Letter 8 - Standing ovation

Good morning 2021,

Relax mntase. I'm not coming with those Take a bow vibes. No. No sarcasm here.

I choose to dedicate today to days on your timeline when I was blessed with art. This post is a standing ovation for everyone involved in putting together magic that I binged on for hours this year.

I've been so captivated by the storylines. I've marveled at the meticulous execution of the actors and actresses. I've even gone as far as to scream at the screen like my aunt used to back in the day. I've been entertained shame. Today I just want to say, what your teams have done to these productions can never be undone. Shine!

My Top 4 2021 stan list, in really no particular order, is:

eHostela - Season 2
What a wow! I have no words. Every person brought it! This season moved me more emotionally than the first. I truly appreciate the framing of storyline. What I appreciate even more is how one gets to be schooled about parts of this country from a unique perspective.

Abomama - Season 2
Yho. Yho. Yhoooo. I couldn't stop binging. The talent of this cast is mind blowing. Loved the storyline. They embodied it so well...I could go on and on. What I took from it as a mere consumer is that some people are called into acting. That's the only way to describe that level of talent. Jonga it was good.

Did Asavela Mngqithi not complicate my life? Mogirl how are we supposed to be focused when the villain becomes a fave? Order!

How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral
Bel die polisie! I want to report a crime. Ngeke!

All the combos were communicating here. The storyline, the soundtrack, the performances...did I mention the soundtrack?

Loved every single minute of it. I could watch it again and again and again. To laugh at jokes again. To hunt for punchlines I've missed. To marvel at talent. Okay, there is a high chance that I will. Kodwa you guys get the point ne? It's that good.

The Wife (Hlomu)
I. Am. HOOKED! 

The series got to me first. Then I couldn't help myself...I went in on the books. I am currently recovering from yesterday's brief binge and snuggled up with Mess (Book 5). Yes, I've read all of them in less than a month. It's not me guys. There's something about storytelling done right - I can't get enough!  Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is for Showmax to upload a shy 6 episodes. A modest 6 nyana wena father Christmas. Where do we post these letters to you?

You may have given your blows 2021 but, for others you were a game changer. My standing ovation goes to these killer productions that made you less bitter.

In closing, I'd like to borrow the main lines from Zola's song X girlfriend. Manimbona please nimtshele ng'sam khumbula namanje (When you see her, please tell her I still miss her). Let's spin than a bit for the standing ovation list. Friends, friends of friends, former business partners or acquaintances of people on my stan list: Please tell these artists that I'm such a STAN!

Letter 7 - Cela nithi hooray

 Hello 2021,

They say we should celebrate all our wins. Even the small and those seemingly insignificant ones. It's Friyay and I'm choosing to say: yaaaas!

I come from a community that's big on celebrations. People come together to share your joy. They come bearing gifts, they ulilate, dance, feast and get merry. I'm no foreigner to the concept of celebrating. So let's get to it...

In recent years I've been on a "road to 10K" fitness journey. What a tricky thing. Guess what? I reached 10K on your timeline. It was everything I thought it would be...muscle aches and all. I was so happy though. Still am. The cherry on top was that I had a really meaningful women's day.

This is post 100 on the blog. Yaaaas. We've come this far. I say we because it took the courage of a community to get me here. I'm raising a glass for this win. Here's to all the typos, the punchlines that landed well and the space that Life and Her Lessons has been. Camagu!

The last wins are actually a collection of moments. Moments when I beat the alarm to it. Moments when I took less time to get ready. Moments when I was unapologetically kind to myself. How can I forget that moment when I stood on that scale and I had FINALLY gained weight?! 

One more thing, 2021, you've made me realise that I'm blessed to have a tribe that celebrates my wins as their own. A pack which knows that my joy isn't a threat to their delays or denials. Family who appreciate that these wins are the fruits of seeds sown in sacrifice and tears.

So with that being said 2021...ndicela uthi hooray!

Letter 6 - Reconciliationville

 Yes, yes, yes 2021!

We're going on a road trip to Reconciliationville today. It's tradition. One of the longstanding traditions on the letter series. Every year we pack our bags, hit the road and go to this place. The mood this year is set on a Sana lwami tip. As in ndiqunjiswa nguwe. Andfun' nokncunyiswa nguwe! (You've made me upset. I don't even want to smile because of you!)

2021 you have been the problem that's kept asking "what's the problem?". You mogirl. The problem is you. Your timeline has been a problem.

Some of my most memorable road trip moments were somehow mired with drama. There was a time when I got a tire puncture at night. Then there was that time when I ended up squashed at the back seat of a long distance taxi that ended up getting lost. There was also another time when I almost died in another country because our driver was so inebriated he almost tipped the car over. Heyi. To go is to see. To see is to go.

You've felt like those road trips all in one 2021. Especially on the reconciliation front of things. I feel like I had a tire puncture on my notion of villains and heroes. I've felt squashed, and suffocated, in between conflicts. I'm grateful though that your timeline has shown me that I used to give so much power over my peace to others. You schooled me to fight back for that. Thank you. 

2021, you've been crappy but I definitely know that reconciliation is a journey because of you. One that begins with me being at peace with myself...

Letter 5 - Sigh

 Hello 2021,

I care very little about how you are doing this morning.

Ever noticed those moments when hymns hit so hard that you end up being numb? I say moments because it isn't everyday that we become numb. A lot happens in a church setting when music is concerned. Sometimes it's the beat that draws you in. Sometimes it's the lead singer's command of the tune that catches your attention. Sometimes it's someone rescuing you from a sermon that could have gone on for longer. Sometimes it's like you're hearing those lyrics for the very first time...

If I were to attach a song to my moments of numbness on your timeline Lekunutung le Morena would be befitting. Not the part about how nice it is to be in the presence of God. No. The part about how I'd tell Him what's bothering me about the world. Okay I wouldn't talk much. My head would spin so much. Then I'd go numb...

We live in a world which normalises violence towards those who we deem weaker or different from us. We live in a world where debates about how to be politically correct when having these conversations is more important than collective solutions. We live in a world where lives matter most once they've been lost. We live in a world where people choose to suffocate in silence instead of speaking out. Just in case their pain is silenced or even erased.

I don't need to go any further. Do I? We all know what I'm talking about. Those "numbers" are the people we love. We are numb because we couldn't protect them. We are numb because we know we're likely going to be next. We are numb because we've talked so much...

2021, I've sat with the pain of this reality on timelines before you. I've sat with the pain of this reality on your timeline. My heavy heart knows I'll sit with the pain of this reality on timelines long after you're gone.

Sigh...