Black coffee, thank you.

While enjoying this freshly brewed cup of Ethiopian coffee, my mind was wandering somewhere else. If you know me, you know I don’t joke about my coffee. At this point, our relationship is toxic, but in a good way.
The sheer velocity of what’s happening in our country and the world lately is enough to give anyone sleepless nights, making it hard to just sit and enjoy a morning routine. Looking at our day-to-day reality, the current landscape has forced us to learn how to be deeply grateful, because simply leaving your house and getting back safely is no longer something to take for granted.
The daily news cycle is a heavy rotation of new bills, shifting taxes, heart-breaking headlines on femicide, safety concerns, and rising fuel prices. Add youth unemployment to the mix, and it’s easy to feel like the fabric is stretching thin. You can hear the collective distress in conversations, the anger, anxiety, and depression. These feelings are overwhelming, and even worse if bottled up inside. I mean, a tomato that was 10 bob last month is now 20 bob, and mind you, it’s even smaller.
So much is happening all at once, and we cannot afford to be bystanders to our own lives. We have to get through each day believing that the choices we make matter, and that our collective consciousness is moving us forward.
As the week goes on, I hope you find moments of gratitude in the simplest things. Do not let your mind wander too far into the chaos, or else even the little peace you feel inside will be shaken. And we don’t want that.
Move forward knowing that things can improve, starting with how we show up for ourselves and each other. If you feel too overwhelmed, pause. Inhale, exhale. Calm your nerves and your mind. I read somewhere that if one cannot sweep one’s own house, how can one sweep the world? You cannot build a better tomorrow when you are mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally exhausted. You have to protect your peace first, so you have the strength to take on whatever lies ahead.