I was young, energetic and had big dreams.

Sometimes, my cautious and well-meaning parents would tell me, ‘You don’t understand life’. They must have been trying to cushion me from getting disappointed.

Undeterred, I dared.

And boy, was I knocked down hard.

I missed the cut-off point to campus by one point, I joined the corporate space and quickly discovered, “work hard, get promoted and rise up the career ladder” is not necessarily true, I got into relationships, and was utterly shocked to learn that, “it’s not always the good girl who gets married.”

Friends, let’s say for a while, I stopped dreaming.

My mind was too frozen in shock to even capture the truth of who I was, the rejection, disappointment and temporary failure, notwithstanding.

I was reduced to mere existence. I got comfortable with bare minimum.

This was my safe space.

There are many, who just like me got Stuck, not because we were incapable, but because we were taken out by the issues of life.

The good news is that our story doesn’t have to end there. I know, because with the help of God, I got resuscitated, my mind unfroze, and I found Judy again.

And that’s what filled me with the desire to reach out to people like me.

The pain and regret of lost years, and what I thought were lost dreams.

Until I discovered that when you find yourself again, it’s possible to recover – even the lost dreams.

On this first Monday of the year, my encouragement to you, “You can Dream Again.”

Safari Njema!