Dear You...

...reflections from the first quarter

Dear you who is ever patient in waiting to read from me,

In January, I wrote “Stretching” at the end of a pretty intense and fast start to the year. I was quite conscious that 2024 would come with demands but not at the pace January brought. So, I was reminded in that season of the need to increase my mental and physical capacity to accommodate the responsibilities lined up. I’m writing to tell you that since that post, it’s been thick and fast with work and more work and even more work. I have stretched to the point that I may have heard thwap! on a few occasions in my head.

In the post, I surmised January with: “I feel like I’ve run through an entire year in a few days”, and if I were being honest February felt like two years in a month and March? This kid is almost out of breath. I also did not take my own advice; I struggled to slow down and stretch and go again. Sleep, for me, was not pleasurable and only something I did when my body could not go on anymore. I also remember having a good cry one night at an empty bus stand because I felt overwhelmed and tired. It was also a beautiful moment to pray and let things off my chest – I do recommend a good cry every now and then. Afterwards, I had a decent meal, and everything felt right in the world again.

Photo by Viktor Mogilat on Pexels

However, the first quarter of the year has had the most befitting end to it – The blessing of Easter. A moment to stop, reflect and be filled with gratitude for the never-ending love of Christ that has given me the life I live today. March also ended with a couple of bank holidays which provided me with the opportunity to slow down and catch up on needed sleep and phone calls. For this, I’m extremely grateful.

Those string of phone calls led me to reconnect with friends - more vulnerably. Conversations that in time past had barely scratched the surface found a kinder layer to it - a depth I did not know how much I needed until I had it. The ever-busy nature of growing up has a way of stealing moments and memories but as Q1 wound down, I found a way to take back these memories. So, I’m treasuring all these conversations in my heart and will seek to draw from it from time to time and hopefully won’t wait till I’m empty to top up. Now more than ever, I am reminded that I am loved at home, and I only need to reach out to be embraced in that warmth and truth.

I know this is a stretching season for me so I won’t try to predict what April will look like in terms of its demands, but I think I’ll be okay.

Do take care of yourself.

Love,

Tomi :)

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Extra reading: Each month, I publish research-related (mostly) writing on 1807intime. If you’re interested in conversations around ageing and how it’s depicted in films, please check out the very short articles below, thank you.

January: “Because this is my first life”: On the nostalgia of ageing

February: Somewhere I belong: Remembering institutionalism from The Shawshank Redemption

March: Paradise Falls: A place where paradise falls