Being Fran: On turning 24 and flipping a new page.
On the night i turned 23, i read a quote that made me think for a while. The quote was “23 is the year of confusion”
My immediate reaction was, “No! This has got to be the worst of luck! This is not what i want for my new year!!”
But then i pondered every week after that, nearly a month.
That’s when i came to the realization that the quote wasn’t necessarily to my disadvantage. It was merely a heads up of what was ahead of me.
All through my life, i had always been an orderly person. I had my month’s schedule in advance, always showed up for meetings, and was pretty much reliable.
But that was when i was in campus! 22 and living life in the fast lane!
A lot happened in my 23. A LOT! But in a nutshell, here’s what my 23 looked like:
- I was recently bereaved and was still mourning my late grandmother.
- The month before, i had just met a guy that i liked so much. He later turned out to be a total disgrace. He was engaged and expecting a baby in months!! Anyway, in case you’re reading this, i forgave you!
- I organised one of themost intensive events i have ever planned, Miss Plus Size Kenya 2015! Drained allmy energy!
- I missed all the submission deadlines for my dissertation!!
- I wasn’t sure if i was gonna graduate from college!
- In November of 2015, I fell into depression that saw me alienate my friends and family and shut everyone out.
- I also gained a lot of weight from stress eating 🙂
Most of the time, while 23, i kept on remembering the quote i had read,that “23 was the year of confusion!”
But now that i think about it, God’s grace and favor turned every downfall into my risen glory.
- Though i missed my grandmother, i began to celebrate her for the time we had her. I even got the courage to visit her bedroom and go through her stuff. May i say, i cherish every moment i spent with her.
- I moved on from my breakup, composed myself and got back into the dating scene. I am now in a serious relationship in which i am loved for my inner being and not for “who i am” or “what i do for a living”.
- I have evolved with my business and learned how to balance work, school and Plus Fabulosity.
- Though i had missed all submission deadlines for my dissertation, my pupil master was gracious enough to grade my paper and ensure that i was added to the graduation list.
- I graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, Second Class Honours, Upper Division!! Allow me to floss a bit 🙂 🙂 🙂
- I came out of depression in March 2016 and was able to bounce back to work, connect with my family and friends even more. To date, i’m still a working progress.
- I recently began my weight loss journey under the Curvy Fit program. So far, 2 kilos down. My target is not to shed off all my weight, but to tone down to size 14/16.
Instead of confusion, my year was a miracle all through. Yes, there were ups and downs, but God sustained me.
Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 24. No weird phrases yet, only blessings spoken over my life!
My prayer for this year, is that God may grant me favor before Him and before men. I believe that God’s favor is worth 1,000 days of labor! I know He will fulfill my heart’s desires and i cant wait to share with you what my 24 will be like!
Xoxo
– Fran-