CHAPTER 23

Chapter 22 was in fact Double digits and Dangerous as Janine put it. So many things happened in that year. The 1st half of it felt quite suffocating. I had 3 exams to study for in just 5 months. Thankfully, I wrote and passed all 3 (with flying colors might I add 😏). I went on a UK tour and have so far been to 5 UK cities. I went to 2 shows at the O2 Arena, Wizkid and Billie Eilish's show! And did so many other fun activities.

On November 8th 2021, when I turned 22, I never saw any of the above things happening, but they did anyway and a lot of the things I was excited to see happen didn't pan out as I expected. But all in all, 22 was such a FUN chapter. Couldn't have asked for more.

Before I write these birthday blogs, I read previous birthday blogs to see what I was thinking about in previous editions. It's so much more fun to do now that I have 3 editions of this out. The previous 3 birthday blogs written are sooooo different from each other, but still very much true and authentic to who I was then and who I am today. 

Some Fun facts: 

1. I've written 4 birthday blogs (including this one) so far and have only called 3 chapters (the age I am turning). The 4th one was just called birthdays. 
2. This is the first edition where I'm having continuity from the previous chapter. 
3. And I really do like trilogies so maybe chapter 23 wraps up the chapter titles for birthday posts.

Anyways, why do I even call these articles chapter (the age I am turning)? Why do I share my age?

I very happily share my age on my birthday because that’s the one day in a year that I think of what the number is. Every other day, I move through life not thinking “how old are you these days sef” or “omo you’re 23 now o, you should be doing x, have y amount in your account, or achieved z”. If I don’t have to fill an official form or answer a question in a serious conversation, I don’t even think of it. To show you how much I don't think of it, anytime I get asked out of the blue “how old are you?”, I actually stop to think and work it out.

But anyways, I’m 23 now and very happy, dare I say happier than ever? 😏 

My life is full. I have everything I need. I’m content, and joyful. I eat well and sleep well (on weekends, public holidays, and some weekdays when I work from home 😅). 

I get to travel every now and then. I go out sometimes (more like seldomly) and have fun with friends and colleagues. Speaking of colleagues, I’m working with my dream team, in a dream company in a dream city. I love my job. I work with and for the best people. All in all, I’m having a swell time.

I’m much lazier with tweeting and posting on LinkedIn but I’ve written over 80 articles in the last year. Where are these articles going you might ask? Somewhere. Speaking of writing, I have a small favor to ask of you, I joined a creator's program for a platform called Tealfeed where I'll now be writing more specific Finance content that answers real-life everyday personal finance questions people have. Can you help me out by subscribing here? It takes only a few seconds to do it. Thank you! Ok back to the blog.

My writing just keeps getting better. By the time I pick myself up and write that book, e go bam! I would argue that the improvement in the quality of my writing shows in this birthday post which is in fact better than the last. I guess I post less on Twitter and LinkedIn because I’m posting more elsewhere? Or maybe not. I think with Twitter, it’s more that I don’t know what exactly to say. Or by the time I have something to say, that conversation has moved on so it feels stale to tweet about it. So I end up reading everything somethings but saying nothing.

What am I grateful for?

A lot of things really. I said this last year and I’ll say it again, I’ve never had a better last year. Scatter the wood once again. 

It just keeps getting better. Oh but it comes with more stress/responsibility. Eg, now I use my phone a lot less. My average daily screen time hovers between 3-4 hours nowadays. I’m slowly becoming bad at texting. What’s a WhatsApp status? Don’t know her. I used to be able to keep up with people from their status, but I checked out of that hotel and never checked back in.

Phone calls? As bad as I now am with texting, the best place to reach me is still via text. Contrary to the Generally Accepted Principle (GAP) that states that if you want to reach someone urgently, call them; if you want to reach me urgently, send a text. My phone is and will always be on silent. So if I’m not holding the phone, I’m just not going to see the call. And even if I’m holding the phone, if you’re calling me out of the blue with no text giving me a heads up as to why and we don't have that calling relationship before or if I just don't feel like it, I’ll not answer. And it takes anywhere from a day to never for me to return a call. Just text me. You’ll reach me faster that way.

Rant ended, back to rainbows and sunshine

As Billie sang ever so beautifully, “things I once enjoyed, just keep me employed now. 

Things I’m longing for, someday I’ll be bored of”. 

I try to ensure that I never get bored with the things I long for. 

There was a time I longed for an iPhone and a MacBook. I’ve had them for 3 years now and they’re a normal part of my day. For the mac, it’s easy not to take it for granted because my work laptop (not a mac) easily reminds me how good I have it with my Mac. But I sometimes take the phone for granted. The quick refresh rate, great camera, even just the way the screen looks, etc. I often remind myself to take it in. Don’t get too used to it, don't get bored of it.

So note to self, don’t get bored of things you longed for. Keep it fresh.

Oh but some things I once enjoyed really keep me employed now. But the blessing is every now and then, I enjoy it anew. So no complaints. No notes there. Every day won’t be Christmas. But at least we know every year has a Christmas.

I joined a talk the other day when the speaker recommended a gratitude exercise where you list things you have currently and would want if you didn't have them and things you would miss if you no longer have them. And I just thought that was so interesting. 

What are some things I have now that I would want if I didn't have them?

1. I'd definitely want my Mac and phone. Both are very high-quality devices, sleek, portable, very nice.
2. Happiness, joy, peace of mind, nothing fundamentally stressing me.
3. A great job, doing interesting stuff, and getting paid well.
4. Getting to eat great food every day
5. Sleeping well often
6. Time to rest, think, do things I want
7. A great sense of humor. Quick side rant on this one: I think it's more valuable to be funny than be smart. You can be smart and not funny, but I would argue that you need to be smart to be funny. I think laughter is such a valuable thing. Being enlightened or knowledgeable is important but laughing is just more fun, and exciting. 

What are some things I have now and would miss if I no longer have them?

1. The basics of course: food, clothing, shelter, sleep. Heavy on the food and sleep cos as you know, I lurvvvv my food and sleep
2. The team I currently work with is full of young (late Gen Z to early Millenials). I'd probably miss them if I no longer have them. Great people!
3. I'll miss my Mac and phone
4. I'd definitely miss my music collection on Apple Music. I've built it for over 3 years and every now and then, I'll remember a song and listen to it. Listening to the song takes me back to when I 1st heard it or a significant time of my life when I listened to it frequently. Songs are like time capsules for me.
5. Speaking of time capsules, I'll definitely miss my memories if I no longer have them. Funny enough, in Chapter 22 I talked about how unreliable our memories can be but I would miss them, albeit they're unreliable. I have so many great memories and not-so-good ones but they're all valuable. Even the scarring experiences such as the first time I sprained my knee are helpful to prevent me from being caught slipping in these streets (literally).
6. Without question, I'll miss my friends, family, and community, but I guess they are not "things" so they don't count? But human beings are living things so they do count? Anyways, I'll miss them too. 
7. My wardrobe, large pots, rice cooker, everything I have that makes my life easier

There are so many things that fit into my last 2 lists but I kept it to 7 cos 7 is such a cool number that means perfection. Also, I didn't write the lists in any ranking, number 1 is not more important than 7. I wrote it as the things came to mind, i.e. the order doesn't mean anything! You should fill out the list too. It's fun to think about.

From my lists, you can sorta tell that I don’t ask so much of life. I’m so blessed, so glad, so content. I’m so happy with the 22 years I’ve led so far. Cheers to 23 🥂

I hear there’s a thing with Jordan and 23. So up Jordan year too, I suppose 🤷🏾‍♀️