Finding my Voice in Rural Ruminations

I recently started writing on a WhatsApp Channel, Rural Ruminations with Madhumeni Manyama https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb66bVwJZg4CF9IINy1a. It’s been such a rewarding experience sharing insights about rural life as farmers and Agricultural Business Advisors for the government.

I’ve always wanted to write something agro-related but struggled to find the inspiration. I remember attempting to publish a book with a good friend, but it flopped because I couldn’t contribute tangible input. Now, I feel these rural ruminations might just lead me to a book.

I’m more of a creative writer than an academic, so anything requiring deep research and citations gives me a tough time. But I’ve finally found my happy space! Each story I share on this channel brings me immense satisfaction. It’s also made me realize how much farm life nourishes my soul—this is the kind of life I’ve always dreamt of.

Dear God, musikana arikufara! 💃🏾

Proud to be a part of the agricultural sector!!!

I Will Never Be This Broke Ever, Ever Again

You will realize the importance of the Econet $0.30 hour data bundle when all you’ve got left is a mere $0.36 in your bank account. It’s January, and for the past two years—this being the third—I’ve been experiencing a super dry spell during this month. Kutoshaya kobiri chaiko 🤦🏾‍♀️. I’ve been so broke that I can’t even manage to get myself a $1 WhatsApp bundle zvayo. In this era, you just need to stay connected on the internet— manje ndopandakaita kutsva.

This brokeness got me reminiscing about a time last year when I miraculously received $273 worth of airtime. To this day, I’m unaware where this much airtime came from— haa ndange ndakanaka team rangu. Sharing is caring, so I shared some of that airtime with friends, settled some debts through data purchases, and had so much data that I wish I had saved it. But well, matakadya kare haanyaradze mwana. Those are now just good memories.

I suck big time at handling finances, even though I get so much money my way. This year, I told myself I would do things differently, especially kune zvemari uku. I’ve enrolled in a virtual Financial Literacy class with Let’s Talk Personal Finances, led by Tarie and Clare. The group is called Fin Lit Besties. It’s a six-month course worth $165 ($15 registration fee and $25/month). I believe this investment will multiply tens of thousands fold. We’re just a few days into the class, but I’m already gleaning so much. Haa ndikuitirwa zvakanaka.

I am so deliberate, intentional, and purposeful about having a good relationship with my money. Ayehwa mari ndotoitsvaga zvekudero, but hey, I spend it willy-nilly. I’m tired of all this hard work with nothing to show for it. Haa, this year, January is the last month I write a blog and fail to publish it on time because handina data zvaro. No mhani, I strongly refuse to be this broke ever, ever again! I’m doing all it takes— nditoitawo hanzi inonzi emergency fund. Imi kutaura kuno ndikawirwa nedambudziko ndinenge ndisina pekubata.

Payday seems so far away vasikana. Back to school has humbled me— apa ndichitori nemazi arrears 😂. I’m grateful that the head at my daughter’s school was understanding and allowed her to start school nepashoma pandakavabatisa. Apa gaya mu newcomer hake 😂😂😂. Haa, I vow to be paying chero ma advance from this moment and forever.

In 2025, haa, I’ll be clearing my debts, saving, and making some long-lasting investments. Handisi kuita zvekutamba, my relationship with money ikufanirwa kuswatanuka by fire, by force. Ndombozvida here zvekutambura, no mhani!!!

I will never be this broke ever, ever again. Watch this space!!!

Book 30, Chapter 3 Opened

Oh, God, it’s my birthday! I’m super excited to witness yet another beautiful year. This surely marks the beginning of stunning experiences, life-transforming challenges, epic moments, and cherished memories.

I feel blessed to have been born in the first month of the year. Although, where I come from, January isn’t considered an ideal month for many. For me, however, it’s a special time – the moment God chose for me to join His earthly creation. So, I’m going to make the most of it!

Instead of sharing a Happy New Year post earlier, I decided to save it for this special day. Nonetheless, I’d like to extend my warmest compliments of the new season, 2025! May all your heart’s desires be fulfilled in this beautiful year.

To truly experience the newness this year has to offer, make a conscious decision to do something differently. An increment in age is a poignant reminder that time is passing. As I grow older, I recognize the need for change.

The adulting journey is becoming more real, and I’m embracing it with each passing moment. This new year brings new opportunities, and I’m committed to making it worthwhile. I’ll take each goal I’ve set seriously, refusing to remain stagnant.

I’m eager to witness positive changes in all aspects of my life. Bring it on, 2025! I’m ready. Watch this space❣️❣️❣️

No More Excuses!

Every Tuesday morning when my alarm rings at 6am, I get a WordPress reminder that it’s time to share a story on my blog. It’s been three good months ignoring that reminder because of a million EXCUSES… I love writing with a passion and it’s one thing that brings me so much fulfilment but well here I am for the I- don’t -no th time apologising to you my lovely Readers for starving you. I know you enjoy the tales so much and once again I promise to keep you satiated from the oasis of my story telling.

I honestly didn’t plan on what am going to share today but I just told myself, “You are going to write whether you are in it or not. NO MORE EXCUSES!” Yea, that really stuck in my thick skull and got my hand to mind coordination into action.

Someone commented on my consistency in some fitness group I am in on Whatsapp. The group was opened 6 weeks ago and all participants are on a quest to drop some calories. I have religiously updated all my working out and food intake in that group even when I cheat, I state how and why. So, just having someone appreciating how much I have been consistent got me thinking of all the other areas that I have stopped paying attention to because; I am less motivated, it’s not paying off, a lot is going on in my mind, my new job is taking all my time and creativity, single-parenting is taxing, bla bla bla… I mean just because of a million EXCUSES.

This thought struck a cord and I vowed to make a positive change towards all my excuses. Instead of excuses am going to execute so, am getting back on the drawing board and give myself another 6 week challenge, where am not only focusing on weight loss but a complete mindset shift and spreading my consistency to all the areas I had sabotaged.

So, by the way in the fitness group we were on a 6-week-intensive-weight loss journey. I have been so much longing to weigh 65kg since 2022 when I realised I had ballooned but from 78kg I got to 73kg. Sometime in February this year, I told myself I will get on working out and portion control in food intake and I dropped off to 68kg in 2 months. Then that’s when I came across this amazing platform which I joined on the 20th of April and the 6-week journey commenced on the 22nd of April up to the 2nd of June and I am now on 64kg. So, now am left with mantaining and toning up my body. I am super-excited, I did it 💃🏿.

More on this journey will be shared in my upcoming blogs. Stay tuned❣️

I am rising above

I am back again after a long time 🤦🏾‍♀️. Consistency is still a huge challenge to me but well since it’s a new year am set for a mindset shift hence AM RISING ABOVE this obstacle and many others. Writing a new year post has been my thing since I started this blog so yipeee some consistent element is still within me; it simply needs more cultivation and am on it. I truly want to improve on this one.

This reminder pops up every Tuesday morning and stays with me all day long…

Eversince I promised to keep this place well fed, I tried to keep up for a couple of weeks and even set a reminder on my phone but well life’s happenings got the best of me as usual 🤦🏾‍♀️. If I say I wasn’t writing, I would be lying; I wrote a number of stories but just lost the motivation and strength to click the publish button. One of my excuses has been, “Oh, I am supposed to share something on my blog but I do not have time to download some graphics to add on to the story…” Yea, I made a conscious decision to keep the blog colourful and posting a story nje creeps the hell out of me… The excuse is good enough, huh?

I no longer have no writing excuse, whatsoever!

So, the point is whenever we don’t live up to our expectations, we always come up with excuses. I expect to find myself writing frequently with no excuse whatsoever but because I am human, I still have a reason why I haven’t been able to do so. Genuine or not, I know better but we do this in many things in our lives so, in this new season, I just wanna rise above any excuses. I wanna do what I am supposed to do or that which I set my mind to do effectively and consistently.

2023 has been such a challenging year for me as I have been trying to get back on my feet for I fall to rise again. I am grateful that nomatter how difficult it has been, I managed to see 2024 which is a season I am so hopeful that it is going to be a lot more better. They say talk is cheap so, in this season I pray that I may be a person of a few words and more action-oriented.

I choose to rise above all obstacles that have hindered my progress. And this is my prayer for YOU, yes you who is reading this blog, may you rise above all your challenges, you know them, list them down and tell them one by one that you are rising above❣️

Say with me, “I AM RISING ABOVE!!!”

Support and stop suffocating small businesses

I come from a nation where almost everyone is in business. Majority of the youths are “entrepreneurs”. I quote because if we get to the literal meaning of the term, guess only a quarter fits in; but well, it is what it is. One thing that I have observed in my so many years of doing this entrepreneurship thingy is that most of the businesses suffer from stunted growth. There are so many factors to this but I just want to look at one area which has boggled me for a long time; which is how we tend to take advantage of each others’ small businesses.

I mean when we walk into the bigger stores we never negotiate the prices for what we are interested in purchasing. We just pay the price silently but when I decide to support a fellow sister or brother, I treat them like am doing them a favour. Of course, many a time the small business is in dire need of any amount you offer but have you thought of how much you are inhibiting its growth by offering peanuts?

I have come to the realisation that when we are in business, we are all assisting each other. I have a product/service you need/want and vice versa. None of us should make each other feel like they are being taken advantage of. Negotiations are allowed but to a little extent; one can’t be explaining their pricing model over and over again. If you ain’t happy with what is being offered, move to the next seller and stop making others feel bad for stating their price. Funny thing you can purchase expensive stuff in well known stores so, why not respect the small businesses? We all want to grow and kindly understand the efforts we put in our work to give you satisfaction. You ain’t doing anyone a favour by choosing them to offer you services.

I pray that I also become a better supporter for other people’s businesses. From now on, I wanna walk into small businesses with utmost respect and be willing to pay the price as stated. I don’t want to be the reason why someone else’s business remains stuck on the same spot. They would rather suffer from all the unmentioned factors in this blog and not this one. We are in this together❣️

Better late than never: Compliments of the New season, 2023…

Hey, hey 👋, it’s been a very loooooong time since I visited this spot, pardon me, as usual and always life been happening. I got stuck in 2022 but am glad my 2023 begins now. They say its better late than never so this blog post is a compilation of the snippets I was piling up. Good thing is I had been writing but just lost the guts to finish off and post. My mind been all over the place and it feels good to hold it up again 😊.

So, we now in 2023, never thought I would manage to get the strength to write cos’ my life been spiralling down. I never anticipated to start my new year on a bad note but well life happened. Am glad that am good at making lemonade out of lemons so, dear demons couldn’t conquer me. I chose to write because this is my safe space. One area that gets me unleashing all my emotions without being scared of any judgements. 2022 been fairly a good year, I made crucial decisions and am glad I got the courage. One of them being quitting my job, it was tough but had to do it for my sanity cos the environment turned to be a bit toxic. I couldn’t keep up with the pressure. Hahaha had to eliminate the statement, “I can work under pressure,” from my CV. Pressure suffocates me, am good working at my own pace. RuvaraShe Creative Writes and Peta Agro Initiatives has been my antidote; thanks to Solly Mangka and Ms Pearl for believing in me and reminding me of what I am capable of. Manuscripts have kept me sane as well as my Agro expertise. I got duped on my retailing hustle but as the year came to an end I made peace with it. When the going gets tough, I seek comfort in the saying, ‘I fall to rise again.’ You can tell I have risen cos am updating my blog 🤣. Overally, 2022 taught me much and am grateful for all the lessons; I pray 2023 will be a better space.

Beginning of each year I share some motivational post but well this year I been MIA. Deep inside it still felt like I was in 2022 and today I woke up feeling like its my new year. Funny thing January is my birth month and contrary to the common thing of partying on my born day, I decided to celebrate it low-key in bed. This had been my longest beauty sleep ever. The bed gave me so much comfort, had the sweetest dreams ever. I literally wrote in my diary, “My 2023 has just begun and am running with the theme 20plentyFREEdom and Flexibility. I refuse any entanglements, anything that doesn’t serve me right, anything that distracts my focus, anything not worth my energy; I am free mentally, emotionally, physically and all cally… At the same time, am flexible to changes, I am embracing things that I can not change and keep the focus. Gratitude and love is my antidote in this chapter of my life. I promise me to be at peace at all cost!” I really intended to start my newest year on this day but I wasn’t ready. Hahaha am laughing at my thoughts as I write, I mean do we ever get ready to start a new year or it just happens? Well, Tabitha lives in a world of all possibilities and am glad she is back to life.

My birth month brought me so much joy as I have been watching my baby starting off school. It’s amazing how time flies and the little one has been so much waiting to join her other friends in school. I still remember the excitement that she had when her school bus arrived to fetch her on the first day. Throughout this first month she has been fairly a good child with a few complaints here and there but am super proud of my baby girl. It feels good seeing her become a big girl.

Now that I have managed to get my writing mojo back, I pray in this season, I will be more consistent in sharing my tales, poems, inspirations and all that you find here. Thank you all for the likes and subscriptions, you keep me going. Much love 💓.

Change begins with you

As I continue celebrating my third decade on earth and my birthday month, I thought I should write about change. Change is a process that many of us are not flexible with. Personally, I struggle with changes. If I set my mind on something, it must go the way I have pictured it in my mind. There is no grey for me, its either black or white. This has taken a toll on my emotional well being because I get so much devastated and frustrated when faced with changes. Eventually, I adapt and adjust but after so much self-negotiations and analysis.

This is the right time to change for you

Every January of each new year, we are so much hyped talking of resolutions and new beginnings. How many of us have really followed through the change pattern? I will speak for myself, I have managed to do 50% of that which I have longed to transform in each year, ever since I started jotting down my resolutions when I was 13. So, it means in 16 years excluding this year which has just begun, writing down an average of 10 resolutions a year that gives me 160 resolutions and 80 of them have been ticked off the list for good. I hope I have done my math well because it took me a lot of revision to gain the B that I earned in mathematics at O’ level.

My transformation rate hasn’t been so bad, I suppose. I strongly feel I need to up it to a 100% from this season going upwards. For 2022, I got 12 resolutions on my list which I have converted to smart goals. I strongly believe, I will be ticking all of them off the list because for the first time, I finally created my vision board and stuck it where I clearly see it and be reminded that I am on a goal-fulfilling mission. I am equipped with my change tools and everyday when I wake up, I remind myself that I need the change as I focus on my theme #METAMORPHOSIC 30. I am ready to show my beautiful wings from the ugly caterpillar that I have been for the past years.

Change is a process which requires your commitment to pull through. Set it in your mind, put it down in black and white, remind yourself constantly that you are meant to change and bound to. Its never too late to be that change you want to be. Even if you experience some relapses on your way to change, pick yourself up and continue. You only fail yourself if you quit evolving. The world will surely be a better place if we all yearn to be our better then best versions of us.