Glass Hearts 💖

You were a stranger
Who looked straight through my heart
Saw all the broken pieces & buried emotions
That I don’t dare pick or wake up
Just to end up going through it again

Like some abandoned house
With sagging porches
Broken windows
Keeps the strangers away
It feels safe that way

Don’t care too much
Don’t put back the pieces
Being whole again
Close to another heart
I’ll hurt you
Before I let u drop me down
Again, into many worthless pieces.

By Stefan Kanage Schmedt

Sarah (Ed.)

Leadership

Leadership can be a job to some, a service to some, a duty to some and many other positions to others.

In my time as a leader, I learnt that it could be both a duty and service. But that’s not all there is to it. It is a voluntary service, it is an experience, it is a platform.

I was serving as a Finance secretary for my school council and yesterday I had to handover to the next generation of leaders. It was an emotional moment for me. Believe it or not, a part of me changed. I remembered the beginning of my journey. When I had just joined university, a bit naive about the politics of here when someone approached me and gave me this idea that I could have a chance to serve the community I had just joined. I was scared but I’m an adventurous soul, I wanted to give it a try and knowing my ethical stands, I knew I could make it. I wanted to make it.

All through the campaigns, the pressure of voters and losing(well you could call it not winning), It took a toll on me but when it was time, I was chosen by the people as a leader. Everything else seemed to fall away. The tire of sleepless nights and the demanding work of aiming for a win seemed to wane off. I was filled with joy and pride. I was ecstatic. People who hardly knew me had trusted me, had given me a chance, a higher platform and there wasn’t any sufficient way I could express my gratitude but I vowed to serve them with my best.

It wasn’t a smooth run because of the many aspects. The challenges, influences of others, manipulations and shadow conspiracies and choices. Choices. Everyone has these, myself, my fellow leaders, and those with more authority. Even the people.

Faced with choices to choose upon, the easy way out(usually not the best one) or the right way out, I had and learnt to make decisions and stand upon them. Sometimes (even in life), you can’t make these alone so with consultation and involving all parties(not all authority is with leaders or a single individual) with concern I went through it. Even when I had to make choices that weren’t exactly mine to make, I had the betterment of my community at heart. I took upon responsibilities out of my jurisdiction, not to forcefully take authority or demean others but because no one else was willing. Now this seems like self praise but in the end, there wasn’t any physical benefit, yes maybe I do thrive in these achievements, the feeling of satisfaction and pride in myself and maybe that is selfish but I am human. And having my conscience at peace knowing I did the best I could with the authority given to me is more than enough.

Some people may have been disappointed but I know someone or someones out there appreciated my work. They we’re proud of me and acknowledged my efforts. Non of it was in vain. And that, that is one of the best things I have ever experienced in my life.

This was a journey that I started out not knowing how events would unfold, how much I would learn but completing it, it all dawned on me how much I have changed, how stronger I have become, the virtues of life I’ve learnt, patience, tolerance, teamwork and selflessness. I have met so many people along the way, my leadership defining me. This was great.

Some times to give to the people, you give up some things.

And to be a leader is a constant duty to be an example.

I thank God, for Leadership is from God, my community, my fellow leaders and all the support of friends and family I had to achieve this. It was a dream come true. And the whole term of service has been an experience to reckon with.

I hope that my service has been and will continue to be a positive impact to me, to you, my people (which BTW are family to me now) and anywhere out in the world.

Once a leader, always a leader. I will always look out for my people.

ⒸFormer Finance Secretary of the School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University.

Time and haste!

I’m a believer of;

“Things Happen for a Reason”,

and that has led to my acceptance of many things and situations. Good and bad. There is always a reason we are unaware of, one that explains even things or situations we do not like.
In my few years on this earth, I’ve met several people. I’ve experienced a couple of things and from some of these I have learned. I’ll share a story (well kind of, I mean I don’t want to get into the details here).
It was a time in my life when I was desperate. Desperate for something solid I could hold myself unto, something that could protect me or maybe absorb shocks from the new phase of my life I was getting into. I do remember the feeling of excitement when I leaned towards the decision of desperation I was making. All the fraught decisions. It wasn’t bad at all at least not at the moment.
It was merry for a while, I was proving a point mostly to myself and I forgot(set aside) the very fundamentals of being happy. Living in the moment, I started to lose myself, and things didn’t seem alright anymore. Nothing on the outside seemed wrong. It was going perfect on the surface and yet as time went by, as I lived with my choices, I felt like I was drowning. It didn’t feel right. The flashbacks of my choices and their entailments choked me and yes, to be honest I regretted. And that is one of the worst feeling I ever had.
So I had to get out of this situation and be what I am. What I am happy being and that wasn’t easy knowing I could lose something vital but it had to be done. So I did and slowly, steadily I found a solid ground beneath my feet.
After that experience I realised that I had to be my own solid ground. And with that, everything seemed to fall into place, most things anyway.
I do not regret my experience now. It is one of the key things that made me firm with my beliefs and gave me a new understanding of myself. Understanding of what I want not what I might want. It happened for a reason at a time when I needed to transition myself from being a desperate girl to a little bit more self-centered. And that comes off not-so-nice of me but everyone needs that. Putting you first. Not going out of your way, your morals or principles to fit in a situation or please someone or society. Making hasty decisions because you’re desperate for something, a situation, safety or approval or just about as much as it goes. There is usually regret at the end of that road.
I learnt by experience and if you can learn by mine (feel free to contact for the detailed story) that would be great.
Lately (and I think more in the future) I’ve been faced with important (to me, the other involved parties and my emotional well-being) situations to make decisions or be part of the choices and I’ve had a few friends going through something like this so I decided to vent (on my Safe Haven) and see what my bloggy mind could conjure up and here I am. Laid back and more sure of myself than when I started to type.
I’m not sure if I’ve conveyed the point well(being vague and all) but what I know(what I am thinking) is that we do not have to make hasty decisions for whatever reasons and I know there are desperate times that require desperate measures and sometimes it is okay, in some aspects of life, it could be okay. What I’m sure of is that it isn’t for the emotional aspect. Some things take time (ever heard of the saying; “Good things take time” I think I true). Everything happens (is) for a reason and sometimes we do not know these reasons or can we explain them. Sometimes(most times) we have to put ourselves and our values first, take time and observe, study and make conclusions(in this case, make the decisions). It saves a lot of that stress or regret and doubts in oneself. Things are in motion for a reason.

Sometimes we don’t get what we want but what we need