So THIS Is 25 - Rayna's Story

Hey once more.

Let's talk a bit about Rayna. Fun fact, her and Tiffany share the same birthday - same day, same month, same year. You can't say this friendship wasn't one written in the stars!

You know that friend who's always down to do it for the plot? The type of person you can literally have fun with anywhere, anytime? That's Rayna. And boy, have we had some good times. Almost all the fun memories I have from university and after involved Rayna. If you see me "outside", chances are she's not far behind. For all of you who were asking about who I was with in Malindi, it was Rayna (and Stephanie, in case you couldn't tell from the photos). She is a lover of good art and good food. She is always full of joy and rarely ever angry - I have never seen her hold a grudge for longer than a few days. Her laugh leans more towards a cackle but you can't help but laugh with her. She is passionate about the things she cares about, and fights zealously for what she believes in.

When it comes to friendship, Rayna is intentional. I can't count the number of times she's checked in on me when I was unwell or looked for me when I've gone quiet. She's also her friends' biggest fan (for context, she has been hounding me consistently about part 2 of this series since July). Spending time with Rayna means minutes quickly turning into hours. Whatever you want to talk about, she'll listen and offer her two cents. My companion in many tea-spilling sessions preceded by, "I don't mean to judge", my political discourse partner, my fellow trash-television lover, and my favorite dance-mate. What I admire most about Rayna, however, is her confidence. She is incredibly self-assured and dances to the rhythm of her own beat. She charts her own path, as she sees fit, and pays little mind to what anyone else has to say.

As a fellow blogger, she also has a gift of the gab (or is it of the word?)

I know you'll love her account of her 25th year, to round off this series.

Happy reading!

PS: Another fun fact, all the photos I've used of my friends on this series were taken by me. These are some of my favorite photos of each of them, not only because I took them, but because each was taken at a time when we were fully and totally in the moment, and just enjoying the pleasure of each other's company. A 25th birthday, a bridal shower, a trip to the Coast. Pockets of bliss in our little village, amidst and in spite of all of life's chaos.

But also, yes, because I took them.

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The Year of Gentle Uncertainty: My 25th Chapter

In my late teenage years, just a girl and her laptop, I started writing a letter to my 25-year self with my hopes, and dreams poured into it. A map to a future I envisioned, an anchor for my aspirations. Though life's twists and turns remained a mystery, my ingrained stubbornness whispered a promise of resilience. Little did I know, life isn't always a meticulously planned journey; sometimes, the tide turns and it charts its course. Case in point, the pandemic, is a stark reminder of fate's unpredictable hand.

That year, 25, was a welcoming gentle confusion. Dreams danced from the letter, some finding their form in reality, others too fantastical. The societal script I'd been handed felt like a shimmering mirage, and with my usual stubbornness, conforming was never part of the plan.

The hum of expectation vibrated at twenty-five. My social media feeds morphed into a montage of milestones: marriages blossoming, families blooming, careers climbing. Some chapters closed, leaving behind bittersweet ghosts. Yet, here I stood, still me. My path, though diverted, held a quiet purpose, a detour leading to the designated route. A thirst for knowledge burned within, fueling my pursuit of the life I yearned to build, for myself and those I loved.

Amid this gentle confusion, immersed in self-doubt and impostor syndrome, I decided to stop chasing the ‘ideal’ adulting life and roll with the punches (I can’t lie though those punches hurt like a…) and embrace the beautiful chaos that ensued. It was not a grand epiphany but a year of embracing yet again what life presented before me. I mourned the loss of people I knew and the life I thought I would have at that moment in time.

The year I turned 25 was not one of achieving life-changing goals but that of embracing chaos, and detours, understanding loss and grief, and the ever-evolving me. It was about realizing that beauty lies in the continuous process of figuring it out, one imperfect step at a time.

So, here’s to 25, to the messy beautiful chapter before you. To embrace the unknown and find joy in the process. To take small breaths in the midst of it all because ultimately this is our first time living today, we’re just learning as time goes by. Who knows maybe next year, the path will be more illuminating but until then let’s run at our own pace, towards a destination only you can define.