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Lesson learnt from COVID19 pandemic

April 21, 2020

I am no economist, politician or even prophet, I am just a simple nutritionist with a pen to write and a platform to share my thoughts. When I saw the challenge of Day 4 for the #UgBlogMonth, I had a lot of things to write about but I chose to pick out just a few. These are just my thoughts and feel free to disagree.

COVID19 took us all by surprise. First when this virus was ravaging the far West, it felt like something obscure. Tales were even told that it is a ‘white man’s’ disease and how it survives only in the cold. Little did we know that it was slowly making strides and before we knew it came to our neighbors in Kenya. Even still this did not shake us as it should have. We enjoyed some weeks without a single case testing positive; memes flew around how we are a landlocked country which was giving us pseudo protection. Finally a case arose, then 8 more and as the cases rose, the government took a decision we all feared and dreaded but deep down knew it was necessary. A LOCK DOWN.

The face of the lock down kept changing until all businesses, schools, bars, workplaces, places of worship were shut down and people asked to remain in their homes, as a way of minimising the spread of this mysterious virus that has managed to bring every country to their knees.

My country is listed among the 3rd world countries. This means a big population lives under a dollar a day. When the lock down happened, it hit hard. Many live hand to mouth and even those who receive a salary at the end of the month, it is usually over before it even hits the account. Saving is not a culture that is ingrained in children as they grow, so we gamble our way through. Now that work is almost non existent, services have been sieved out leaving only the critical ones, many employers chocking on paying employees without making money have had to painfully lay off many of them.

A friend of mine told me of a horticulturist who has had to lay off over 200 workers. Do you know what this means? These are 200 families affected in less than a month. At one point their source of income was assured and each one of them had made plans for that income. I can imagine some were using this to take their children to school,others building their family home or better yet paying off a debt with this income and now it is no more. Brings me to ask myself how we prepare for disaster. If we were to turn back the clock, can we say even before the COVID19 pandemic happened, we were prepared for something that we did not see coming? My answer is no, I do not know what your answer is.

Things are surely going to turn back to normal but whether we want it or not, it is going to be a very painful and slow comeback, not only here but world over. The economy is already limping and this means that we are going to have to make very smart financial decisions going forward. This lock down has forcefully brought back families to sitting on the same table for meals, the curfew has got parents spending more time with their children, more time during this lock down has got people trying out all kinds of things, from cooking, to singing, to hand crafts; discovering that hidden talent. Adults have had the child inside unleashed as childhood games have replaced the many hours spent in office spaces. How I wish these things are carried on even after the pandemic.

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The lock down I believe has shown us the things that matter most in life which is family and love. I hope we now understand that life is not necessarily about that car, dress or coat, whisky or destination holiday. There is more to life. Most importantly the COVID19 pandemic has shown us that painful as it is, savings will take you a mile in times of crisis. Have alternative sources of income and saving will become a very enjoyable process. Join that savings group that you have been trying to put off and God forbid if a tragedy of such magnitude ever happened again, we will not be hit as hard.

I will end with this one. As we all wait for things to go back to normal, take time off and develop a post COVID strategy for yourself. No not as a family or organisation, as an individual. This is the time to draw out a plan. Let these times not go to waste.

Practical Planning - How to create a practical plan for your idea

NOW IS THE TIME TO TURN PAIN INTO PURPOSE.

Lifestyle

5 favorite books and why

April 21, 2020

John Cheever writes, ” I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss – you can’t do it alone. Throughout my writing experience I have come to believe that you are as good a writer as you are a reader. Each time I read a book, I get moments where I bust into excitement just because of the way an author has written or I gape to a line I have read. I enjoy reading different genres so I cannot say I am tied to one. So far these are my favorite 5 books and why.

1. Bible

This will always be a favorite of mine. If I ever participate in this challenge gain, be sure to find this book on the list. Have you ever read something and it does not matter how many times you read it, it is always new and fresh all the time. The Bible is an all time favorite because it is made up of books that are diverse in genres. In there be sure to find historical books, wisdom and poetic books, prophetic books, synoptic gospels and pastoral letters. Now tell me that you will be bored with all this array of books. Did I mention the countless parables in there will leave you mesimerised at the wisdom of the all time favorite savior, Jesus? Most importantly this book is one in which I always draw hope whenever my world seems to be falling apart.

2. Becoming by Michelle Obama

Unless you have been living under a rock, Michelle Obama is no new name. She is the former first lady of the United States of America between the years 2009-2017. The book ‘Becoming’ was published in 2018 and it immediately become a worldwide sensation. In this book she talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House as the first lady, mother and wife. This is a favorite of mine because I look up to phenomenal women and she is one. I got a sneak peek into what it means being a wife and mother in such a position where the world has it’s eyes on you every second. I got to understand that people in these positions too are normal people just like you and me; besides for a brief moment I saw my self walking through the corridors of the White House in this book. I would read it over again and not be tired.

3. Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly

First and foremost I was intrigued by the author’s choice of the title. This is a book I read and kept smiling from the beginning of the book to the last page. Resisting Happiness is a deeply personal, disarmingly transparent look at why we sabotage our own happiness and what to do about it. Matthew Kelly writes as though he is torching into your own life and you can not deny the things he articulately points out. Here are the questions he possed in this book and went ahead to answer why. He asked; Are you overwhelmed?Do you procrastinate? Do you sometimes feel like you are your own worst enemy? Are you ignoring your dreams? Have you lost the courage to truly be yourself? Do you feel that your life lacks meaning and purpose? Do you find yourself avoiding the real issues in your life and focusing on the superficial? If you find yourself answering these questions with a yes, then you might need to find yourself this book.

4. Solace in Sorrow by Steve Mbugua Thoithi

This is a book that I have read and it managed to make me cry and smile in the same degree. It felt like an extract from the book of Job in the Bible. In this book this Kenyan author revisits a period he terms trying, a term I feel is an understatement for the things he went through. Imagine battling a mysterious condition that baffles medical professionals and among many things it includes a mysterious height gain. Never in my life had I ever heard of a fully grown adult gaining height from no where. This strange aliment comes in the way of his job, leads him to the surgical table earning him a wrong operation and another to rectify the damage done, leads to abandonment of his friends and so much more. I love this book because it shows the power of God and through sustained prayer and fasting, Thoithi got healing for a medical problem that had eluded medical experts for close to 17 years.

5. Courageous leadership by Bill Hybels

I got to read this book as an assignment for the leadership course that I am doing at Harvest institute. With a 30 years wealth of experience in evangelism leadership, Bill Hybels brings out the aspect of how important leadership in our daily living. In addition to the knowledge he shares in this book, I admired his style of writing. He describes an event to drive his point home in the most simple yet profound way. In this book somewhere, he visualises the events of the aftermath of twin tower bombing in New York on September 11 and you see yourself at that scene through this book. Let me share a sneak peek with you.

“On that world-changing morning of
September 11, 2001, Manhattan, New
York, became a war zone. The
terrorists took no prisoners, held no
hostages. Death was the only option
they offered, so three thousand
ordinary people died that day, most
without an opportunity for a final
embrace or even a last good-bye.”

Bill Hybels is a phenomenal author and you will enjoy his books. This is a sure favorite of mine.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one” – George R.R.Martin

Lifestyle

20 facts about me

April 20, 2020

Ever felt like someone was stripping you? As you stand there, you are not sure who is judging you or cheering you on. Writing facts about myself is not necessarily a cup of tea for me but a challenge is a challenge, and once in, there is no turning back. So here is what Day 2 of the #UGBlogMonth looks like for me.

1. I am a middle child

What is that thing they say about middle children? Yes I am a middle child and an only girl too. Many who saw me grow, feel like I was favored the most although I believe otherwise. I was beaten the most. (Yes! the African way) but I cannot argue that I was not loved dearly. So there is something interesting about being a middle child and most importantly an only girl and I would not trade that position for any other.

2. One of my favorite things to do is minister through songs.

Thanks to my elder brother, I was introduced to active participation in church at a time which is arguably the most critical in any growing adult’s life. (Beginning of campus which is a taste of ‘freedom’.) To this day, more than often you will find me in church spaces or church related activities if I am not at my day’s job. In particular I belong to the worship team of Christ the King prayer group and the Blessed Women of Faith worship Team. There is something that happens to one’s soul when they sing out and I do not know how best to explain it but, whenever we sing at mass or weddings and I see how the congregation breaks out in praise, my heart is full. Even when the singing preparations require almost all evenings of my week days, I get the zeal to go and sing to the Lord. “A heart that sings prays twice”

3. One thing I know I do well is leadership

One thing I have come to appreciate is that I am called to leadership. Somehow I will find myself organising an event or activity, time and again. Sometimes I am unaware how I got myself there and by the time I snap to ‘consciousness’, I am far in to back out. The unrest I get when I see something in which I know I can serve, and I am not, the feeling is not worth it, so I gladly go and serve. Now I have embarked on sharpening these leadership skills further and I am currently a leadership student at Harvest Institute, Class 2020

4. I cannot live without my phone

To be honest, if I said I was aware I could live without my phone, I would be lying. Thanks to this self awareness challenge. I usually give the excuse that it is because of my work and it is dependent on my phone especially for communication. One day I forgot my phone home and only realised when I was about a kilometre away from my work place. If I told you I made the journey back to pick it, you would not believe me. I am now trying to work on a detachment process for this. It is not healthy at all.

5. If I wasn’t what I am today I would be a photographer

Growing up my father had a camera and always took pictures of me each time he dropped or picked me up from pre-school, so you would always find me with a swarm of children. When I graduated to primary school, this stopped however as a family, we remained with the tradition of taking pictures every Sunday. We had our special corner in the church compound and the camera man always knew what to do. It is right there that I developed the love for photography to this day. So given any opportunity I love to be in-front of the lens or behind it.

6. Something I’d love to get rich by doing full time is to do with children and or the differently able-d persons.

My career (nutritionist) deals a lot with young children as well as persons that are differently able-d and working with such persons melts my heart. Last year my friend and I got the opportunity to celebrate our birthdays with children in a differently able-d home in Kakiri. It was such a memorable experience for me to see these sweet souls break into smiles. I share my experience in this article. https://medium.com/@evyshirley/differently-able-d-92594d73ea1a

If I could do anything to better the living of these groups of people, I would die a happy girl.

7. The people who have influenced my life the most are my mother and elder brother

I grew up in a very small family of just two brothers and I with our mother. Our dad was away for the better part of our life so I was influenced by my mother and elder brother. When I grew older, still in the ‘protective wings’ of my elder brother, he introduced me to Christ the King Catholic church community, and those too were added to the list of influencers in my life.

8. I would love to meet Pope Francis

Pope Francis is the current leader of the Roman Catholic church in the whole world. He amazes me with his simplicity in his way of life and the way he approaches it. I always imagine what kind of conversation we would have if I had the opportunity to have a chat with him. I would want to just sit there and listen the whole time.

9. My Perfect day starts with mass and end with a hearty meal

Beginning my day with mass has been one of the best ‘ingredients’ of my routine in the recent past. The day I do not begin with mass is a dead one. My love for food and good company is the perfect way to end a day in my world. So get me very good company (family and or friends) and a very tasty meal and you will have closed my day perfectly.

10. If I could live anywhere in the world it would be right here

Surprisingly I am one of the very few people I guess who has never fancied living anywhere else other than my mother land, Uganda. I would love to go visit all sorts of places, but never in my wildest dreams would I want to live there for good. I have come to appreciate that despite the many challenges we face as a country, no place beats it for me as home.

11. One thing on my bucket list is bungee jumping

I have a very deep fear for heights yet the one thing on my bucket list is bungee jumping. And more interesting I would love to do this with my significant other, the couple bungee jump. I always imagine the rush of adrenalin intertwined as we hold onto each other like our life ends there. So my significant one, brace your self darling!!!

12. An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is creating a nutrition website

For the longest time after my bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics which is 4 years ago, has been to leave a mark in this nutrition space, however tiny this would be. Funny how I thought this was going to be obvious. 4 years down the road, it is now that this reality is slowly trying to take shape and my biggest accomplishment thus far has been to create my own nutrition website on which I get to share nutrition related information to the world out there.

13. One very memorable year is 2016

2016 is such a memorable year for me because it was the time when I graduated and also got my first work assignment in Karamoja, an experience that has been the worst so far in my work life. I did not even finish 3 months at this job but the effects of this experience haunt me to this day. I lost 6kgs in that short time. That is a story for another day I guess.

14. My favorite comfort food is porridge

Weird as it may sound, porridge is my comfort food. It does not matter what kind of porridge it is; whether it has milk or not, cold or hot, it just has to be porridge. I remember one day while seated in my mother’s shop, I was drinking from my famous porridge mug and a client mistook me for a lactating mother on seeing the size of the mug. Any time is ~~tea~~ porridge time.

15. I’d like to be remembered for an impact lived life

Beyonce Knowles has a famous song titled “I was Here” and somewhere in that song there is a verse that goes like this,

I want to leave my footprints on the sand of time
Know there was something that, something that I left behind
When I leave this world, I’ll leave no regrets
Leave something to remember, so they won’t forget

I want to be remembered for a contribution I made that impacted people out there and that is why I am focusing my efforts on changing the face of nutrition in this country among pregnant women and children as well as persons that are differently able-d. I want to leave my footprints on the sand of time.

16. If I could keep any animal as a pet I would choose a dog

When I was in my senior 3, I visited a friend at their family home. They were known in our village to have the toughest dogs but since it was day time I figured the dogs were caged and the apparent threat was non existent. As I walked into the gate, I saw one of the dogs lying but my fears were quickly soothed by the fact that their mother was right there in the compound removing clothes from the hang line. Hardly had I made a step than the dog charged at me leaving me with a deep wound in my thigh. That made me hate dogs until I rented a place where the landlord thought it wise for us to have dogs for security, so I had only two choices. Either to love the dogs or leave the place and I chose the former. Now, me and dogs are inseparable.

17. One thing I am afraid of is swimming.

I am clearly hydrophobic for the greater part. Me and water seem to have a parallel relationship so indulging in this sport is close to me signing a death sentence. In addition to having hydrophobia, I am very uncomfortable displaying my body for the people around the swimming pool. I am not confident enough to flaunt my ‘bikini’ body. But I can attempt to swing my legs in the water.

18. The most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me is……

Way back in my senior 6, we were in our biology practical class and the teacher was explaining something very contentious. Everyone was quiet and you could hear a pin fall on the ground. This is the time my stomach decided to grumble so loudly and it did not matter what I did to muffle the sound, it went on for a good sixty seconds. The whole class including the teacher bust into deafening laughter and that was the end of our class that day. To this day that memory traumatises me.

19. Most painful experience I have had so far is losing my bestfriend

In May last year I lost my best friend to a very fatal accident in California. This experience changed my entire view of life to this day. It defined the phrase “Life is short” for me. The world made a very painful momentary pause that time and it is an experience I briefly shared in this piece. https://medium.com/@evyshirley/what-is-life-966d1ed17a73

Can a pen write down that for which many a time there are no words? This is how I can describe this part of my life.

20. If I had one dying wish it would be for my mother

I have been brought up by my mother almost single handedly and I have seen our humble beginnings to where we are now. The sacrifices she has had to make, for not only myself but all 3 of us and many others that have passed through her care are crystal clear. If my dying wish was not to her then I do not know to whom it would go to.

Lifestyle

Why I write

April 19, 2020

It is Day 1 of the #UGblogMonth and the task at hand is to share why I write. When I saw this challenge I had to hop on it.

3 years ago a very good friend of mine challenged me to write content for his website. When he told me I laughed out loud to the fact that he had even thought of such an outrageous idea. I mean I did not do literature at all in my high school so my skills were laughable, at least I thought so. For some particular reason he was very confident and when he was not letting his guard down I decided to give it a try. Thankfully he gave me a few tips and held me by the hand until I perfected the skill in a few months. From the books I kept reading I made it a point to learn a thing or two.

It is 2020 now and I hardly believe I own a website on which I write after several stumbles at blogging with so many different blog sites. When I realised that what I wrote made sense and got people to learn a thing or two, I was encouraged to write more. Nutrition which is my profession and at the core of my life’s goal, I saw an opportunity in changing the face of nutrition in my country especially among pregnant women and infants using a pen. I share my knowledge so that informed choices are made by anyone who comes across this information. This however does not limit me to nutrition alone but also information I feel and believe is important.

So I write to share my knowledge, views and beliefs with whoever cares to read. Now I write when I am happy, when I am sad, when confused, when undecided, when bored and when I need to rant too. Like they say, writing is ‘my go to place’. The pen and I are now 2 peas in a pod.

This would never have happened though if a sweet soul had not identified this hidden skill and gave me an opportunity. Just like a diamond does not start out polished and shinning, it once was nothing special but with enough pressure and time, it becomes spectacular; I am that diamond in the chaff.

#Day 1

#UGblogMonth

Faith

Solitude

April 10, 2020

After a while, I get to write this on this unusual Holy Saturday. I say unusual because unlike before, we are bound in our homes with no opportunity of having to participate in the activities of the Easter Triduum as we would because of the global pandemic (COVID19) ravaging all places in the world.

Holy Saturday is a day of anticipation, as we know Christ will be resurrected the next day. It is a day of solemn anticipation and of hushed and prayerful waiting at the tomb of Christ. We are certain of His resurrection but we dare not shout the joyous Alleluia until the Church has rekindled the Light of the World at the Easter vigil service. So we wait throughout this day. The sorrow of Good Friday is replaced by quiet hope, but still we are reserved. There is as yet no time for parties and secular visiting and gaiety. This is the day before the greatest feast of the whole Church year belongs to Christ.

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As we are in this wait, it is a time of solitude, a time when everything seems to have taken a turn for the worst but the hope of Easter the next day keeps us going. It shines from a far like a shooting star.

Lately I have been reading a very beautiful book called Celebration of Discipline by Richard J Foster. This book talks about the disciplines of spiritual life. He gives a practical guide on how a christian ought to live and one of the disciplines I want to briefly talk about is the The Discipline of Solitude which I believe resonates very well with day.

Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition - Kindle ...

He starts off this discipline with a quote from Teresa of Avila; “Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon Him in yourself.” What a powerful way to glide into something as interesting as solitude. Foster says, Jesus calls us from loneliness to solitude. As humans we are afraid of being left alone, whether you realise it or not. Our fear of being alone drives us to noise and crowds. We keep up a constant stream of words even if they are inane. His examples make me run in guilt. He says, we buy radios that strap to our wrists or fit over our ears so that, if no one else is around, at least we are not condemned to silence.

Luckily Foster comes right in time to allay my fears and give hope. He says, loneliness or clatter are not our only alternatives. We can cultivate an inner solitude and silence that sets us free from loneliness and fear. Loneliness is inner emptiness where as solitude is inner fulfillment. Solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place. There is a solitude of the heart that can be maintained at all times. Crowds, or the lack of them, have little to do with this inward attentiveness

Without silence there is no solitude. Though silence sometimes involves
the absence of speech, it always involves the act of listening.
Simply to refrain from talking, without a heart listening to God, is
not silence. Like I said before, Foster has a way of bringing the point home using simple examples. Now listen to this! “A day filled with noise and voices can be a day of silence, if the noises become for us the echo of the presence of God, if the voices are, for us, messages and solicitations of God. When we speak of ourselves and are filled with ourselves, we leave silence
behind. When we repeat the intimate words of God that he has left
within us, our silence remains intact.

As he comes to the end of this discipline, he gives us practical things or call them steps to effectively live out this discipline and I am happy to share these with you.

Steps into Solitude

Take advantage of the “little solitudes” that fill your day.

Consider the solitude of those early morning moments in bed before the family awakens. Think of the solitude of a morning cup of coffee
before beginning the work of the day. There is the solitude of bumper-to-bumper traffic. There can be little moments of rest and refreshment when we turn a corner and see a flower or a tree. Instead of vocal prayer before
a meal consider inviting everyone to join into a few moments of gathered silence. These tiny snatches of time are often lost to us. What a pity! They
can and should be redeemed. They are times for inner quiet, for reorienting our lives like a compass needle. They are little moments that help us to be genuinely present where we are.

Find or develop a “quiet place” designed for silence and solitude.

Homes are being built constantly. Why not insist that a little inner sanctuary be put into the plans, a small place where any family member could go to be alone and silent? Those who live in an apartment could be creative and find other ways to allow for solitude. He gives an example of a one family that has a special chair; whenever anyone sits in it he or she is saying, “Please don’t bother me, I want to be alone.” Let’s find places outside the home: a spot in a park, a church sanctuary that is kept unlocked, even a storage closet somewhere.

Try to live one entire day without words at all

Foster concludes these steps with this challenge. He says, do it not as a law, but as an experiment. Note your feelings of helplessness and excessive dependence upon words to communicate.Try to find new ways to relate to others that are not dependent upon words. Enjoy, savor the day. Learn from it. Four times a year withdraw for three to four hours for the purpose of reorienting your life goals. This can easily be done in one evening. Stay late at your office or do it at home or find a quiet corner in a public library. Reevaluate your goals and objectives in life. What do you want to have accomplished one year from now? Ten years from now?

As we remain prayerfully waiting at the tomb of Christ, this is a golden chance for us to try out this discipline of solitude.

7 Ways Solitude Can Actually Help You! - Fulfillment ...

Please share your experience with me