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

Single ladies: Wife material

MPV.....my point of view! Single Ladies: Wifen Material *Royal wave*Hey single ladies,your guide is back.The pursuit for Mr Put-A-Ring-On-It is on.Today I would like to make you a get-a-ring-on-it lady. Now following my articles,'Single Ladies Part 3',where I talked about the prince searching for a 'real princess',or 'Queen';and 'Brown Sugar',where the word 'brown sugar' was defined as wifen material,I would like to talk about 'wifey material'.(Whether we are that). How do we single ladies get that ring-on-it,you ask?By being wifey material.My uncle keeps on telling me,'If you want to become Mrs X,you should be a wife.You are a wife before he puts a ring on it'.What he means is that,a man will treat you the way you portray yourself.How,you ask? Ever noticed the difference between a wife and a girlfriend.Now let me break it down for you.A girlfriend usually,takes life in a more leisurely way;unlike a wife,whose focus is mo...

Script My Life: Love By the 10th Date

Finding love shouldn’t be a duty but it should be a journey that you enjoy the ride while you get to it... I don’t remember when was the last time I related to a number of female characters in one movie. I finally watched Lifetime movie ‘Love By the 10th Date’.  The trailer to the movie, written and directed by Nzingha Stewart, enticed me for a good chick flick...about women of colour. The all star cast includes the gorgeous Kelly Rowland, Meagan Good, Keri Hilson and Kellee Smith. We also see Cat Deely, Joshua T Jackson, Andra Fuller and UnReal’s Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman. The story line follows a group of young, successful black friends who work for a high end, digital magazine Nina. The protagonist is Gabrielle Fateful a.k.a Gabby played by Meagan Good. Gabby is a graphic designer at Nina whose love life is an actual struggle. The scene that kickstarts the plot of the movie is when Gabby goes out for dinner with friends and workmates, Margot (Kelly Rowland), Bi...

Single Ladies: Thank You, Next!

I just had the most vivid dream about my high school crush ! I think I love him! But that's a conversation for another day. Hey single ladies, (Beyoncé wave)! How are you beautiful goddesses? I am fine thank you. The journey is so exciting and evolutionary. To imagine where we started from six years ago to date, the amount of internal change and personal growth. Like you, I'm still single, but I'm now single with a purpose. And I can safely say that I am ready for Mr Put-a-ring-on-it, and the whole shebang - flaws and all. Even my brother's girlfriend affirmed that I am a mature woman ready to settle down. But it's not the narrative for all the single ladies and that's okay! My older sister and I always have these conversations about personal growth and self love. She is a wellness and mental health consultant with a background in psychiatry. I am a work in progress with a nursing background, psychology and psychiatry included. I also use my personal e...

Script My Life: Marry Me

If you want something different, you have to do something different! Woo, Jennifer Lopez really grated the cheese on this rom-com but I love it! Yes, this Valentines day, J Lo reminds us of all our fantasies of what really love should be. Jenny has always been a girl who loves love. So art somewhat imitates life. Following her reunion with former fiancé, Ben Affleck, we are definitely seeing Jenny from the Block 2.0. Who knew that getting back together with 'the one that got away' two decades later would revive romantically in J lo? We all know that Jennifer loves to be booed up. She's been married three times, engaged five or six (I've lost count). I believe relationship experts would consider her a love addict. But that's none of our business! Just in time for Valentines day, a romantic comedy simply titled, "Marry Me". The stars Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley, Sarah Silverman, and Chloe Coleman. The movie opens with the title trac...

The Writings On The Wall

Thou shall move onto the next! And then 'If You Leave' by Destiny's Child and Next starts to play. Gosh, 'The Writings on the Wall' remains my favourite Destiny's Child album, ever. The concept of the '10 commandments' of relationships. Brilliant!  Bonjour, mes amies! Comment ça va? Ça va bien!  (Caribbean accent) Your gyal ,  moi , has been experiencing epiphanies. And a few disappointments, but life is too sweet to be upset. Lick your ice cream and have sweet red wine! I travelled through the blogosphere for inspiration for our topic today. Ironically, I also had a discussion with an acquaintance about a similar topic. There's nothing that I love more than people who brag about their intelligence. Oh, my! People pride themselves on their levels of education, often equating it to intelligence. We assess our value based on having degrees, master's degrees, and doctorates. If only those worked in relationships. I think of David Robson's '...