Marching on..

From strength to strength...

￠Keep your victories subtle, lest they find out the depth of your despair. Shout not from the peak: or it will be known you rose from a low altitude.
No. Not me..
Like a volcano.. I rise Only higher and higher, and I don't care who sees what..

Often, a tale of victory is accompanied with a harrowing tale of the rise from the ashes. Rarely does victory come on its own; it has a predecessor.. Tribulation.
If you wish to hide your tribulation, then you have not known victory... The constant battle rages; shame of the ashes or pride of the conquest..

~~~~

I believe that a majority of us have known anguish, and the subsequent victory. I have. I don't have a medal yet, but I have a smile to show.

The weird part is that, the entire war was against myself, beliefs and fears. And deep pain that felt numb.

Ego versus ego!
The hardest battles are for the self, against the self; Ego versus ego!

We can fight another person without much effort because we are wired to love ourselves first.

But, there are times we are our own worst enemies... Especially when the Esteem is so low, it just smoulders like spent charcoal. This is when we let others define who we are and thus the battle starts.. You versus You.

Everyone is here for a unique and divine purpose.

Whatever we think of others can never over-ride their purpose here.

But then, there are those who have gone through so much pain in their lives, they learn to switch off all feelings and thus exist as robots, and strive to dominate, as a server would dominate a network.

The problem is that they write down a program for those they seem fit for it, then fight and knock them into a pulp then mould them as they want..just like a child playing with clay..

And it is only natural to resist this.
Even in submission, we still resist. We fight the part of us that has submitted., and because it fears, it fights back. Therein starts the constant storm inside, it dampens even the liveliest of spirits and paralyzes with sheer force.

So, how do you win?
By dealing with the most powerful but most overlooked enemy; fear!

We are manipulated because we fear.
We are dejected because we wish for different circimstances while fearing things can get worse.

Fear is how we fall; confusing what is real.

You only get over something by going through it; instead of wiping away the memory, face it, accept it and you will find what you fear most about that episode.. Is it rejection, poverty,loneliness, malice.?

If we do not deal with these fears, they will cripple us and we will start this cycle in the lives of others just to gratify ourselves; when you make others suffer just to forget your own pain..

Or we will have a withered existence; frail and vulnerable to even the most basic forces of life..

Or, we can rise from strength to strength. 

Life is a cryptic puzzle. Nothing is ever direct. 

Learn to focus on the top-most peak you wish to rise, but also, appreciate the rise by realizing you were in a valley, and you can only go higher.. From strength to strength..

This is Serenity.
Life is Beautiful 

****

※   Learn to let go..
※  The power of Purpose!!
※  YOU ARE IMPORTANT
※  Self appreciation; The journey towards self reconstruction
※  Recovery of the body: Mind and Spirit
※ Firework (song by Katy Perry)
****

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation (Part 1): Causes and Effects

Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep ; it can be
either chronic or acute . A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. 

Sleep deprivation may result in the following conditions:

wikimedia.org

aching muscles

confusion, memory lapses or loss

depression

development of false memory

hallucinations

hand tremor

headaches

malaise

stye

periorbital puffiness , commonly known as. "bags under eyes" or eye bags

increased blood pressure

increased stress hormone levels

increased risk of diabetes

increased risk of +fibromyalgia

irritability

nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)

obesity

seizures

temper tantrums in children

yawning

mania

May cause symptoms similar to:
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
psychosis 

In a study at UCSD school of Medicine, sleep deprivation was seen to cause the brain to compensate when the individuals were asked to perform simple tasks. This means that the brain was working twice as hard in order to process simple daily tasks. 

Extended sleep deprivation will inevitably result in microsleep.

Microsleeps occur when the brain automatically shuts down, falling into a sleep state for a period that can last from a fraction of a second up to half a minute.

The person falls asleep no matter what activity he or she is engaged in.

Microsleeps are similar to blackouts and a person experiencing them is not consciously aware that they are occurring.

Weight gain/ weight loss

In rats, prolonged, complete sleep deprivation increased both food intake and energy expenditure with a net effect of weight loss and ultimately death.

This study hypothesizes that the moderate chronic sleep debt associated with habitual short sleep is associated with increased appetite and energy expenditure with the equation tipped towards food intake rather than expenditure.

The findings suggest that this might be happening because sleep deprivation could be disrupting hormones that regulate glucose metabolism and appetite.

Causes of sleep deprivation:

♣ Insomnia

Many of its symptoms are easily recognizable, including

※ excessive daytime sleepiness ;
※ frustration or worry about sleep;
※ problems with attention, concentration, or memory;
※ extreme mood changes or irritability; 

※ lack of energy or motivation; 

※ poor performance at school or work;
※ tension headaches or stomach aches.

♣ Voluntary sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation can sometimes be self-imposed due to a lack of desire to sleep or the habitual use of stimulant drugs.

Sleep deprivation is also self-imposed to achieve personal fame in the context of record-breaking stunts. 

♣ Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea (obstructive sleep apnea) is a collapse of the upper airway during sleep, which reduces airflow to the lungs.

It has many serious health outcomes if untreated, but can very often be effectively treated with positive air pressure therapy.

Central sleep apnea is repeated stops in breathing during sleep when the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing.

♣ Mental illness/ bi-polar disorder

Shifts into mania in bipolar patients are often preceded by periods of insomnia, and sleep deprivation has been shown to induce a manic state in susceptible individuals.

Sleep deprivation may represent a
final common pathway in the genesis of mania, and sleep loss is both a precipitating and reinforcing factor for the manic state.

♣ School life:

Sleep deprivation is common in first year college students as they adjust to the stress and social activities of college life.

School schedules are often incompatible with a corresponding delay in sleep offset, leading to a less than optimal amount of sleep for the majority of adolescents. 

♣ Work:

people who do shift work disrupt their sleep-wake cycles on a regular basis. Frequent travellers (for example, airline crew) also tend to have erratic sleeping patterns.

Suggestions on how to get more sleep include:

 

※ Purposefully go to bed earlier each night.

※ Don’t smoke or drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages in the hours before bedtime.

※ Improve your sleeping environment in any way you can – for example, keep it dark and sound-proof, turn off lights and wear earplugs if you have noisy neighbours.

※ Don’t have any distractions in the bedroom such as TV or a computer.

※ Use relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep quickly.

※ Seek professional assistance for sleep disorders such as snoring.

※ Find ways to improve sleeping habits for you and your baby or child.

※ Sleeping Pills & Natural Sleep Aids: 

source:
en.www.wikipedia.org
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
http://www.helpguide.org

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※   Enzyme depletion and food storage; what we miss from seed to plate

           

Little joys in life...

The mighty sea cannot sink a ship unless its waters get inside the ship; likewise, all the negativity around you has no power to sink you, unless you let it seep into your spirit - Anon

One thing life has taught me is that, happiness comes from the heart.
Joy is a first-party accessory and you can never acquire it from someone else.

Another is that little bundles of joy cannot be enjoyed unless there is a pre-existing component for of joy. Much like making yogurt - you need some bacteria to produce more bacteria to create your yogurt!!

You cannot find happiness where there is none, you have to be willing to be happy before something else makes you happy.
You cannot enjoy life if you cannot recognize bundles of joy for what they are; JOY!!

A newborn baby is often reffered as a bundle of joy, not because they brought joy to the household, but because they ADDED to the list of joys in that home. For a baby to be a delight, the parents must first be delighted already.

If you hook up with someone, hoping that THEY will make you happy, you will only suck out the joy in them and you end up as one miserable pair.

On the other hand, if you meet someone and develop a relationship, being happy with yourself, you will inevitably spread that joy into that person's life and they will glow like a light bulb - this applies to all relationships- why we marry, why we have children, why we adopt pets - all relationships we form should not be motivated for the SELF.

It is more pleasurable when a relationship is developed for anything but the self - when the only true reason you hang out with this other entity is just joy.

Life and its wake-up calls...
Life is funny - things that are best for us are given subtly; most often they do not seem important, until they are taken away from us..

I call them wake-up calls. They are the rude reminders of the things we take for granted, or we think are useless.

When they go, we imagine that its good riddance.. Hardly mourn.. Until something goes wrong and we begin to understand the important role they played..

But we are talking about joys..

So, live life to the fullest.
Do what makes you happy.
Walk away from what robs you of your joy.
Appreciate those who are loyal to you, and reciprocate the loyalty.

This is Serenity.
Life is Beautiful

****

※  Recovery of the body: Mind and Spirit
※  Love and faith....
※  (STOLEN) you don't owe ANYONE an explanation
※  Marching on..
※  Learn to let go..
※ Of anchors and tugboats..

****

Say no to...

SAY NO TO...

All forms of bullsh※t!!!

We tell victims to speak out...
That their silence will just fan the fire...
What about those the victims run TO for help??
They just stare, keep mum and wait for your drama to end...
And we wonder why victims never speak out....
If i told you that I loved you,
Then stood and watched as you burned..
All in the name of DECORUM...
Then I have wasted your precious time..
Because you are much better off with your worst enemy!!!

True friends don't watch as their friends burn..
Then try to salvage the situation when it's safe!!
Even shrewd businessmen warn their competitors,
If you are better off in the hands of a greedy gold-digger...
Then I am a waste of time as a friend, parent or sibling!!
May God show mercy when my turn comes around...
Because I will need someone to help me..
and all I have are friends just like me!!!

This is Serenity!!!

Related articles:

※ Reaching Out
※ Memoirs of an imperfect beauty: Cuts and Blisters
※ IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU ARE; YOU ARE IMPORTANT
※ Gratitude: The ingredient in faith that does move mountains
※ About Fibromyalgia: What on earth is FIBROMYALGIA?
※ Security in Nothern Kenya

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Security in Nothern Kenya

Copyright intellectual material owned by ;
Lokwang Ekitela Augustine, Capt (Rtd)
Project Coordinator- Conflict & Security Mapping at Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp

"This is to all my colleague security advisors deployed, consulting, writing/publishing, interested, following developments, making/influencing policy decisions, etc. on conflict & security challenges bedeviling the people and pastoral counties of Kenya, kindly follow my series of articles coming up soon on the little read & known about emerging concepts such as; social banditry, career banditry, the bandit economy, conflict entrepreneurs & commercialization of raids/rustling/banditry, etc on the subject area of pastoral conflict & insecurity.

I am conscious of the fact that many a writer/researchers have written widely about these areas and communities, however much of that work is superficial or too academic than local and pinned down to socio-cultural specifics that would objectively & directly establish local conflict & security problems and their corresponding local solutions to prevent/mitigate or to deescalate/manage conflict & insecurity amongst pastoral areas.

The problem we have had has been missed real and key local issues/problems and drivers of pastoral conflict/insecurity. I would say, the problem of missed real local issues has been historical, it that began with the 1st cluster of researchers who collected "Primary data" on conflict/insecurity issues in urban centres of these counties, towns such as Maralal, Kapenguria, Marigat, Isiolo, Marsabit, Lodwar, etc. to base their understanding of conflict & security challenges of those pastoral counties. All other follow on researchers/scholars on this subject area of research have been regurgitating academic findings influenced by the work of the 1st cluster of scholars/researchers. Therefore data on this conflict has been erratic or misrepresentation of the local issues in one way or another & demands review backwards in time.

Authentic, quality, unbiased and people-centered primary data exists in areas beyond pastoral towns (towns essentially represent to a large extend opinionated elites fanning the conflict, the towns are the places where elites live) of these counties, objective perspectives/accounts of the key drivers of pastoral conflict/insecurity is with the kraal elders, the herders, etc who most researchers have not effectively worked hard to reach or have had difficulty to access because of the conflict/insecurity itself, the rugged, remote, difficult, inaccessible, and reserve areas these kraals are essentially located.

As such, most field researchers on conflict/insecurity terminate in the said urban centres, and the correct perspective are never captured in the final findings which would normally be presented as expert position on the pastoral conflict/security.

It is therefore my conviction that enabling fellow practicing security professionals better understand pastoral conflict and insecurity through writing local & traditional dynamics beyond commonplace casual/superficial mentioning of terms such as; raids, rustling, banditry, etc. will provide them an in-depth understanding of the conflict to enable them facilitate sound decision making by those who rely on their advice to make business, organizational decisions.

As an example, I will endeavor to split up and comprehensively discuss the term "Raid" into a conduit chain of parties (Raiding parties, raiding parties patrol bases/launching pads, livestock transporters from the pastoral areas, the livestock dealers, the ready buyers/market, the high status facilitators, etc), that will illustrate the complex and geographically spanning conflict & insecurity challenges of pastoral people & counties, indicating to you how local and external layers of conflict drivers reinforce each other and make conflict/insecurity intractable.

I certainly trust that providing you such comprehensive knowledge on the said dynamics will be extremely helpful in the course of you discharging your security advisory and other conflict & security related roles and responsibilities in the pastoral counties/areas of your interest."

What is your opinion on this post ?

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Memoirs of an imperfect beauty: Cuts and Blisters

Memoirs of an imperfect beauty: Cuts and Blisters  

There lived a young beauty. She appeared perfect to everyone who beheld her. But her life was anything but perfect. Just like everyone around her, she had her fair share of pain and sorrow.  

One of her biggest sorrows was a big wound on each of her palms. She hid these wounds by always fisting her hands. No one but her closest friends knew of these wounds which were festering and ruining her hands slowly.  

One wound was caused by a small pebble that shone like a pearl. She had once been friends with another beauty whom she had lent a dress for a ball. In return, her friend had given her the pearl-like pebble, but it was red hot and thus shone like a ruby. Beauty had no idea it was hot , and not really a ruby but a pebble, and once she clasped her hand around it, it burned her terribly. She threw it on the floor, hurt and betrayed. Once it was cool, she took the pebble and went away, vowing to never forget the unkindness of her once friend.  

On her way, she met a young slave who was dying of thirst. She drew water from a nearby well and offered him a drink, and helped him get rid of his chains so that he could escape forever. In return, he gave her a diamond that he had stolen from his master, among other treasures.

He said that preferred to give her the diamond because it shone like her face; she had no idea he was not telling the truth. Beauty had no idea that the diamond was cursed and was bound to cut anyone besides its true owner.  

The edges of the diamond cut deeply and she bled terribly. She however continued the journey with the diamond in hand, vowing to never forget the ungrateful slave.  

Days passed and the pebble and diamond injured Beauty's hands. Soon, crusts of dried blood and fluid had partially covered the pebble and diamond, and Beauty had a new problem. She could not let go of the irritants without feeling the pains she felt the day the wounds were inflicted.  

Her friends tried to remove them but each time, she felt more pain than ever, and she started hiding from them. The best physicians gave her the option of cutting off her hands or teaching her to live with the stones in hand, while sipping potions meant to relieve the pain. She was distressed more than she was the day she received the bogus gifts.  

One day, while crying in a forest, she encountered an old wise man who was drawn by her sobs. On inquiring further, she showed him her hands and he felt sorry that she could not let the stones go. He then asked her why she never let them go on the first day. It was then that she opened up and explained in detail how she got the stones in return for her kindness. 

He gently prodded her for details, and on explaining, she absentmindedly fiddled with the stones and the crusts became loose and eventually they fell off, freeing the stones. Beauty felt horrible pain as the crusts loosened, but she was relieved that her burdens were finally off her!!  

The wise old man helped her clean the now open wounds and gave her a salve to help her heal. But it was his words that helped her most.  

He said, " My dear, you are not built to hold on to grudges, that is why your hands were festered. Whenever someone wrongs you, do not hold on to them or their actions, but hold on to the lesson.   You learned that you are capable of immense kindness while people can be immensely ungrateful. 

Do what is good. Be who you are no matter the nature of those you encounter, because taking on their nature will hurt only you in the end."  

This is Serenity!!

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THREE sides; ONE view...

So, it's Chrismass yet again, so merry Xmass to y'all!!!

And this Xmass found me early in a super market shopping for breakfast groceries.



One of the attendants strick me though... He reeked like a brewery!!!
A million judgements flew inside my head;
"He must be the kind that packs his family and sends them upcountry and pretends to be working .." my mind sneered...

But something struck me about this gentleman (yes, gentleman!!). He was exceptionally cautious with the shopping, courteous to a fault, patient... Despite the dragon breath...
Then I was ashamed of myself in an instant. This man was up early working and I was busy casting stones...

And so ends my Xmass story...

The 3 sides of a coin....

For every instance that occurs, there is a second story that complements the first one. Every coin has a head, tail and a middle ground that balances between both the head and tail.

Many times we develop opinions of those outside our various circles - which is pretty harmless UNLESS acted on. The moment you treat this person based on your opinion, then you have already cast a stone that can only be withdrawn by swallowing a bitter, humble pie.

Life and its many mirrors...

♥* To be aware of a single short coming in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in someone else - Dalai Lama ♥

Life is a journey full of mirrors,and just like mirrors in any other car, the smallest ones being the rear view mirrors. They are small because they are not meant to be your main focus. Your focus should be ahead; your destination!!

The SMALLEST mirror though, is the one which you can comfortably look yourself in without twisting it or yourself so as to focus it on you. And, this mirror is usually located on the passenger side.

This means that as a good driver, your FIRST focus is your destination and ensuring you get there in one piece.

Second, be aware of those around you..
You are not the only human being amongst a colony of human-like things. The rear view mirrors help you judge the distance between yourself and those you SHARE the same highway (resources) with and in your bid to get ahead, you don't cause injury to another. This way, you will also arrive in one piece.

The last mirror is on yourself, and you will comfortably use it once you are off the wheel... Contemplating your next move; preparing yourself for something or someone... Take some time and reflect; but not as you speed on the highway of life..
An injury to another will still dent you

This is Serenity!!
Life is Beautiful!!!

Related articles:

※ The power of Purpose!!
※ Self appreciation; The journey towards self
reconstruction
※ Reaching Out..
※ Learn to let go
※ GRIEF: Exploring, Dealing and Coping
※ Self promotion is not self glorification

Stay updated by signing up for more posts or bookmarking us and visit our Facebook page .

Also, make sure to visit our website where you can get a wide range of items at very reasonable prices, plus minimal hassle (or just browse through if you feel like window shopping!!)

call/text/whatsapp on +254725733412 for more information
or just email mburu.njeri88@gmail.com for more information on related topics.

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