Jordan Year Recap

It’s my 24th birthday today🎉🎉 I’m so overwhelmed by how amazing the past year has been and I wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on the last 365 days. 23 is usually said to be the Jordan year, based on Michael Jordan’s jersey number. Jordan year is usually said to be the best year of one’s life. God forbid that I peak at 23, so I would say my year was the best year yet and I look forward to the following years with great hope and anticipation. Without further ado, here are some highlights of my Jordan year.

1. Spending time with my family: I’m not even going to front, I absolutely love my family.  This year, I got to spend summer with my family and I am so so so thankful for this. In addition, my dad got to come over to Canada and we had a blast. I even got to surprise him in Calgary which I am very happy about #FTdasurpriseQueen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Reunions: I absolutely love my friends, a lot of them are basically family at this point. I am fiercely protective of them and they all know that there really is nothing that I wouldn’t do for them. One of the downsides of having  amazing individuals as friends is that we are all chasing dreams all around the world. I was really grateful to just be with a lot of my friends and chill this past summer, especially the loves of my life Anjola, Ihuoma and my other dear sisters. I hadn’t even physically seen some of them since high school ended like Iye, Ogo and Doyin O, my faves. I also got to meet up with Doyin A who graduated from high school before I started, for the first time in real life. That was awesome. Seyitan and I have met up like three times in the last few years with no proof because we never took photos; I’m glad that we have one now. I am thankful for technology that helps to keep my friendships alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Yaaayyyyy new friends: I’m a very friendly person, but I don’t consider myself as someone with a lot of friends. I actually take pride in the fact that it’s possible to talk to me for years and not know much about me personally- that’s my relationship with most people. My friends are people that actually know me, those I can show “my real face” to. Most of my friendships are 10 years plus and my most recent friendships are about 5 years old. This my 23rd year, I made a couple of new friends that have immensely blessed me. Sometimes, I just wonder, “Wow what was I doing before I met Veronica, or Alicia or Mary Anne or Teresa, the future patron saint of clear consciences?” They’re such MVPs and I am thankful to be cool enough to be called their friends. As our friendships have started off as amazing, I pray that they will continue to grow stronger in the years to come. Can I just say that the fact that we actually have photos together is in itself a miracle because I hate photos😊

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Graduation: This is such a huge milestone that deserves it’s own blog post sincerely. The Lord has done great things for me, indeed I am glad. Thank you Jesus for making my dreams come true.

5. Living with purpose: This year, I was quite focused on finding out my purpose in life. I’m still searching, to be honest. However, I got a beautiful confirmation that I was put in Western Canada for a purpose and it totally blew my mind. I honestly used to wonder if coming to Canada was a mistake.  I wondered if I worked so hard at leaving Nigeria and God just allowed it to happen because of my persistent prayers. I wondered if it was really in His plan for my life, if I had lost my way and other negative stories that touch concerning being in Canada. I had this “you are already here, so you might as well make the best use of it” mindset. Anyway this year, all that vanished. I met this beautiful family and I went “God, I get it”.  I believe that it was all so divinely positioned. If all I came to Canada for was to meet them, I am content with life. However, now I am done with school. I am seeking clarity about what path to take, so please pray for me.

6. Traveling: I love to travel! In my 23rd year, I went to Toronto, Ottawa, Mission BC, Armstrong BC and Calgary in Canada. I also went to Seattle, thanks again Sheena for my grad trip. I went home to Lagos Nigeria and we went to Ibadan a couple of times. I lowkey can’t believe that I didn’t get to visit Abuja, but it’s okay, it is not running anywhere.

#FromVancouverToLagos I got to meet up with Princess Frieda in Lagos 😊

7. Lots of firsts: My first published article, my first official baptism in the Holy Spirit, my first silent retreat, my first time in a Canadian convent, my first Louisville alumnae event in Canada and my first Louisville alumnae event in Lagos. Louisville is the name of my high school by the way. Attending the alumnae event was very special to me because I am in the alumnae communications and engagement team.  I always get FOMO vibes advertising and posting updates about the events that I am never able to attend. I felt so blessed to have been able to experience the magic live and direct. I pray that it is the first of many events that I will be able to attend.

 

At the carmelite convent in Armstong, BC. Pictures do lie: I only smiled for the photo, I absolutely hated what I was doing

This picture is telling the truth, I was very happy 😊

At the Abbey, for my silent retreat

#ChatterboxFTkeptshutfor4days

8. My faves winning: A lot of amazing things happened in my 23rd year to people I love.  My sisters finished school, one of my favs got a great job and went to America for the first time, my cousin got called to the Nigerian bar, my friends got married and my friends started families, promotions and milestones happened to a lot my loved ones. I’m soooo happy for people sometimes that I amaze myself. I think it’s because I am naturally very intense and competitive. Since I discovered that the sky is big enough for us to fly, instead of channeling my energy towards jealousy and one-upmanship, I try to use my powers for good. It’s healthier and it makes life more beautiful.

   

9. Personal growth:  In a lot of aspects of my life, I have grown. Obviously I am not perfect. However, in so many little and big ways, I have observed that I am becoming more of the person that I want to be and I love it. In addition, my phone and tablet both decided to conspire against me this year. I have not lost it yet, so praise the Lord. Since August, my phone has been frustrating me. It factory reset itself and I lost my photos, chats, everything. I thought things were backed up but I was wrong. Anyway, I relied mainly on my tablet to keep my photos, memories and whatsapp messages. Two days ago, that one too went and reset itself. I lost my messages, photos and everything on my tablet. My problem with getting a new tablet is that my current one has a sim and I have not found another one like it. So, I guess this is goodbye to having two whatsapp accounts and a lesson in the art of letting go. I am thankful that despite everything, I still have some photos and the rest of my life to make more memories with my loved ones.

10. My miracle realization: When I was born, my family was told that I would be having follow-up surgeries till I was 18 due to my bones growing. A couple of days before I turned 24, I realized that my last surgery was when I was 10. There is absolutely no way my bones stopped growing when I was 10. I never realized that for so long I had been given a miracle, thank you Jesus. Also, I thank my consultant surgeon Dr Obianyor who is the absolute best. I was the worst patient ever, but he was always so patient with me. The last time I was in the operating room, I freaked out and started crying because I was honestly terrified. I only calmed down after he assured me that he would do the surgery himself and everything would be alright. A couple of days after my surgery, a boy went in for the exact “simple” surgery I had with different doctors but he never came out of the operating room alive. Now this is not a someone died but I lived, praise the Lord testimony. I absolutely hate those. I shared that because I only just realized that his death really traumatized me. When the boy died, I realized that I honestly could die too. My consultant could make all the promises in the world to me and things could still go wrong.  So I am super thankful that I did not have to go back there and I pray never to go back to a surgeon’s operating table.

This time last year when I turned 23, my life was rough. I really couldn’t come up with a plan on how things would get better. So I prayed that my joy would come not from changing circumstances, but from the steadfast love and faithfulness of the almighty God. Then God, the real surprise maker made my year so beautiful. I did not expect to be surrounded with so many blessings, and I thank God for them because he knows I really needed them. 23 was amazing! To be honest, one of my greatest fears when things are going well is that life is too good to be true. I also know that life is not all sunshine and roses, so I am trying to find that sweet spot between enjoying the good things but also being realistic. So, as I begin my 24th year, again I pray that my joy would come not from changing circumstances, but from the steadfast love and faithfulness of the almighty God. I also pray for clarity, wisdom, strength and God’s guidance in this defining season of my life. Amen.

Mo gbagbo pe yo dara fun mi (I believe it is well with me)
mo ni gbagbo ninu oluwa ma serere (I believe in God that I will do good things in my life)
ojo ola mi yo dara (I believe that my tomorrow is well)
mo mo pe oun gbo gbo yo dara fun mi( I know that ALL will be well with me)

Lyrics and translation are found in the Youtube description box.

Peace, love and joy,

Fehintola aka FT da surprise Queen