“declare the favour of your Lord”  Q93:11

A new year on the horizon comes with the opportunity to reflect, and share aspirations - whether as a way to simply take stock and express gratitude or maybe just get in some much-needed writing practice, albeit from a first-person perspective, didn't get to journal or write as much as I’d wanted to - outside of work this year!

As usual, as is with the theme of this medium, my focus is narrow and personal - highlighting events around settling, family changes, moves along work and career path in 2022. However, this is not without sparing a moment of thought and deep sympathy for people affected by newsworthy happenings - from mass casualty events like the killings in Northern Nigeria, Russian aggression in Ukraine, and continued human rights concerns in Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏾 January: A bit of a jammy start to kick off - personal difficulties with settling into a new country . Quite unexpected, after the highs of reconnecting with my family. Managing major changes at home and at work - finding the desired balance and flexibility between continuing to work on the Shelf Life project, involvement with the team at Field or even charting a next step that holds more, or at least equal excitement like the past five years had wasn’t easy. Thankfully, conversations were mostly positive and the outcome was a sensible solution for everyone involved.

🤰🏾February: Milestone birthday for Inaaya. Big Five. Celebrations.

The keywords to follow are anything but joyous, rather, a scary reminder of 2017: Fibronectin. Pre-eclampsia. Possible preterm delivery. A lot of confusion: to pile on strained relationships - the immediate and nuclear family, an exhausted mind and already fragile mental health. I had a very narrow window to get my ducks in a row, plan how to manage whatever was to come, and be as supportive as possible.

I got on a flight back home to Nigeria, for three weeks..hopeful for resolutions to afford me the focus on our immediate future. Big bets, bold life decisions. Stupid or Pragmatic? I still don’t know.

🤱🏾 March: We welcomed Ihsan Zayn, of course. He was so eager to join us. Arrived weeks early! Dad again, bittersweet memories - 100% grateful to the NICU team at the North York General Hospital, as we were their guests for weeks while champ developed and mom recovered.

🪫April: Drained. Leave of absence.
🔌 May: Spent most of the time at home, cooking - had fun with HelloFresh recipes 🥘

🦺June: L1-L3 Process Assistant, at second attempt.

🎷July:  Montreal - International Jazz Festival
Took a much-needed solo break and checked an item on my bucket list. Music, indeed, can be restorative! 

Top picks: Masego, Woodkid in concert at the MTelus & the Urban Science Brass Band

🏔️August: Calgary - Family time, Eid, Banff & Stampede.Ya-hoo! Went on my longest run for the year ( PS: my running has been very inconsistent; form and fitness in the gutter)

🦉September: Turned 34. Worked the hardest I probably have ever, clocking 90-hour weeks x 6 days - the ideal distraction from everything else, while I put the plans in motion for the next phase of business (and how I’d want the next phase of my career to operate). Finalized on decision to begin steps toward licensing with the PEBC.

Also, realized that to change my life and open up more economic opportunities, I need to focus on building a product and inch away from my current very service-driven business model.

🔋October: The trifecta.
Alhamdulilah, a number of factors aligned for good - opportunities opened up and decisions had to be made around offers. Internal transfer and another promotion from L3 to L4- swapping Operations for Learning & Development, I needed to accelerate my exposure to all the departments and every process path possible in the building; given my condensed timeframe I had to continue working and learning at Amazon. Conversations around Shelf Life Nigeria’s transition to Central Sort was still ongoing but seemingly starting to progress well again - this was the perfect move and the timing couldn’t be better (read as conflicting, coincided with an offer to join the High Priority Communities Strategy Team at Sinai Health’s Health Commons Solutions Lab)

🛣️ November:  Niagara Falls
Quick trip to Hamilton, then vacation with the family.

❄️December: Wild spending on uber rides, dealing with TTC and Go disruptions on the weekends, and the constant fear of violence during my transit hours meant I needed a serious solution to getting around quickly..and avoiding -21 degree bus stop waits.

Pulled the trigger, with a douse of style over utility on a personal vehicle to supplement current family arrangement to round off the year.
Keen to see what’s next, as we dial things up for 2023..the theme is FOCUS.