UGBlogMonth Archives - Lutgard Musiime

This makes me really happy

May 9, 2020

For the first time I will open up about a time that was really dark in my life, a few years ago. It was about the time I was beginning to taste the waters of work life. Given that I had become independent in my year two at university, I had bills to pay so work for me was not for trying out but it was needed. The person I was working for (God bless him) was not the best of payers. We struggled to be paid and it was very frustrating and before we knew it he was temporarily put out of business which meant that I was out of work for an indefinite period. During this time, my mother was really sick adding to the frustration I already had. I would barely get what to eat and I did not mind as long as I got money to pay my landlord. I would cry myself to sleep not knowing how tomorrow would be. Neither my family nor friends knew and somehow I managed not to isolate myself. So the time I would walk out of my house, I would lock my sorrow in there, wear a big smile only to pick it up on my return. Did I mention I had been brutally betrayed by this time so basically I was moving in a dark allay. I prayed or thought I was praying but complained a lot. One day as I drenched my pillow with tears, I felt something say to me, for how long are you going to keep like this? (I believe it was God speaking to me). If you cry and lay here what is going to change? The voice continued. And as if scales were falling from my eyes, I saw how ‘foolish’ I was. From that moment I decided to be intentionally happy despite what is going in my life at that moment and find a solution instead on burying my head in the sand. Not pretend to be happy but to be genuine to myself. So rarely will you find me not happy. That being said, here are the things that make me genuinely happy.

Serving

I serve in ministry at church and as a leader in different groups I am a part of. I sing with the Blessed Women of Faith and Christ the King worship team. This fulfills me in ways I cannot exhaust or put in words. The praise and worship ministry in all churches I believe is one of the most demanding ministries. One has to put off time to continuously rehearse the songs to be sung as well as minister time and again. not only that but your personal life is put in a spot where you get to be judged very easily. I love everything that comes with it regardless.

When it comes to leadership, I love to organise things all the time and this comes with the role. Many times it is thorny but very rewarding. When an event is pulled off or a particular assignment under my leadership, nothing makes me happier. I love to serve as a leader.

Food

I bet you did not think that I would forget this one. It is very funny that my food choices are very limited yet still food will make me happy. First and foremost, I don’t like most of the common food options we have including, wheat based products, pastas, posho, maize, cassava to mention but a few. This leaves just a few choices for me to eat, porridge being a constant. But the few ones left bring me a lot of joy and I am one the people who gets really excited while I cook a particular food that I am going to eat. Food really makes me happy.

Taking pictures

I probably tell myself how good I look more than anyone will ever do. I love to take pictures of myself, make funny faces as I laugh at my madness and then scroll through the pictures. A camera makes me happy. I am not very confident to keep asking people to take pictures of me but I have mastered how to make use of my Samsung self timers and one will think I have a personal photographer on the go.

Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do

Children

From the time I was little I have been attracted to young children especially those who are 3 years and below. I love to be with children, feed them, play and dance with them and thankfully my career deals a lot with children. I do not know why I have ‘sleeping’ hands though but for children who are little, once I hold them, for some reason they fall asleep. But anyhow, I love children. They make me so happy.

Travelling

The thing I love the most about travelling is most probably the packing process and the voyage in itself. I love to see different places as we drive. It is always fun when the music blares in the car as different bites and conversations brewing laughter keep making rounds. Seeing people slide off their seats as they dose also makes the journeys a lot more fun and finally the pictures taken in the middle of the roads. I love to travel

Family and friends

Finally nothing beats it for me like being in the company of family and very good true friends. Whatever it is that is being done, even just laying on a mat makes my heart glow. It is so heart warming to know that you have people in your corner. These people will make me happy any day any time.

As we complete this challenge I cannot believe they have been 21 days already. I did not add that writing makes me happy because it should be very evident by now. For everyone who has been glued to my website with some personally reaching me when I delay to put out a piece, I am indented to you. To my friend Ms. Murriel Atai Aloka who pushed me to join this challenge, there is no way I cannot thank you. These are the people who keep cheering us on day in and day out. Finally to everyone out there blessed with a writing muscle thank you for exercising it, not forgetting the Uganda Blogging Community that gave us this opportunity.

Please do not stop supporting young talent and I for one, I welcome all kinds of constructive criticism and be tuned on here for more amazing pieces of information especially for nutrition. After this we are doing a food cultural tour and we are going to see the different foods we have in our cultures and the interesting stories that surround their preparation and significance.

Again, thank you so much.

Lifestyle

Childhood memories

May 7, 2020

In my language we have a saying that reads; “etansiima ebura agiha” which loosely translates as a non grateful person will not be shown gratitude also. I cannot believe that I have managed to write every single day for the last 20 days. Call it being stretched beyond, thanks to the Uganda Blogging Community. This experience has tossed me into merry waters and muddy ones too. I have had to uncomfortably strip myself sometimes and open up to the world through the varied topics that were carefully chosen I suppose. This has indeed put an indelible mark on my skill and growing passion and I will always look back to this experience. I have met amazing talent and joined a community that under normal circumstances would never have happened. Away from that let us go into today’s challenge.

Matthew 18: 1-4; At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I have chosen to begin with this verse because of the way Jesus talks to his disciples about entering heaven in relation to a child. Being a child is very interesting and I believe it is the purest any human can and will ever be. They will not hold a grudge, will love and trust recklessly and truly, will do everything they are told (in most cases) therefore I can try to see and understand why God chose to use a child when He was asked about who is the greatest. Throughout this #UgBlogMonth challenge I have given away my childhood self a lot here and there but it seems my childhood story bank is bottomless and the stories keep coming. Today the story I give is one that I laugh at too, like it were not me who featured.

There is a particular old lady, a friend to my mother whose name I have no clue but we have forever called her ‘mukyara Poster master’ (she was the wife to the mail man and that is what she was referred to in my language). Each time she came home or to our shop, she would scream these words as she looked at me and laughed; Yowe tinyija kugyayo” In a language you all understand it will read, ‘Me I will not go there’. Apparently, when I was started going to school, it is not an idea that I really welcomed. I guess because it involved me waking up early from my sweet sleep. (Oh! How I love my sleep.) So every morning, I cried from the time I was taken out of bed, to eating my breakfast and all the way to school, which was not far off, chanting those words that the lady still screams to this day when she sees me. Mum tells me that our neighbourhood knew there was a child called Lut (that is what I am called at home) who was a cry baby but many could not put a face to the name.

Now the first week of school was spent in the headmaster’s office who happened to be a family friend because I did not like the idea of being in the classroom. With my thumb in my mouth I would head straight to the headmaster’s office who would give me a seat and a sweet to entertain me. Then at 1pm, I would be picked and taken back home. How ridiculous can we be!!!! This went on and I guess I must have felt like royalty until one of my teachers, Ms. Namuwonge got to know about this outrageous habit. I am told she bust into the headmaster’s office and asked to understand what business I had in the headmaster’s office when other children were in class. As I threw a tantrum in protest, she pulled me by my belly muscle back into class. That way she saved my sorry a** from being a school dropout at the age of 4 years.

Having settled in class, my naughty self did not completely go to rest. By that time we had a non teaching staff member who happened to share a name with my elder brother. Someday as we were about our business, playing most likely, I had someone call for Edward. In my head, there was only one Edward in this world who happened to be my brother. I run to him to meet him only to find an unfamiliar figure. I cried my eyes out until I was taken home. That day, my classes were cut short because of mistaken identity.

My childhood memories will not end but maybe next time I will tell how I sucked my thumb and it shrinked to the size of my pinky finger. This was a habit that was done while caressing my protruding belly button. Now imagine what would happen when I was wearing a dress. Story for another day.

Thank you for reading.

Lifestyle

How I wish people would stop……

May 6, 2020

These things I am going to talk about are things that really make me frown and wish people would stop doing. Thanks to #Day 19 of #UgBlogMonth that has given me the opportunity to say them.

Have you met people who are very passionate about their faith and want everyone to join them? Do not get me wrong, I am one of those but now we have a group of these who will do this by attacking others. As they preach their faith, they choose to talk about the ‘bad’ the other faith does. This gets me questioning the subject of their mission. How I wish people would stop bad mouthing other people’s faith in a bid to get to cross to where they are.

How do people manage to be double faced? In your presence they act like all is fine and going well, only to dig their long pretentious jaws right into your back when you turn. There is something about back biting; somehow it finds a way of getting back to you. If you do not like someone or something they do, there two options; either keep quiet and die with it, or find a way of getting that person know it. How I wish people would stop back biting others.

Work politics is really really annoying. There is a wave of job insecurity that is biting people like a cancer. People are very afraid of losing their job that they are willing to sabotage a fellow colleague just to keep their spot or climb that ladder. Many a time you will get to know about emails that fly around in the background or a baseless accusation of sorts going on. How I wish people would be a team in work places and one family at all times.

Let us talk about time wasters. This is in line of relationships, or should I call them hit and run. I will not tie this to a particular gender because men do this as much as women do. Matters of the heart are such a fragile thing to deal with and it is not fair to play with someone’s emotions and time. Why will someone want to promise something they know in their heart of hearts that they will not live up to. How I wish people would stop playing with people’s hearts.

Ever been robbed and you cried, not because you have been robbed but because you were made a fool of? Well it happened to me sometime back. I was coming from a business engagement during the days when I was an insurer. On this unlucky day I sat in a taxi that was full of thugs who posed as passengers. My friend and I were separated and I was given the front seat as my friend sat in the back. Shortly had we moved than the conductor started bagging me for change. He insisted even when I told him over and again that I did not have. In a bid to get him off my back, I decided to check my purse just in case I had and did not know. This was their move to see how much I had. My ‘fellow’ passenger in the front was the person to carry out the robbery. Having ascertained how much I had, it was time to lay the trap. The conductor once again tells me to tighten my door and immediately my ‘neighbor’ leans in to me in a bid to help me. With his heavy jacket thrown over my bag, he managed to open my bag and take my purse it less that thirty seconds. I realised this after we were advised to get another taxi citing a change of routes. I was really hurt because I felt a big fool in that moment. How I wish people would work for their ‘bread’ in the proper ways and STOP stealing.

How I wish people would stop grabbing their private parts in public. This is more to the male gender. I have never understood why their anatomy gets heavy and requires a little lift. I guess this is something I will never understand but can this not be done in public? It is a little gross.

I could go on and on but I will stop with this one. How I wish people would stop cyber bullying. There is some pseudo power people assume when they sit behind their gadgets. Lately cyber bullying has become very common and has affected public figures the most. We have blood-thirsty journalists who will run a false story not caring for the people affected. It does not matter whether there are children involved or marriages are at stake, someone will fuel it for a pay check. What happened to authenticity in media houses. The uprising of social media influencers just made things worse. How I wish for once we could think before we click.

A letter to self

May 5, 2020

Dear Me

How have you been doing? I hope you are doing well. I have been seeing kicking a** lately. Life has not been easy at all but I am so so amazed at how you have kept so positive, no wonder you have lived life to the fullest. I bless God that you have grown so deep in faith because that is keeping you sane and I am positive that it is the sole reason you are living the way you are.

Life is not a straight line you know, it has humps and bumps, deep valleys and dark allays too but it has mountain tops as well that have a magnificent view. I am sure you have tasted it all, right? If you are sometimes happy and sad other times, be glad because that is life and how it was designed to be lived. I guess it would be boring if it were any different.

We have been together for more than 20 years now and getting stronger. I have seen you grow from messy to bossy. If I have not told you enough that I am proud of you, I will say it again. I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU GIRL. I have seen you live life to the fullest, at your worst and at your best, you have tasted rich and you have tested broke too, you have been betrayed but managed to pick yourself up. Very many times I have left you to figure it out because I believe in you a lot. The challenges you have gone through and those you are going to face in the future have certainly and will bring you pain but I assure you, these will not break you. Don’t let anyone lure you into thinking that you are a failure, no, not at all. You are bigger than this. These are just ‘wind breakers’ in your path to help you recognise the little things that perhaps you were taking for granted; but not only that, these are meant to be a blessing too and a point of encouragement to someone out there tomorrow in that same spot.

Please forgive me for the times I have not been of great motivation and for a moment let you sink in your sorrow, allowed you to hang your head low, entertained ‘ney sayers‘ into your life and not given an open ear to what is troubling you. I promise to do better. I will intentionally put you first and turn on the rays of positivity at all times to radiate your skin. Get ready to glow, my girl.

Have noticed how you have changed over the recent years? You now appreciate work and do all you can to bring the very best of to the table, you multitask and are very attentive to the needs of others. You dream a lot more and in color; I love that you are also taking this writing thing so seriously. It goes without question that you are now embracing all kinds of opportunities that cross your path for as long as you see value in them. That is very impressive I should say. You are more alert to what goes on around you as well as being intentional about your relations with family and friends. I am amazed that you even get time for ministry, an opportunity to serve the Lord. Please never loose that my friend. If you keep on this path, I assure you that you will be unstoppable. My prayer is that you get more confident and that life gives you the best there is to offer for as long as you live.

I am writing this letter to you at a point when you are making some of the most important decisions of your life and I can only imagine what is going on in your mind each passing day. The days may be passing by so fast and I am more than certain that you have lots of people whispering all kinds of things in your ears, coupled with your own voices; please I beg of you not to be anxious. Do not dare look at the greener grass in the other compound, yours too is as green and maybe just needs a little more manure and patience to see it blossom. Do not ever compare yourself with anyone because you are the best version of yourself. You are doing great already.

So I hope that 2 or 3 years from now, you will come back to read this letter and will understand what I meant as you mark your life medals that you will keep collecting along the way. Be sure that I will be by your side to the very end cheering you on. I am praying for you every second of my life. I love you so so much and cannot wait to see what life hands you in the next future.

With Love

Lutgard Musiime Akiiki.

God save me if I win a lottery

May 5, 2020

First of all winning a lottery feels like gambling to me. It is such a senseless game that luck has cut out for just a few people. The creators of lottery paint an easy picture that get masses grappling over and over to get just a taste on the ridiculously large sum of money. All kinds of dreams are seen to come reality through just this one ticket. The sad reality is that 95% of lottery winners end up blowing it all up but for the sake of Day 17 in the #UgBlogMonth I dare to dream.

Now if I won a lottery, heavens hold me because I can pass out. No, I will lose my mind. I am thinking of an imaginable, outrageous amount that I have never thought of ever having in my life. Say a billion USD. First and fore most I will jump, dance, scream and do all sorts of things in praise and thanksgiving. I believe my entire body will ache in joy. From here I will do the following things;

I will call up my mother and brothers and tell them of what has happened. I will listen to all their outrageous ideas and I know most of them will be for my protection

I will then recollect myself and count the 10% I have to pay back in tithe. Now, I will tell you that is very easy to pay tithe for a small amount than it is to pay for such a big sum. I have no idea why this is so but I guess it is a human thing. Just like how it is with taxes, the more you earn the more tax you pay, I believe it is the case here. I will have to do a bank transfer to my church.

The next thing I will do is to give my mother 30% of this money for her to retire in peace and not care about going to the shop. With this money she will finally realise her poultry project and buy that double cabin she has forever dreamed about. Another 10% will also go to the family account. I am sure it will be of help.

My Family will definitely have a share on this cake

I will then complete our family home and also buy a house. Building a house from scratch is a better option but I do not think I have the patience for it. Maybe I would change my mind but I am very sure I would have a house in place.

I will as a matter of fact give our burial grounds a face lift. I will have to see that these places have a better look in respect for the dead. Yes they deserve to rest in peace and in addition to praying for them, their burial grounds too need to be cared for.

Did I make mention of debts, oh I will make sure I clear them all and also pay my savings for all the savings clubs I belong to in advance. These bills just keep piling and before you know it the amount has sky rocketed.

Finally, with this money I will put in place the nutrition firm that I have forever dreamed about as well as refurbish the differently Abled Home in Kakiri, a home for the disabled that my friend and I picked up to care for those beautiful children.