending to this story because I went for the internship, had the best time and as they say…the rest is history. 

I needed that experience because even though the internship is long behind me, I learnt a valuable lesson that gives me a chance to ask myself one question whenever I am under pressure. The answer is always Jesus and knowing the answer is always followed by some peace.

So, let me ask, who is your source?

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 NLT

Life in My Twenties: Making A Name For Myself.

I will just let you guys get into it, please let me know what you think in the comments section- can you relate? Enjoy.

• 

  Timothy

Life in my twenties has been such an unexpected experience. I was the party guy,  sports guy,  and your typical frat boy (Not proud of it lol) but in the back of my mind as a teen, I was always anxious about turning 20.

I felt that at 20 you just had to grow up and have your life sorted out and start making moves both financially and relationship-wise because if you didn’t make it then, you might never make it. That’s how I felt.

I can never forget my 21^st birthday, halfway through my sixth shot lol  I  had a mini-breakdown. I realized I was 21 and to me, that meant I was a full-blown adult and I needed to be making millions in the next year and getting married in like 5 what a joke!

It took a toll on my mind as I started pushing small business that ended up just fading out, it was an issue. I just wanted to make it fast so I could live the comfortable life I had envisioned.

What helped me and changed my twenties was getting baptized and following God. I was able to understand things better because I believed more in Gods timing of things. It also gave me an inherent calm, I wasn’t so agitated to prove to everyone that I am going to be successful. I started doing things with more focus. I can’t really explain it, just trust me it made sense lol.

One thing I had not realized at the beginning of all this was that everything has its time. Pushing myself was good, making mistakes early and failing was a part of life that I just had to accept, it was not going to stop me from trying. It was interesting because I was not really the most religious person growing up. 

Now fast forward a few years later I run my own law practice with some friends, and we get new briefs every week and it’s been a hustle but I know we are building something that makes sense.

At the start of my twenties, I would not have envisioned myself on the legal path at all, but it turns out I have a knack for it! I wouldn’t say I am killing it just yet,  because I have lofty goals for myself and the practice, but I am definitely on the right path and I am looking forward to seeing what life throws at me.

One last thing I would put out there is -I have learnt that it’s alright to have a plan and have goals but life is not predictable; your life and plans can be thrown into a blender and all that but you have to find a way to react on your feet and more importantly take your knocks and get right back up for the next round. 

There’s a lot more but we leave it here for now. In your twenties, just do what you can, don’t stress yourself. Time works differently for various people. 

Bye.

By Timothy.

Life In My Twenties feat Netflix Original – The Politician

Hello everyone! Back again after a much-needed break and I got the bright idea to start this new series on the blog- ‘Life in My Twenties.’

In the spirit of sharing, I have asked several people to write about their experience(s) of life in their twenties. Partly because this blog is an avenue to explore what that looks like for me and because why not!

Some of my inspiration for this series came while watching season two of the Netflix Original – The Politician.

This season we watch Payton who is now a student in his twenties take a second shot at his political aspirations. He is faced with all sorts of moral and ethical dilemmas which eventually lead him to question who he is and if he is able to accept this person. We also see this same question being asked and explored by his group of friends/ political aides.

This made me think about myself and my friends and the various phases we are in. I thought it would be really interesting to get different perspectives from different people on what life in their twenties looks like. Now, these are all people I know personally so I’m sure there’s some bias somewhere… I will be throwing it open to the public at some point but let’s get the ball rolling first.

I can’t wait to read the contributions to this series and what comes at the end of it!

Let me know if you would like to contribute to the series and what you think of The Politician!

The first post will be up next Sunday!

Ari’

Till You See Us.

Our bodies matter.

Our lives matter.

We are worthy.

You should care.

We are worthy of walking home safely;

We are worthy of more than careless shots.

We are worthy of the peace of an evening walk.

We are worthy of Justice.

We matter.

Not to be discarded like something you could easily scatter.

We are worthy of respect.

We are worthy of our choice.

We will shout it till you hear it!

Till you remember to leave women alone.

Till you see us!

Till you see us as equals!

Till you see us as individuals worthy of simply existing.

Till you see us as women- not attached to men.

Till we don’t have to say ”what if it was your sister, your mother, your lover, your daughter.”

Till you see us!

In remembrance of all the women & men who have been violently brutalised, raped & killed.

For the names we know and the ones we don’t. We won’t stop till you see us!

Black lives matter . Stop Raping Women .

Here are some links where you can donate and volunteer with organisations that work to end rape & fight rape culture in Nigeria, as well as support victims of rape and gender-based violence.

Stand to End Rape

Women At Risk International Foundation (WARIF)

Gender Mobile

Mirabel Centre

www.justicefortinafund.com – To donate to the family of Tina Ezekwe

Ari’