Exciting beginnings

Ndani with Tirop is born

As explained in the About Me page, Ndani is the Swahili word for “Inside” which I, Tirop, am using in the context of going within. So this website is a reflection of my inner journey. In coming up with the name of this project, with the dedicated help of my loving partner, I chose to make things unique to me. Swahili is the first language I learned aside from the usual gugu gaga we as babies speak, so honoring my roots and background were essential to expressing my authentic self.

I have had various blogs and outlets where I have shared my inner journey, but out of all of them, this website is exciting to share. This space feels like it is long overdue, while coming at the right time. It feels like it is just the beginning.

Beginnings

The year 2016 has been a forward moving year for me. I have achieved much of my personal goals and I feel wonderful about that. Sometime in early 2016 I read that this is the year of “making moves”, as in getting things done both individually and collectively. So as the year winds down I am seeing that to be the case.

Despite the gregorian calendar being linear and arguably unnatural, its relevance in our development somehow still remains a factor. I do not know if this is the case due to the large amount humans following it and thus creating a collective reality that makes turning a new year into a big deal. This is seen with the new year’s resolution phenomenon in western culture, where millions of people wait for a new year in order to make moves. As a participant in this culture, I unwittingly made a new years resolution. This was to clean up my space, which meant decluttering, letting go of what did not serve me, and simplifying every facet of my physical space. To put it shortly, I reclaimed my space.

Reclaiming my space

As Marie Kondo puts it in her popular book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever,” I released many items that no longer sparked joy in my life. Things like decades old clothing, old documents from undergrad, or piles of expired products in my bathroom. Not only did I release what did not spark joy, but I affirmed what does. It is one thing to release what is no longer needed, and another to recognize (and appreciate) what we love. The result is an opening of fresh spaces for new projects and ideas.

This simple action certainly encouraged me to follow my purpose and work towards being of service. It is quite amazing how much being of service to oneself increasingly encourages one to be of service to the greater community. Once the stagnating blockages are seen and dissolved there is only moving forward. A simple task like releasing clothes that we hold on to for years without even wearing them have the effect of bringing clarity to the present. Once we establish our awareness in the present, a drive presumably from our soul pushes us to achieve what we have always wanted to do for ourselves and our community. .This is how this project, Ndani with Tirop, was conceived and here it is taking its first breath.

Will you be there for its first steps?

-Tirop