Earlier this year, our youngest, Little Man, started high school – the same high school his Dad and I attended about a hundred years ago. The nostalgia that came on that first day we took him for orientation brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. It had been decades since we were last there.

JD fared no better than I. He kept asking the current staff where he could find and how he could contact the old staff. Since some of the previous faculty were already ancient when we were students; it seemed safe to assume that most of them were now probably senile, dead or on the way there. Still, JD managed to come away with a phone number or two.

Other than the staff, not much else, though, had changed about the school which is what was so appealing. You felt like time had stood still.

Neither Junior nor Princess had been fortunate enough to be students there. But for all our joy and childlike glee at being at the place where our best teenage years were spent, Little Man remained unimpressed. School was still school whether both your parents were alumni or not.

Both JD and I spent the rest of that day grinning like a couple of fools. It was so refreshing to relive the times when we were carefree, when we had stars in our eyes. We had had no bills to take care of , no health concerns- if we had any concerns at all.

Our biggest worry then was whether our school would beat our sister school (fyi- there was no love lost between us) in the Debating Tournament or the upcoming swimming Gala or whether we would be capable of dodging an F on the Chemistry practicals. We girls wondered what new fashion trends would show up with the new semester and who would carry them off while the boys tried predicting who would take over as soccer coach. We also maliciously wished away the teachers we hated and hoped that a transfer would mercifully take place and spare us more hours of torture during long double lesson Physics Class.😊

All in all, it had been a wonderful era for us. We wanted Little Man to enjoy his four years there just as I, JD and many of our immediate and extended family had.

The orientation day was quite emotional for JD and I. Reminded us to stop a little and think back to when it did not seem as if we had the weight of the world on our shoulders. To remember that we too had been young and impressionable once. To live each day with purpose and meaning because oh how time does fly!

To indulge that teenager in each of us in a pure and clean manner (hey, I am a parent I must set a good example😀) and to cut our boy some slack.

They say you are as old as you feel. Since then, each time I have stepped back into that school it’s like turning back time. I am suddenly 15 all over again and that boosts my spirit. JD , in spite of his greying hair and knowledgeable views about life in general, grudgingly admits that he too is rejuvenated each time he visits.

Which, of course, is not good news for Little Man who would rather we did not venture beyond the front gates😁

Fair enough. It is his time now not ours.

This Tuesday, take a moment to appreciate all your yesterdays, take joy in your today, and look forward to all your tomorrows.

To this Mombasa Mommy, there is something almost magical about walking. It is unbeatable for getting you out of your house or office- and out of your head;-)

The weather here has been beyond hot so an ‘impromptu’ walk whenever the impulse or need arises is mostly out of the question. But with proper planning, an early morning (to start off the day on the right foot:-) or late evening stroll is just what I need. Here are my eight reasons why walking is always my go to for exercise or recreation:

1. It’s free. Yep! No monthly subscriptions or membership fees. It’s Kenya Shillings Zero. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes, a can do attitude and you are good to ….err…walk. You don’t even need to overthink the shoes although a pair of high heels is probably not a good idea.
Bonus- you save money on fare when you walk to and from home to school or work.


2. It can be a solo event or you can dial it up a notch and walk with your significant other. You can recruit your friends to walk with you as you catch up. Or you can drag your kids away from their devices for some sunshine and fresh air.

3. No equipment needed- yey! Just your two feet. Not a racket, or a club, or a ball, or a net, or a bench(well, maybe you might need one when and if you get tired and need to partake of some coconut water)

4. On a similar note you don’t have to go anywhere to walk! You can walk from anywhere and to everywhere! On the other hand, you need to get to a pool or court or field to swim or play in before you can actually swim or play!

5. It’s a wonderful way to brainstorm or just hear yourself think (if you are walking by yourself) I get a lot of my ideas for posts and articles or solutions to dilemmas  while on my walks. When I take in my  surroundings I am inspired even more by people and everyday life which brings me to:

6. A chance to take in the sights and sounds of your town or city. You can people watch as you do this or window shop. Vary your walking route. (more about walking in Mombasa in an upcoming post in sha Allah).

7. Almost anyone can do it! Because its mostly low impact walking is very ‘user friendly’ so to speak 🙂

8. And one of my absolute favorites: you don’t have to learn any fancy poses or moves. Just putting one foot in front of the other and you are walking! Ps- maintaining correct  posture is important….

So there you have it! Now, who is joining me tomorrow………? 

Recently, I have had a series of disappointments. Some were life changing while some, Allah willing, I know I am going to get over them in a day or two.

Before, it used to be that my usual reaction to life’s bombshells is to crawl somewhere and deny what is going on to my heart’s content.

I will pretend none of it is happening and then I will promptly make some tea because you know……….tea and chocolate cake makes everything instantly better 🙂

Of course, the adult me will indulge the scared little girl for a few hours or days if needs be and then she will put on her big girl hijab and take matters into her own hands.

As someone once said: if you want a different result from the one you have been getting you need to take a different set of actions. So I thought to myself why not take a different approach to dealing with adversity and disappointment?

I don’t consider myself a control freak. It used to be that when things don’t work out the way I had hoped or planned for them to, I would sit and dissect the matter from every angle. I would apportion blame to the relevant parties, myself included. And then I would throw a civilised, grown up tantrum.

Learning to release outcomes is something I am teaching myself every day. Didn’t get the ‘deal of a lifetime?’ No biggie. Allah has planned something better for me. Child did not get into the school we had applied to?