Sweet Fresh Love!

Friday loving: I Am So My Hair!

mutheu — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:58:51 +0000

This year begun with all sorts of wonderful changes – including that i decided to change my hairstyle and thats when i discovered that contrary to what India Arie sings, I am definitely my hair! The day after my new haircut and move from natural hair, i called my friend K in all sorts of identity crisis – “gosh, i don’t even know exactly how i feel…”. At some point, she laughs and tells me that I’ve lost her coz it’s really not that deep! Another friend on twitter jokingly calls me a “traitor” and i actually feel like she has a point coz i moved from natural hair. Simply folks, i am so my hair. Well, kinda… sorta… maybe. But yes, for now, i am enjoying the new look ;- )* Change is good, even on hair.

Moved from this look:

To kinda this look:

Hey beauties, what’s your relationship to your hair? Would love to hear.

Have a beautiful, authentic weekend.

Love, love, m

p.s: and just incase you think guys are not their hair, read about Samson in the bible – he was totally his hair! ;- )*

Of Smelly Socks, Alcohol Breath and the Church

mutheu — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:48:20 +0000

When i got to church last Sunday, and the usher led me to a section i have actually never sat in, i went ahead and took the offered seat. New year, new things! And as soon as i sat, i was hit by the really unpleasant smell of smelly socks and some serious stale alcohol smell. Someone clearly had stumbled out of a pub and straight into a seat right next to me in church! And beloveds, i could feel myself getting all judgmental and pissed when it hit me, this is exactly where Jesus would choose to sit.

Jesus had a habit of loving the unlovable and hanging out with the despicable. It’s almost as though He specifically picked out the people who would be most looked down upon and lifted them up. Woman with like 5 hubbys? Yes! Prostitute? Yes! Tax-freaking-collector? Yes! Sinner? Yes! As Juliani asks on his song Friend Request, if Jesus was on facebook…whose friend requests would He accept? Amongst those would be from prostitutes, thugs, gangsters… (clearly, Juliani didn’t say it like that but he did say something like that :- )

I felt kinda embarrassed at catching myself behaving like a freaking Pharisee and immediately, it humbled me. Here’s the thing beloveds, this year, i want to learn to put away my judgements, to be faster to see the log in my own eye than the speck in my brother’s, to love more and leave the judgement business to God who pours His rain on the just and unjust alike.

So yes, church is the perfect place for a man who stumbled out of a pub to stumble into on a Sunday morning. Church needs to be the one place where this man, and me, can run to, no matter our state…

Love, love, m

And here is the song from Juliani. His lyrics are absolutely clever. Gifted!

friday inspiration: this post by danielle laporte

mutheu — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:42:55 +0000

beloveds,

this post by danielle laporte.

simply, it is this:

SHOW UP.

SHINE.

LET IT GO.

i love that: smart; to the point; wisdom!

happy weekend.

love, love, m

happy new year – 2012 is here!

mutheu — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:27:39 +0000

beloveds,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! may your 2012 be full and wonderful and growthful and fulfilling and surprising and beautiful. may many of your silent prayers and quiet, hopeful dreams begin to be birthed into reality.

i plan to keep writing and to keep sharing Sweet Fresh Love!

love, love, m

early friday inspiration: african-kenyan summer sweet

mutheu — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:38:25 +0000

stumbled on this pic that me thinks captures the current summery, holiday-y mood in the air… enjoy. love, love, m

from township.co.za

Sweet Inspiration: Things to make you smile

mutheu — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:31:21 +0000

p.s: i have missed this space! it is nice to be back – writing.

from orangebeautiful.com

As this beautiful week begins, several things are inspiring and making me smile…

That original CDs by kenyan musicians are becoming more and more available. in the last two weeks, i acquired Beba Beba by ma3 the band and eric wainaina’s Love and Protest
That the holiday season is already in the air. It feels light and fun and full of joy already.
And that the holiday season promises to bring with it a lot of potentially fun, creative, artsy experiences. Beginning with tonight’s concert at the MJ Centre – the Villagers; Blankets and Wine on Sunday with liquideep who have the most positive, woman-loving lyrics ever. Gosh!
Embracing the fact that sometimes things (and people and events) do disappoint and…. that’s okay. Went to an event on Friday that i had really been looking forward to and it was a total disappointment. yuck!
On the other hand, people that you at times will have almost given up on, will surprise you and touch you and inspire you anew. Life is like that – it brings beautiful surprises along!

Wishing you an inspiring week. And today is the 8^th wedding/marriage anniversary for my friend, K, who might as well by my sister, and i celebrate with her and wish her continued joy and grace and love, love, love!

Love, love, m

multiple cultures. multiple colours

mutheu — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:41:20 +0000

after welcoming artists from brazil, india, ghana, kenya and a team from the netherlands yesterday, i am flooded with how powerful it is to see people of different cultures and colours working together. the 30 performing artists are working together to create one 35 minute piece that will be showcased in the netherlands next year at the world expo called floriade2012. this is for my work at the UCDNetwork.

one of the corporations that has done an amazing job in terms of celebrating diversity and colours in their ad campaigns and is one of my greatest inspirations in terms of advertising is the United Colours of Benetton. these images from their campaigns capture completely the joy of mixing colours and for me, i think also of cultures. with the mix of artists that i am hosting here in kenya – and they are all dancers so they do all look so wonderfully striking – these images express the power i feel here. enjoy!

Friday loving: Of Bees and Bubbles.

mutheu — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 06:23:56 +0000

random sweet experiences with my Sweepea (3 year old daughter)

Experience One:

I got home one day to find my Sweepea with a hugely swollen lip.

“What happened?” I ask her anxiously

“I was bitten by a bee” She informs.

“Goodness. How did that happen?”

“I was trying to catch it then it chased me and bit me”.

I put on my most “I am so sorry face” while inside I am laughing so hard! What? She was going to catch it then it chased her? What a turn of events!

Experience Two:

My Sweepea is walking around in the morning with saliva drooping from her mouth. She is already dressed for school and if she goes on like this, her clothes will have to be changed. Anxious, i ask her:

“Sweetie. What are you doing?”

“I am blowing bubbles”, she informs me as she continues to practice her bubble blowing. Clearly, she hasn’t got the concept yet but i am laughing too much to even ask her to stop. Let her pour saliva until one day, it will be an actual bubble!

Have a lovely day and weekend.

Love, love, m

Growth and A Note on Friendship

mutheu — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:03:43 +0000

The other day, i ran into someone that i haven’t seen for a very long time. Meeting her again reminded me of who i used to be and just how far i have come. Back in the day when i used to interact with her, i was in such a chaotic part of my life – of course, being in the depth of it, i didn’t realise just how dark that time was. It is only now as i look back and the clouds have lifted that i notice how thick things were back then.

And so i am simply grateful – for growth and learning and Wisdom. For real friends who have been with me through those tough times and on to now; for family and for wise counsel and companionship that slowly shone a light into my life and lifted the fog. And for the re-connection with God and His undying and endless love that actually never left, although at times i had thought it did. Note: Love is always with us.

Notes on Friendship: Lessons Learnt from that long-ago time:

Some of the things i learnt from that time was actually about friendship – the real thing versus the other one. It is probably not a real friendship if:

You are the only one who ever makes an effort to call; check in; contact; connect. If it is heavily one- way and you are the only one who seems to ever reach out, its not friendship. Real friendships have both people putting in the effort.
You are the only one who ever shares your issues and situations; the other person just never seems to let you in on what’s going on in their life but seems happy to listen and advice you. In real friendship, sharing of lives happens. (Point to note: please notice when you are turning your friends into therapists. That can be very draining on friendship.)
As a result of 2 above, you really do not know much or anything about their life beyond your friendship. Means that sharing is not happening.

As the weekend comes, wishing you real friendship and the knowledge that no matter how difficult things may seem at any point in your life, things do really get better; lives do really get transformed. Take it from me.

Happy weekend!

Love, love, m

late monday inspiration: Africa In Your Earbuds

mutheu — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:44:46 +0000

have a listen to this easy, flowing, nice-beat song with a fantastic title – Africa In Your Earbuds. by Just A Band who i like alot.

AFRICA IN YOUR EARBUDS #5: JUST A BAND by okayafrica

love, love, m