We did it, Joe!

We did it, Joe! That was Kamala Harris’ statement when they won the elections on January 21, 2021. We were still struggling with the effects of the lockdown caused by the coronavirus. Most people were barely hanging on but this was a win for many people and the statement became a mantra we used when we achieved things we never expected we would. Two years down I am here to tell you “We did it, Joe!.”

You survived a pandemic and are hanging on two years post its effects. In Kenya, we survived the elections, maandamano, and with the economy being what it has been the past few months you are still here. It is no mean fit if you ask me. As this year comes to an end give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far.

Over the weekend I was privileged to have two “We did it, Joe!” moments. This got me reflecting on the year that was and the much we have been able to do. Sometimes we are caught in the rat race and are fixated on the things we have not been able to achieve and the expectations society has of us. When do we take that pose and see the much we have been able to achieve? The fact is you are not in the same place you were a year ago. Maybe it is not where you would have wanted to be but you moved and that is progress.

While some of you have experienced loss you still chose to push on in life. It would have probably been easier to give up but you did not. We take for granted the willpower we have to master to keep going amid tragedy, grief, pain, loss, and change. Sometimes these feelings present themselves as expectations of ourselves that we have not been able to achieve. Other times its the anxiety that we can’t control and the silent battles within our minds that we alone understand. That you are still alive you did it, Joe!

There are people we would have wanted to get into December with but were not able to make it which means Christmas this year won’t be the same. There are the plans we made that won’t see the light of day and as one said there is so much love to give that has nowhere to go. Getting the courage to live each day with these feelings and a heavy heart is not easy. 

Even so, you managed to be here today. You have fought wars few people knew about and sometimes no one knows of. As we wind up this year I just wanted you to know We did it, Joe!