I read in the book ‘Finding Flow’ by Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, that our choice with life is simple. We can choose either to die or choose to live. If we choose to live, note that everything conspires against life. Everything. But still the choice is ours. The ability and will to live begins with me. Living life to my fullness, my greatest potential, my desire, even in my own unique way, whether ambitious or alert, in silence or in survival, however I choose to live begins with me. Today I mark 90 days of living, my way, one keep at a time.

Every keep is serene to me. Like melody, they sooth my soul, like the Wailers singing ‘Small Axe.’ Every keep is joyful to me. Like the joy on my 5 month baby’s face. I can’t believe it’s been 5 months already. Every keep is full of grace, full of gratitude for the many people that make life magical, make life happy. Like my son’s shirt and my decision to choose happiness. Every keep is a reminder to choose the slow route or a route that stops to reflect or admire the journey thus far. Like the journey towards knowing and understanding my ‘why’ and how it’s all connected to asking more beautiful questions for me.

The past 90 days has been surreal. Writing one keep at a time has indeed shaped my life. Words so unreal, but mine, teach me to be intentional with what I can do or even feel. Many may say that there is nothing new or special about writing. All I can say is try doing so for yourself for 90 days.

And so I write. On my own terms, and to my fullest potential. In the book ‘Finding Flow,’ the author noted that ‘to live means to experience, through doing, feeling, thinking.’ Every keep I reflected on this past 90 days are my attempt at living. They are also my attempt at a steadier life, one filled with people and things that matter to me. That the world is an exquisitely unkind place to mothers who work is well known. The pandemic exemplifies this with people for example having work related meetings in the middle of homeschooling as if children are not home as well. Every keep forced me to prioritize, something I must confess I lacked the fortitude to do. Some keep made me alert to homeschooling and my children’s learning, while others helped me appreciate my dual roles in life.

I started writing this list of something to keep, to persuade you the reader that life beyond work, life with children, family, work, especially for women, matters. Every mother and father in many cases, is worthy of praises. I like to think that each keep, written the past 90 days gives our stories air to breathe. Every silence, every meltdown, every pain, every survival is startling worthy of delving into albeit in 300 words or more. So I delved. The past 90 days have been exquisitely divine, with me finding my flow, one keep at a time. I look forward with zeal to the next 90.