The Writeventures of Emaleecious

Hey, people! How are you? I can’t believe it’s already been over a week since my last post! How has the week been for you? Did you crush your goals for the week? Good for you!!! Or are you like me, barely managing to get through each day? Don’t be discouraged, we’ll try again next week and give it our very best. Hopefully, we'll have something to smile about at the end. 😊 For me, this week has been all shades of stress- physically, emotionally, financially, and psychologically. I had high hopes of accomplishing everything on my to-do list each day, but by the end of the week, I had loads of carry-overs, and I started to feel the weight of it all. I couldn’t push out my blog post on Tuesday, and that made me feel guilty. I couldn’t attend my classes on schedule (though I wasn’t exactly heartbroken about that—ha-ha). I now have a pile of tasks on my desk that must be done by the weekend so I can start next week with a clean slate. I also missed spending extra time in my devoti...

Hey there, friends! How’s it going with you? I’m beyond excited to be back here, sharing my thoughts with you. I hope your week has been treating you well so far. Was your Monday anything special? Honestly, I still don’t understand why we put so much pressure on Mondays. I remember when I used to work a regular 9-5 job in Lagos, my sister-in-law (who worked at a bank) would sneak up on me, and in this booming, deep voice, she'd say, "Ye, tomorrow is Monday!" It was so dramatic that it would send me into a mini panic. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I was freaking out about Mondays! I didn’t have the same crazy deadlines as she did, so I had no reason to stress. But somehow, her anxiety would rub off on me, and I’d find myself getting sucked into this pre-week pity-party. I started realizing this wasn’t a healthy cycle, so one day when she came at me with her usual Monday mantra, I told her to leave me out of it! We both laughed about this years later...

As I reflected on my past week, I found myself about to label it as “nothing special”. But then, like a flash, a flood of special moments came to mind. That’s when I realized something important—our small wins often get brushed off as “just part of the routine.”  For so long, I didn’t think anything I did was worth celebrating. Not out of self-doubt, but because I figured, “If I can do it, it must not be that difficult,” and assumed anyone else could do the same. I’m beginning to change that mindset. I’m learning to stop and  smell the flowers —whether it’s one lone bloom or a whole bouquet. I’m embracing self-love, valuing my efforts, enjoying my own company, and sharing the lessons I’ve learned. This year, I’m choosing to be kinder to myself. As I took a moment to look back at the week, I felt grateful for so many things. From the small joys—laughter, grace, strength—to the bigger ones—life itself, accomplishments at work, victories in the battle of wits with my kids, love, ...

I didn’t realize how significant salt is to Christians until recently. I always thought of it simply as a condiment that makes food taste better, but how necessary is it really? According to Leviticus 2:13: “You are to season each of your grain offerings with salt; you must not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God. You are to present salt with each of your offerings.” That verse made me pause. It seems like salt is pretty important. I also remembered Matthew 5:13, where Jesus calls us the "salt of the earth." If we lose our essence as salt, we are no longer good for anything. The Importance of Salt to Christians This tells us that, as Christians, we are incredibly important—we are meant to be the light of the world for those who don’t know Christ. This means we shine the light for others to see. This light should show in the way we work, talk, and live with people.  Let’s take a closer look at the purpose of salt in the grain offering and what ...

I’m Super Excited, and here’s why! Last year, I was just floating through life, like a piece of wood drifting on water. I had a few goals in mind, but I didn’t have a concrete plan. After accomplishing those, I felt... well, “meh” about setting new ones. I didn’t know why I didn’t set any more goals—I was just tired and let life take the reins. And you know what? Life didn’t lead me anywhere remarkable. What did I expect? I could’ve done better mid-year by drafting out a plan, but instead, I was feeling sorry for myself and let things slide. By the end of the year, I was eager to dust off my journals and finally put a plan together for 2025, but it didn’t happen until mid-January. So here’s the thing: it’s never too late to set a plan for your life! Now, let me start again. I am super excited! This time, I was able to set clear goals, create timelines, and mentally prepare for what I want to achieve this year. I have a big picture in mind, and I’ve already started putting the plans in...

 I baked a cake today. Nothing new about this. I bake cakes all the time. Mostly carrot cakes. The most yummy, moist, decadent carrot cakes you've had.  The children's school had an Arts Night, and there was to be a bake sale. My contribution was to make a carrot cake. It was the easiest thing to do, plus I could do it in my sleep! So, I got baking. Cake was all baked. I decided to do a cheesecake frosting. This was different.  In the last three years that I have been baking carrot cakes, they have always been naked cakes. No frosting, no covering, just plain cakes. I figured the kids already got lots of sugar from God knows what and didn't want to add anything else to it.  The last time I covered a cake was during Ryan's 3rd birthday, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We looked the other way as the red-velvet cake was imperfectly perfect. I used whipped cream, and sprinkles. Did I mention it was my first attempt at making red-velvet? It was my first and best a...

I found this picture on Twitter (@Nilaija_PR) and I jumped right in. It was supposed to be a poem, I have no idea what I did, but I like it!  Here goes- ------ Like Joan of Arc, I was tied to a stake.  A tag of a witch on a broom is all it would take to set the mob on edge. Bound like a thief I was allowed my clothes and given grief Then came the debris- paper, some nylons, and kerosine placed deliberately like a chef does food prep at a cusine To my surprise, a joint was stuck in my mouth just before the match was lit and tossed douth direclty beneath my feet, I watched the fire lick up the paper the nylons melting in submission to the flames, I needed no wager to know my time here was almost up.  I did the best thing I could at this moment oh yes, I am all for enjoyment! I bent over to reach the flames I might as well enjoy this last high before the angry flames comes for its claim.

It was a perfectly wrapped ball of yarn, colorful and neat, until one tiny string found its way out of the pack, and everything unraveled. It happened so fast. One minute, everything was together, and the next minute, chaos abound. I think the most fascinating thing for me, was discovering that I didn’t really have as many friends as I thought. My tight-knit friend circle melted like ice-cream in the summer’s heat. I thought I was loved, was I really? Were people merely tolerating me? Am I such a bad person? How couldn’t they see that my world was upside down? Did I give the impression that I always had it together? If I did, I’m sorry! I am human, I don’t have it all together! I want to scream and yell and cry and moan. Instead, I smile and act like all is well. All is not well right now! Look a little deeper. Ask me how I feel, not just because it’s the thing to ask, but because you really care! See the hurt in my eyes that’s rooted straight from my heart. Feel the pain in my soul....

Isn’t it funny how we give the best advice when we are not in the shoes of the person hurting? How odd is it that when we are dished the same advice we gave, we are unable to swallow it? I told Ade, my best friend, who was very disappointed about a job she applied for and didn’t get, to “wear your big girl pants and move on.” It seemed like the best thing to say at that time. We had gone through the entire process together, and after the 3 round of interviews with the “powers that be,” we had danced and thought it was a “done-deal.” It was shocking when she got that rejection letter to be honest. I cried with her—for all the hours wasted mock-interviewing, researching, and the most painful part: planning. Oh, we had spent hours dreaming about how we would spend the new salary (an extra vacation, new shoes and a “Christian Dior VIII Grand Bal Ceramic Women's Watch!”) I think that was the most painful part to her was the fact that the vacation ended before we even got tickets. Oh wel...