Slow – Living

December 23, 2024 jacquelineobyikochaLeave a comment

Sometimes, I worry that I am not setting enough challenging goals for myself and as such not achieving as much as I could especially financially – and then such thought sends me into a heated effort to up my ante and push harder.

Then, I realize that what gets the better of me is that when I get caught by this bug, I go into overdrive and oftentimes, I end up setting too many goals and exorbitant expectations to match them; all with good intentions, but I tend to fail in following through when out of the blues, life chooses to start lifing and things then get overwhelming.

I am nudged with the fact that I am getting older and that if I don’t have certain ducks set in a row soon, that would be that, and I will be left clutching feathers. It is not that the thought is giving me sleepless nights, now and again, it simply feels like a hard knot sitting in my throat.

I am naturally a multitasker but recently, I chose to start practicing single-tasking as well as slow-living in most aspects of my life, where possible. Unfortunately, the exigency of paid employment makes it unaffordable to practice the 100 % slow-living approach. Nonetheless, consciously choosing to be intentional, to calm down and not rev my engine as hard and as furious as before, is proving to be far more helpful and even more productive than before.

My business right now is to really to strike the right balance and harmony in everything that concerns my life by focusing on quality over quantity, mindfully enjoying the present moment, prioritizing my values and experiences. Embracing this slower paced lifestyle has increased my sense of well-being, reduced my feelings of anxiety, helping me to cultivate a deeper connection with God and the world around me.

I’m finding that the case of ‘not how fast, but how far’ stands true and possibly wins with time.

Gratitude

We Never Know…

August 4, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha38 Comments

On Wednesday an Emirates plane crash-landed at DXB tarmac and burst into flames. Thankfully, all 300 passengers made it out alive but it was all so surreal to me.

It felt surreal because less than half-an-hour before the incident occurred, I had just picked up my husband from a long haul 19hrs flight from the US where he went for an Award ceremony – he’s also an award recipient. As we watched the plane blaze on television, I couldn’t even imagine the horror the passengers must have felt when they knew that their plane was going to crash-land.

It dawned on me that though a minute might seem so small, a minute can change everything. Things that we take for granted like a loved one saying, “see you soon,” just the way my husband did before he boarded his flight in NewYork, might very well be the last words exchanged forever.

It drew it close home to my mind that not only should we live fully in the moments that we are given – not just existing, but love living and never fail to let those who are dear to us know how we feel about them. I am not trying to sound like a prophetess of doom but to face the reality of the life that we live.

I am grateful that the crashed plane’s situation was contained and well managed. I am grateful for my husband’s safe return even as I watch him reschedule his travel plans to Lisbon since all flights from Dubai have been suspended in the interim. I hold onto hope that as Grace kept him and brought him home safely, journey mercies will also proceed to Portugal with him.

Let us never forget that a thankful and grateful state of mind is to have a great attitude and a whispered prayer that keeps our earnest hope bright in our hearts.

P.S: There are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

InLinkz

I hear the reverberations of the magic that’s hidden within.

Support Me.

Discover Challenges · The Daily Post · Travel

It’s all in my mind…

June 5, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

Each day in my life is an adventure and that’s how I truly see it. I don’t have to climb Everest or Himalayas to experience the exhilaration that I get from a roaming mind.

I find out that one could get to Macchu Picchu and still feel empty when their mind is not in it or open enough to absorb the beauty of the experience. A once in a lifetime travel experience with a cantankerous friend who found fault in everything around her is one that I’m not in a haste to repeat.

Reading a highly stimulating book is the beginning of an adventure for me. Connecting with fantastic bloggers is an enriching adventure. Writing is an adventurous medium for me.

Ditching my car and taking a bus or train ride around town is an adventure that allows me to roam about parts of town that I would probably not pay attention to if I’m driving. I always end up chatting with total strangers and coming away feeling as if I just received a present.

In my younger days, I thought that to have an adventure only meant going away on an exotic trip, but having had the opportunity to travel quite a bit, I must admit that adventure starts with giving one’s mind the freedom to expand in scope, to appreciate the beauty and culture that surrounds you and to let your imagination magnify in multi-dimensions.

I realised that years long before now when I rode the jam-packed, rusty buses in Lagos with passengers practically seated on each other’s laps I was having an adventure and even now at UAE Exchange, as I listen to the conductor announce the various train stops, I watch wide-eyed as people from all walks of life step off the platform into the train and grab the overhead hanging strap before the train trundles along.

Saying hello to the tall lady beside me, I learn that she’s Irish. She’s on vacation and was just coming from Indonesia.

Adventure, Discover challenge

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath