Fear...less

Anyone who truly knows me knows that I am scared of EVERYTHING. It sounds silly... I know; I'm just not (and never have been) the adventurous type. From insects... to large bodies of water... flying...speed and heights... You name it, I'm afraid if it.

All too often I can't help but think about all of the things that can go wrong...all the chaos that can present itself. Soon enough, panic slowly but surely rears it's ugly head. There have been times in my life when  I was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity, but guess who backs out because of fear...yes...this girl right here. As fear sets in, I convince myself that such opportunities aren't necessary to enjoy life... I can find fulfillment in other things, right?; wrong and wrong.

There are so many things I want to experience in life... The only thing holding me back is fear. "Scared...scared of what?!" my mother would ask in her subtle Nigerian accent. "We don't support fear; we trust God, so we CAN'T support fear!"

I promised myself in my nightly prayers to release fear and doubt and accept favor and faith. Moving forward I decided to abandon fear and accept fearless.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

~Nelson Mandela

Flew for the first time, by myself; and it only took me 20-something years to do so.  During my flight I remembered to pray and fear-less. The old me would've looked out the window and panic would have set in; I would've thought about everything that could have gone wrong at that very moment. Instead, I looked out the window and could not help but notice all of the beauty and how none if it would be possible without God.

I finally landed in South Beach; safe and sound. First things on my mind: food (of course) and is there a mall near here? LOL After some persuasion, I found myself strapped into a para sail... Large bodies of water...AND heights? Count me out(notice the panic in my face? LOL)... Then fear-less set in. After all, I'm so happy I actually went through with it! It was the most fun I've had in a while...

...until the tour guides dipped us in the water. Fun not fun...all at the same time. :)

 

These experiences taught me that I was allowing fear to cheat me. I have learned (and I am still learning) to give myself opportunities to experience new things...without fear.

Gracefully yours, 

Chinyere 

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...But You Don't Look African...?

I can remember my elementary school classmates asking me
"Are you really African?" Why do you sound white?" You're not African, only your name is..."

Well, those are thoughts and comments you would expect  from children...I didn't grow up thinking that now, in my late twenties, that I would still be hearing the same series of questions from Americans and other Nigerians alike."Are you African?!" "...but you don't look African!" ...statements I've heard all too often. As people say this, I can't help but wonder "I don't look African? Should I feel relieved …or should I be upset?” moreover, what exactly does an African look like?  I have posed this question on many platforms, and I still have yet to receive an answer. The irony in all of this is I don't need an answer. When someone tells me I don't "look" African, I know exactly what they are trying to say. I also know that this "compliment" if often viewed as one-sided and malicious.

Similar to the U.S., the continent of Africa is a blossoming melting pot of different races, ethnicities, cultures and religious denominations, proving that there is no standard African in terms of appearance; furthermore, trying to prove that there is a standard African in terms of appearance is relatively impossible.

There was once a time when whatever was put out in the media was what we considered to be a fact. We all know how misleading and biased media can be, especially when it pertains to other countries and cultures. Many of us have never been to, or have been in close contact with anyone from an African country, so most often than not, we believe what we are shown. Once upon a time, I would argue that cultural incompetency and ignorance is no fault of any one's, because of the bias and the misinformation that is fed via media. In the world we live in today, that isn't necessarily the case. With the immersion of the World Wide Web, eBooks, and other technological educational tools, accurate information is only one Google Scholar search away. At some point in our lives, we have to take responsibility for what we are fed and what we learn.


Until next time, peace and blessings.

Gracefully yours,

Chinyere

It's Time...

Greetings everyone and welcome to my very first blog post!