Beyond today

A woman who looks and smells good; dresses and speaks well; loves and laughs often; is kind and giving; has drive and ambition; has confidence and class; fears no one but God, and is all about her business… is winning. You agree with that. Right? I agree with that too, but I know somewhere, some guy clueless about the other side of women might be wondering ‘Has Billy gone crazy!’ This kaguy only thinks that women are there to please our stomachs, hearts and I know you know the other important role which is as important to you as it is to me.

Talk about women winning! Have you ever had a conversation with a young lady who knows herself well enough not to worry about petty things like makeup and what other ladies say about her? Meet Faith Ndinda; she is that kind of a lady. We had such an intriguing meeting. Her name reminds me of dunda; the way it sounds, slay queens know what I’m talking about. Faith isn’t a slay queen, neither is she planning to be one. She is the kind of lady with energy that you just don’t get everywhere you go, but the first thing that invites you into her world is calmness and coolness. At a glance, you will be forgiven to think that she never talks or engages in any activity that will bring her into contact with crazy people.

Wait a minute! Just before the meeting took place, I was in town with Mike, another friend of mine. Some of my lady friends usually tell me that men with the name Mike are cool but players. I can neither deny nor accept the allegations; I don’t even know whether he is single or dating. The only lady I have seen him with is his sister. After talking business with Mike, I got into a matatu to Prestige plaza for the meeting.

Wizkid’s feeling the beats song fills the air in the mat.  I fall in love with this song; I’m more attracted to songs with money in lyrics and some African beats in them. I had never heard it before so you can guess the struggle I went through to even get the title.  It was frustrating but it’s said, when a man falls in love with something, giving up isn’t an option.

Ndinda works at Morning Side Park, some few meters from Prestige, getting to there won’t be much of a hurdle to her. A few minutes after alighting from the mat, a tap on my shoulder. There she is; energetic as ever. She caught me admiring the work of the expansion of Ngong Road. The expansion of this road is a clear sign of available space for people like myself who want to live in Karen.

We head to Java. “There is this amazing coffee, actually you should try it. A mixture of coffee and chocolate; White chocolate mocha!” She whispers. I’m used to house coffee, talk about being in a comfort zone! As we order, I stick to what I’m used to but later on come to regret. The way she sipped it, from her eyes you could see how it lightened her. I’m not a frequent user of sugar with no big reason for that. The way she did it provoked me.  I had to put some sugar in mine but it didn’t do the magic it did to hers. It baffled me how simple things like drinks can have a big influence on our moods and energy.

Ndinda is a writer and she has two books under her belt; ‘Beyond Today’ and ‘A Fathers Impartation’. “Why writing?” I ask her, head on. She chuckles “Well writing is just me, my world without writing is nothing. At a tender age, I used to write down whatever touched my heart, be it happiness or sadness. There’s this day I was mad at my Dad and I wrote down all of it.” She glances, slightly above my shoulder, maybe to get a glimpse of what she used to do. “Accidentally, he came across my writing and guess what?” Her father got the note and she danced to his tunes.

That didn’t deter her from going on with writing. She is a strong lady, I tell you. “What about the books?” I ask. “It’s all about challenging yourself to do something greater. My first book, ‘Beyond Today’ is a series of Christian teachings which are the foundation of who I am. ‘A Fathers Impartation’, is my story walking with my late spiritual father. It explores the various lessons I learned from him” With a sigh she says.

“The challenging thing about writing is that in Kenya we don’t have a reading culture; most people don’t read, and for those who read; they only read books by well-known or say, famous authors, especially books from western countries. Many people still haven’t woken up to African genius” She complains. I see disappointment painted all over her face but after a sip, just like magic, it disappears.

I ask her about her background and she says, “I went to Starehe Girls Centre and it changed my story, I’m taken aback by that. “My teachers saw potential in me and they kept on pushing me,” with a smile she says. “Actually being in Starehe came as a shocker to many, me as well. You know, coming from a humble family where I struggled even to go to Primary School. But life isn’t about the struggles you go through, it’s all about hoping for a better tomorrow even in the uncertainty of today.” I’m baffled by her story”.

Apart from writing, Ndinda is a passionate mentor, taking every available opportunity to reach out and bring perspective to the younger generation. Alongside her work in the development sector, she runs a bookselling business that campaigns for a reading culture, ‘Beacon of Books’. She’s also founded a mentorship group for women named ‘Women of Honor’.

As we are about to leave, she arrests my attention. “Billy, let’s pray. It’s important!” Don’t think that I view prayers as not important, but what happens when you are hungry and about to eat then your mother shouts, “Wash your hands’ boy!” That’s what I felt and the look on my face betrayed me. She believes that God has brought her this far, and no doubt; she’s going places.

You see when you are done drooling over the curves of our Kenyan ladies and giggling because of the funny memes on social media… Here’s what you do; check out what these serious people are up to. The things I do for my country!

Her books