So, we’re halfway through the year and you are probably wondering, “Girl, where you been?” with some crazy side-eye trying to make me feel uncomfortable.
Image: Courtesy
Well, joke’s on you ‘cause side eyes look funny and besides, I don’t get a lot of people beating me in staring contests above the age of 4 (because they try to poke my eyes out with their fingers).
Jokes aside, I’m doing fine. Just working for the daily bread. Of course, with the current economic outlook, the bread is starting to look more like penny loaves. Don’t even get me started on that Finance Bill. I am feeling disappointed with all the other things shooting up like weeds. But I digress.
My boys are doing great, thanks for asking. Growing, playing, babbling, poking my eyes with their little fingers after sticking them in the mouth (adorable), and all that nice kid stuff – after trying to tear the house down and driving me half mad. Kids are kids, but… Eish! The dad is doing OK, but I should plug him with a physiotherapist ‘cause his back has been hurting a bit.
My older son seems to have hit a light bulb moment after his birthday recently. He’s so nice to the baby, plays with him, feels bad and cries if the baby is crying (especially if it’s his fault), and is starting to be as sweet as he is crazy when he’s upset. But he is old enough for day care now, so we will see how to put all that energy into good use. I worry about school though; the kind of influence kids have on each other, what they are exposed to, whether they are safe… all that. God only knows. I can’t control much.
At work, I am filling in for a colleague who went on a long maternity leave. I am so jealous. I used up a lot of leave during the time my mom passed on, so I didn’t carry much over, which meant I couldn’t take a longer leave because then I wouldn’t have had any days left in case I needed them, you see? Anyway, so it’s crazy, because she is in the main office, so everybody comes like, “Vicky can you help me with this? Vicky, how do I do that? Vicky this is HR, blah, blah blah…” I don’t envy people who work in the operations offices in any big organization, because they are so busy multitasking. Even people who like people can get tired. And I have seen it.
Image: Stock Image
That’s why it is important to take leave every now and then. Because some part of you starts to break down after some time; your hands could get carpal tunnel, your eyes get tired, your neck and shoulders hurt, you get physically, mentally, socially fatigued. Now imagine that, with 2 under-fives waiting to pile on you at home, after being stuck indoors because the weather is poorly. Then you say, “Hey! I have some leave saved up. I’m going!” Take my advice – go on leave.
Image: Stock Image
It’s been an interesting half-year, to say the least. Started out with commemorating the passing of my mother upcountry. Then later in the year we had a good chance to spend Easter together as a family. That was good. The babies enjoyed themselves.
This year I have come across several people attaining retirement age, and all that it entails, and I remember thinking, “Wow! Are we at that point where our parents are legally obligated to stop working (read, formal employment) because they have hit a certain age?” The funny thing about this is that I followed the debate in France about the raising of the retirement age and how the French people are so against it, and compared it with here, where retirement is looked at with dread for some, and confusion for others, because of things to do with income sources, pension, what to do with their time, and so on. But I will not get into that because I am not coming from a fully informed point of view.
One thing I can say, is that your retirement funds should not be used to start a business, especially if you are in Kenya. Some things are better done early. This is because Kenya is a hard ground when it comes to businesses, especially local ones, because you have to go through a whole lot of dross before you get a good hold of the market. I know of people who have given up great businesses because of how hard things have been, especially after COVID hit, and others who are just pushing along. Some of us are not yet 40 but we are tired! What about those over 65? This life… If you have some passive income, let it continue that way, it may come in handy someday.
Well, I have started rambling and this article is already over 700 words. So if you have made it this far, thank you. I cannot take for granted the fact that there are people from all over the world who read my blog and relate with what I have to share, even when it looks like rambling to me. For that, I am grateful. Until the next one.
Vicky's Tinted Spectacles 