A Page A Day : Stranger In A Strange Land

17th Jul 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It’s been a good long minute from my ‘page a day’ writing resolution but I’m back in the saddle.

And what a great topic to kick start my intentions: “What’s your favorite part about visiting a new place — the food? The architecture? The people watching?”

My favourite part? ALL OF IT.

Honestly, I’m waiting for the first day I go to New York – I will look up at the skyscrapers all the damn time.

I would smile at every weird and goofy thing, I will dance with the street musicians and take pictures of everything. And I’ll be sure to try to hit the top of a yellow cab and yell “Hey! I’m walking over here!” in my loudest, proudest fake New York Italian accent ever.

Every day at a new place has the potential to stir up my inner Dora the Explorer. Take the first time I went to Kumasi. Yes, the circumstances were sad, but I was like a kid in a candy store : from the moment I sat in the bus to the time I sat and chatting with my Aunty…I was in heaven. Kumasi is cosmopolitan but under all the gloss is a strong veneer of Ashanti traditions. There is history behind every name and a story behind every monument.

I schooled for years in Takoradi but whenever I visit, I take a deep breath because the air is so fresh and the tang of sea salt is lingers in the breeze. The city is large but small enough for everyone to be in each other’s business.

When I was a teenager, I spent a year as an exchange student in a small Norwegian city called Tromsoe. Believe me when I say, I spent those twelve months on sensory overload.

New food.

New routines.

Scenic routes.

Buildings from centuries ago.

A fascinating language.

Friendly people.

Snowy mornings.

24 hour days.

Northern Lights or Nordlys.

It was one of the best years of my life.

And that’s what travelling is for me: a minute away from the familiar, a chance to explore, food to tantalise my palate, and bumping into other intrepid travelers.

It’s a breath of fresh air.

Then I come back home, ready to tackle the next adventure adulting has for me.

Until my finances and wanderlust align like the stars and I’m on the road again.

A Page A Day : Great or Greatest?

2nd Jul 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today’s question makes me think a bit deeply because it’s something at the back of my mind when I work on a post – what makes a blog great? What makes me follow or ‘like’ a post? And what makes someone else ‘like’ the post, share it and end up following me as an author?

Honestly? I haven’t the foggiest idea. I have no idea the combination of ideas, script and syntax that pulls one in and stirs all the feelings.

I’m not sure which words are used and which phrases are coined to elicit the emotions that they do.

I don’t know how the bloggers use shorter, briefer paragraphs and eye-catching pictures to hook you into their orbit.

I don’t know how they do it.

I do have one hunch though; they all seem to pour a little bit of themselves into their work – their quirks, humour and personality. I read a piece and my heart smiles and I re-read it to imprint their wisdom inside me.

I believe its one-part science and four-parts heart that turns a blog post from ‘good’ to ‘great’.

And its those flashes of personality that turn a ‘great’ blog to ‘a greatest’ blog.

A Page A Day : Moment of Kindness

20th Jun 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This is another topic that strikes a deep chord: moments of kindness from loved ones and strangers is something I experience regularly.

The one that stands out right now is this:

In 2018 I started producing a range of smoothies to sell and my family and friends helped me get it off the ground. I had flavours mixing up banana and soy milk with peanut butter; as well as mango based flavours and a super flavour with bananas and dandelion and dates as well.

It was fun making them and the feeling I got from hearing rave reviews from my customers always made me smile with awe and pride.

But earlier this year I was in a bad way; my salary at my regular job was threatened by a circumstance that was largely out of my control, the blender I use for the smoothies stopped working midway through an order, and I was experiencing a terrible episode of a toxic mix of anxious thoughts, depression and lack of self-confidence. This occurred in April and in the weeks leading to my birthday in May, I teetered between sobbing-in-my-pillow-unhappy nights and God-what-the-hell-am-I-doing-with-my-life days.

And the worst part was when my inner bougie princess wanted to drown her sorrows in super expensive nights out at fancy restaurants that I simply couldn’t afford it.

As my Nigerian friends would say “poverty na bastard”

But then, two weeks or so before my birthday in late May, a friend of mine sent me a WhatsApp message telling me about a school fair that she wanted me to go sell my smoothies at. She was supposed to look for two vendors but gave both slots to me.

For her, this wasn’t a big deal: I’m her friend, this is a great opportunity for me. But for me, this was a message straight from God, giving me a ray of light after I’d been sinking in a pool of my own despair.

For me, it was a “You lifted me from the miry clay, and set my feet on solid ground Psalm 40” moment and after I wiped away my tears and calmed my racing heart, I sent her a text back, thanking her. And she responded with “Oh sis, you know I’m always trying to figure out ways to make your smoothies business successful.”

She said it so flippantly.

She will never know how her gesture gave me hope on a particularly bad day.

And how her words showed me that, I may feel all alone with my problems, but in reality, my safety blanket of loved ones is closer than I give them credit for.

A Page A Day : Tagline

19th Jun 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Often, our blogs have taglines. But what if humans did, too?

What would your tagline be?

Hmmm.

Probably, “a second cup of coffee never hurt anyone”

Or “you’ve always got a friend in me”

Or “it’s the strong ones that cry the hardest”

Or “I serve an intentional God”

Or “rainy days, chocolate cake and a book”

Or “you can find me at the nearest café”

Or “the feminist, pro-life, pro-LGBQT+ Catholic who can walk and chew gum”

Or “if you’re going through hell, keep going”

Or “bitch better have my money”

Or “I’ve got your back; through hell and high water, I’ve got your back.”

If I had to have a tagline, it would definitely be a mix of all of these nine options. Why choose one option, when my personality embodies all these things?

A Page A Day : Might As Well Jump

18th Jun 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been

able to? What would have to happen to make you comfortable

taking it?

The biggest risk I’d like to take?

And you want me to share it? Here? On a blog?

Come on WordPress.

Sigh.

Okay…here goes.

My biggest risk?

To quit my regular job, go sit on the beach and write.

And after I finished writing for the day, I’d pack a bag and travel around Ghana.

And when I’m done with Ghana, I’d spread my wings to other African countries.

And when I’m done with Africa, I’ll go to Europe and explore there for a bit (thanks Duolingo!)

And then Asia.

Basically, my dream is to pack it up and travel.

Yes, I can rough it but I love the finer things so…yes, I need to stack my cash.

And I’d love to shake off my shyness and date men across other races.

And I’d love to get a tattoo (I’d grit my teeth and do a Celtic tattoo cos I’m fascinated by them)

But what would have to happen to make me actually DO these things?

Hmmm.

I’d have to stop overthinking it, plan my exit, budget like a beast……and get started.

A Page A Day

17th Jun 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In a minute I’ll write, but first a word from our sponsors.

Okay there aren’t any sponsors; it was a quirky slogan in my head and I wanted to use and now I have.

So there.

Ahem, anyway. Yes; I’m a writer and when I put my mind to it I’m actually a damn good one. But what I make up in passion I lack in discipline. Which is why the WordPress booklet of writing prompts is great for me. To help me shape my thoughts, to help me sharpen my train of conversation and most importantly, to do as Chimamanda Adichie Ngozie advises : write a page a day.

Today’s topic : Shape up or ship out

Write a letter to the personality trait you like least, convincing

it to shape up or ship out. Be as threatening, theatrical,

or thoroughly charming as is necessary to get the job done.

The personality trait I hate the most is procrastination. This trait has taken away years from my life; it has made mincemeat of my dreams, made me miserable, fed my low self-esteem issues and given me a false sense of security – I always felt like I had tomorrow. My anthem was: “I can do it tomorrow, I don’t have to do it today, I did enough today.”

Meanwhile I did exactly fuck-all all day. *eye roll and face palm*

So self, here’s the deal; you’re 35 years old and the way your mindset is, you’re not cut out for working 8-5 after 50. Which means you have less than 20 years to make the type of money that will allow you to do all the retirement traveling you want to do.

Which means, you can’t do this lazy shit anymore. You can’t keep saying that tomorrow you’ll get it done. Cos tomorrow literally never comes.

And stop telling folks of your plans and your timelines; for normal people this means you are shamed into following your deadlines. You’re not a normal person; your excuses have excuses and your threshold for shamelessness is remarkable. So stop sharing your plans and just sit down (or get up) and DO IT.

That’s right; DO IT.

DO IT AFRAID.

DO IT BOLDLY.

DO IT WITH SHAKY KNEES.

DO IT WHEN YOU WANT TO VOMIT

DO IT AGAIN AFTER VOMITTING

Ignore the voices in your head (you can’t shut them up; you tried, you failed) but you can ignore them.

And baby, be patient with yourself. You’re at a very good place now, your faith is growing, your trust in God is blooming and you are sure that the Potter knows what to do with His clay.

So work at it every day, a little bit at a time:

Do the aerobics 30 minutes every day six days a week

Learn a language for 15 minutes a day

Write a page a day – you want to win awards as a writer, you better work it like you mean it!

Don’t look at how everyone is doing well around you, DO YOU

And at the end of every day, write and count your blessings; you day is always full of them. You need to be reminded of the little things that make the big things that give you a sense of accomplishment.

And remember, you’ve come a long way baby and your journey isn’t over yet:

Pray

Plan

Breathe

Then get it done

One step, one day, one deliberate action at a time.

Two Women Walking

29th May 2019 by kwakyewathestoryteller ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

She’s slender and walks briskly

A package in a red and white polka dot bag perched on her head

A stick too short to be a walking stick is in her right hand

She swings it gently to and fro

Making you think she’ll hit you if you dare her.

She walks briskly.

Her skin is dark, her hair is short and matted

Her dress, now dirty and torn in spots

Her eyes – when I walk past her – are wide and clear

Her face in profile is relaxed

Her smile is shy and vacant

Her stride is brisk.

And yet purposeful.

I see her every morning.

We walk the same route

My nameless friend and I

But…..apart from my cleanly pressed purple dress

And neatly coifed weave

Why would you say she’s “mad”

And I “sane”?

Kwakyewa The Storyteller

A writer is not a writer until she writes.

Tag: Ghana