Skip to main content

Winter ABC Day 26: Portraits of My Life

Photos without captions are left for one's interpretation. A picture is worth a thousand words, some often left unsaid.

As I flip through old photo albums, I read the stories told by each image. I'm by nature, nostalgic, and find peace in past time's paradise. But those photos show how far I have come. I see the journey to unlearning and healing. I see the map to self love. There are images of loved ones both living and deceased.

Memories are affirmed by photos and below are the portraits of my life.

1. Photo with dad

My middle name in Zulu loosely means 'daddy's girl'. Out of all my sisters, I cleaved to my father's hip. At 5 ft 2 in, my father was the figure that I looked up to. This photo resembles him carrying my life in his hands. I didn't have to face the world alone, daddy had me.



2. Photo of mum 

My mother was and still is the most stylish woman that I know. If it weren't for traditional Shona customs, I would still have most of her clothes. I would probably be wearing them. My mum looked good in everything. She loved red lipstick and rocked that Afro as if she was Pam Grief in Foxy Brown. This photo is of my live Pinterest board.

3. My pink Chinese dress



For one night, I was Cinderella at the ball. This photo was taken at my younger sister's birthday soiree. My cousin picked this dress for me. She said that it brought out my personality - weird and adventurous. She forgot lover of the exotic. This was the first time that I felt very beautiful. It was more than just the dress, it was my perception of self. The dress also happens to be inspired by one of my female idols, Sadé. Exhibit A.



4. Photo of my daughter



What personality rolled up into one little human being. My daughter is loveable. She is sweet yet mature beyond her age. She is generous with a gigantic heart. She says that she wants to be a star. Looks like she is one already. This photo is my lighthouse - guiding my journey through motherhood. I hope that I will be a great mother.

5. My sister as a bridesmaid



This is what sibling rivalry looks like. Anybody remember the MTV cartoon 'Daria'. I'm so Daria and this is my sister, who's like Daria's sister, Britney. Growing up we were always compared. I wad the smart one and she's the pretty one. Pretty always wins, smart hurts. As adults my sister still has that competitive trait in her. She often projects onto me - she wants me to be 'her'. Although she never admits to it. This photo is a compliment from me, you are beautiful and that's enough. I'm in my lane and that's enough.

Thank you for going through the exhibition of my photos. They remain in this gallery for your own interpretation.

Merci beaucoup!

P.S. Always write your own love story!

Ciao!

Lady E

Comments

Popular Posts

The Slow Burn

Stop trying to control everything and start experiencing the slow burn. Hello, single ladies! Comment ça va mes amies? "Je suis bien!   Gather around; today we are having coffee and tea. I'll get my dose of caffeine as usual. I'm so inspired by the previous article. The inspiration came from the last few paragraphs, where I wrote about the slow burn. I remember the movie, "I Want You Back." The character Emma tells Peter that he's attractive, and she would date him, despite the fact that he is a slow burner. And then Kacey Musgraves' "Slow Burn" starts playing in my head. ("I'm alright with a slow burn"). As I decided to rewrite the scripts for my "love story," the last part challenged me. Do you remember what Kat Valdez said in "Marry Me"? If you want something different, you have to do something different. So, you make a different decision. I thought long and hard about that statement. I believe that I'm ...

Script My Life: Reality High

High school will always be tough no matter what era... Top be honest, I hated high school with a passion. Okay, most of high school, senior year was bearable. I went through serious teenage angst and it didn't help that I didn't fit in. I struggled with my identity because I grew up bourgie but lived in the ghetto, spoke with a twang and was an artist at heart. I loved pretty things but I preferred being comfortable. And that's why when I watched the Netflix original film, Reality High, I could relate. In high school, everyone wants to be cool and fit in. Starring Nesta Cooper and Keith Powers, the movie is about awkward yet high achieving senior Dani Barnes. Dani is focused on going to college and volunteers at the school's veterinary section. But Dani has an arch enemy not by choice. Enter Alexa Medina, the most popular girl in school who has a vlog. Alexa has a large following of nine million followers and is always moving around taking videos, and photos....

5 Inexpensive Dates in a Bad Economy

If he's making the economy an excuse, swipe left.... A guy who makes too many excuses whilst pursuing you is not worth your time. He will make excuses for not making time for you. More so, for not taking you on a date. A real man makes a plan...all the time! Yes, the economy is atrocious...a complete nightmare! Does that mean that humanity stops? Y'all,  we have procreation to continue until the end of time. A season of a recession, shouldn't hinder dates, relationships and the whole nine yards that come with that package. Couples over centuries overcame obstacles such as family feuds, classism, racism, tribalism, religious differences etc. They all found a way around those challenges. Any guy who uses 'in this economy' as an excuse is dropped like a pin. Honestly, such an individual lacks ambition and creativity. I want the flowers, chocolate, and the date. Otherwise...skrrr! You will have to show innovation in your pursuit. If you can't be strategic w...

Pendulum...Time to Stop Swinging!

At that very moment you actually receive that closure that it's finally over... You lay there, with a sigh of  relief because it was good whilst it lasted, but you are glad that it's over. There are certain things that you begin to intuitively feel and understand as you grow older or wiser. You move out of naivety or ideologies of the perfect relationship. You get to a place of realising that some relationships have good parts but don't last. And there are other bad relationships where the only thing that holds you together, is what's in between the sheets. During a conversation with a friend, I asked him for his opinion about a relationship. His view of my 'situation' was that I was like a pendulum. It was a constant back and forth with this guy which in psychology is considered 'toxic'. My friend gave me advice athat I need to respect myself enough to demand stability from a relationship. The guy who comes into my life must anchor himself and...

I Ain't Got My Shit Together

It's okay that I'm not the ideal because I'm a work in progress! I was listening to Brandy's discography and then I resonated with the lyrics to 'Camouflage'. I love the part when she sings, " And God knows I ain't perfect, Tell me who in the world is, All I know is that I'm searching, For somebody to love me with." Yes, then I recall my many arguments with Sagittarius. Always fighting dirty and hitting below the belt. As I have previously highlighted, I asked of him, to step up and meet me halfway. That's what normal people in a relationship do, right? Attempting reverse psychology on me, he would state that I thought of myself as 'perfect'. Whilst I chastised him, not to be condescending, but to make the relationship 'work', but I was the villain. He would be petty and sulk that he's always wrong with me instead of taking responsibility. Sigh! I wish that he chose to understand that I'm far from perfect. I hav...