La Sunday

I promise to finish this one.

Leaving Abuja in January

It hasn’t gotten any easier to write about myself, maybe harder tbh.

And it’s not because I struggle with the words. They still come easy, thankfully.

It’s because I overthink it.

I overthink everything.

Taking a walk in February

I have many lovely memories on my phone, but photographs don’t include context and voice notes/videos are a little too literal.

I prefer words because they’re participative. Writing is dialogue.

Unfortunately, between overthinking who I’m writing for (or leaving out of my story) and scratching the itch anyway by writing at work, I don’t diary as much I want to.

Or I start… and delete until the page is bare again.

But, I promise to finish this one.

Took this when I visited the house in March

I often say I write these essays for myself alone, but if that was the case, then surely there’s no need to hit the publish button.

Truth is, it feels meaningless to keep these notes to myself. Writing to publish forces me to be reflective, honest, succinct, even poetic. Maybe I don’t write for everyone, but I surely write for some.

I guess I like to be seen after all.

Lobby at the hair salon in April

Two years ago, when I last did one of these check-ins, I wanted to:

• build mental models for thinking about the world
• build a great design team
• maintain a healthy work-life balance
• not just travel, but experience life in a different culture
• properly learn a new language

Interestingly, my goals today are pretty much the same.

I still read widely, hungry to learn everything. At a basic level, I understand world systems and can thrive in conversation.

I work hard, play hard and rest even harder—started this year with a 3-month sabbatical. The team has been doing so well, and Claire has now joined to help us grow even faster.

I’ve built stronger relationships with friends and family and made a ton of new buddies for life. More recently, I’ve started to travel again.

My French has been crawling along, and I’m planning to move to Abidjan for a few months to get it up.

Accra in March

Plus, I look fantastic and feel super sexy.

I loc’d my hair, got rich and spent some time in the gym (in that order).

These days I have regular, fantastic, audacious sex and my romantic relationships (still non-committal) are healthy.

Speaking French will be the icing on this cake.

Yum.

Sapphire in June

A lot of weird shit has happened in the world in the past year and a half and there’s a lot I’m not writing about.

But my world has been largely spared, and for that I’m grateful.

I hope my luck doesn’t run out.

I hope to continue being honest and kind, hungry and hardworking.

I hope to find the space to write more.

I hope to meet more people and continue to enrich my experience of the world.

I hope to do better at keeping in touch with friends and family.

I hope to continue to do weird shit.

Summer 2021 Offsite

Hopes (and fears) aside, I’m very grateful for where I’m at.

Yesterday, I turned 29 at La Sunday.

Djibril Cissé was DJ-ing while Timi and Jubril took pictures of me dancing.

It was yet another memorable night.

There’s really not much else to this, is there?

Je suis content.