CHANGE

This year has brought forth periods of transition in my life. Transitions are not comfortable. Every time you step out of your comfort zone to the unknown, things might get awry, a little bit lonely and even depressing at times. Trying to stay sane and unaffected in this roller-coaster is nearly impossible. The only way to go about it is to think of the transition as an adventure. I am currently living in a city I once only dreamed of. That thought alone is enough to make me pinch my self.

There is so much to learn, so much to take in. Here's a few things am tackling am sure they will change as the days go by.

The Subway

No not the food joint where you have to line up and decided what bread you want to get, honey wheat or oat, or where you have to decide if you want banana peppers or spinach. It's a maze of some sort that I am determined to conquer. A transportation maze to be exact. It’s somewhat dim, well the lighting seems to be dim as if someone dint pay the electric bill. Trains are always whooshing by, groaning as the train cars grind on the rail. People hurrying to catch the train because the doors never stay open for long. This my dear friends is where I will lose the extra ten pounds I always talk about. In New York you walk incessantly and fast or else people will whiz by you like sonic. People are always in a mad dash to get somewhere. The concrete streets are not your park where you can stroll. If you want to stroll, go to Central Park. Back to the subway, the only one I have mastered is the one back and forth to my place. Cant miss it. The A express, Uptown. That is all I have to remember. The other day I had to get to midtown, and because am determined to conquer this system, I googled the address and used the subway app. Thank you Father Lord for these apps. I have no idea how folks did it in the 80s. How? Seriously! I got from A to another one supposedly a local train, then onto another one that was going to put me smack dab by Times Square. Then connect to another one. I looked like a mad woman criss crossing the tiled walk through. I kept glancing at my phone as if my app was lying. The subway’s are hot as hell, it’s like trying to make way through a sauna. I got lost a couple of times and app or not, it doesn’t hurt to ask. This is all new to me but I am determined to master this system. It's not fun getting lost but I always think of it as an adventure.

Shoes

When I had finished unpacking all the  boxes and I had displayed my colorful array of shoes as if they were ready to be used on a Vogue set, I realized they were all high. Like super high! Where am I going to be walking in these? I looked at all those pretty pairs aghast. Clearly, I have to start finding shoes with inches closer to earth. The world is my runway but I don’t want to injure my feet figuring out the jig saw puzzles that’s the subway system. Furthermore, mark timing on those street requires the most comfortable shoes.

Style

If my shoes will change, so will my style. Accessories are very important to me. A girl with amazing shoes can conquer the world. I wonder if that includes flat shoes as well, sigh! This will be an interesting transition once I start showcasing new outfit posts. New York city is alive with inspiration. Everyone is their own individual; they own it. Embrace it. I look forward to channeling my creativity. Stay tuned loves.

Plant-based Diet

 As if I need to add anything on top of all that I am growing through, I have decided to go Vegan!

Yikes!

As a daughter of Africa, raised and fed animal products eating a plant-based diet has always fascinated me. I am in awe of people who do it and wonder how they can pass up a chance to enjoy a five guys burger!

My sister Flo would reckon it's because I nearly dashed out of the grocery store when I realized my usual Minced Turkey was five dollars more in New York! Five! That's alot! Yeah welcome to New York City, this is just the beginning.

Truth be told, I went Vegan two years ago, then a month before my trip to Kenya, I resumed to eating meat. I couldn't bear the thought of passing up the Farmer's Choice sausage, Nyama Choma, Mutura and finger-licking good beef stew. My mother had already started looking for plant based dinner options for me. Bless her heart. Now am embarking on it again. I am doing it for purely vain reasons. When you eat plant-based food, you glow from within, you lose weight, and you rarely get sick. This is supposedly true.  How about I document this and will report back my findings.

I should add in going Vegan I am helping the environment as well but I am sure none of you want to hear about that now. I will dwell on that sometime in the near future. For now can say am trying to figure out new recipes and new vegan blogs. Blogs are everything nowadays.

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What I have learnt so far is that change is uncomfortable. It is not easy, it will mean trying to get by by taking one day at a time. But every time I get up I have to keep trying to adjusting into the newness of it. I am taking it all in. Am I afraid? Yes I am. Sometimes I feel that sickening feeling in my stomach but I have to remember that I am on the next chapter of my life. I don't want to be stuck on the same page.

So if you are like me, out in the waters having left the shore to set sail, don't stop believing in yourself. For in the waves of change we find our true direction. Socrates once said the secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but by building the new. Here's to building the new.