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#45: I'm a prophet
Shem Opolot
November 10, 2023
Hi! Welcome to The Friday Fix! You’re reading this because you probably stumbled upon this post somewhere on the internet instead of where it should be—in your inbox. But no worries; we can fix that.
Who am I? I’m Shem Opolot, a health professional turned content creator, passionate about helping people be their best selves in life and work.
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Happy Friday 🎉 Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: do you know where the phrase “break a leg” is from? It originated in the theater world. Actors would tell their colleagues to “break a leg” so that they could end up in a cast. Get it?
Also, this is proof that I read all the reviews you leave when I ask you (like today): A friend told me to consider adding something else to this newsletter, similar to the hugely successful playlist. A recipe, a workout, a health tip, something. After jeering and telling them to start their own newsletter, I decided to ask you what you think. I’m too busy to add another feature myself, but if you pitch me something I like and you can maintain the consistency, I’d gladly incorporate it. My DMs are open.
Estimated read time: 5 minutes
ONE THING I’VE LEARNED
I’m a prophet
I’ve ignored the signs to start a church for too long.
Until now…
It was the dry season in 2022, the good mangoes in the market were finally back, and the price of sweet bananas and a bar of soap were flying dangerously close to the sun.
But your boy was invited to a wedding in Diani Beach, and I couldn’t wait to dominate on the dancefloor and fight with that salty water in the shower that seems to have a binding contract with the soap.
Under the fairy lights at the reception by the beach, the groom introduced me to his friend Allan, whom he met in New York City, as they pounded the pavements on those avenues, hoping their insistence would turn into gold. Instead, a year later, both of them live in Kenya.
Allan, a 6’3 tower of man with overt youthful exuberance and a glorious mane of hair, was interested in my YouTube exploits because he liked my smile wanted to teach finance online. We chatted for 5 minutes, and as male friendships go, we were best friends by the time the MC flagged my table down for food.
That was the last time Allan and I spoke in person.
Fast forward a year and some change; I’m asleep in New Jersey, and I’ve achieved rare REM sleep. So I dream a little.
In my dream, I walked into Allan’s mostly white apartment, and Allan was seated in the living room, hunched over his laptop, and we were bantering like old friends.
Fast forward a couple of months; it was 3 a.m. and I wasn’t in REM sleep. Instead, I was working on an assignment for class when the custom email notification on my phone chimed and the screen lit up, like a bad idea on a Friday night.
It was U.S. immigration.
After applying for residency two years ago, the interview appointment was long overdue. And as I expected, it arrived with supreme inconvenience and urgency. With the same authority and conviction God commanded the prophets in the Bible.
One of the many steps to figure out thereafter was where I’d stay in Nairobi for the excursion at the Embassy, which could last a few days or weeks. So I reached out to the groom, who is now nested in Nairobi.
The groom wasn’t able to host me, but while letting me down easy, he suggested I message Allan, who has also chosen to say Jambo every time he sits in an Uber, and eat food without soup.
It took me half a second to remember who Allan was before I recalled his baby face and glorious mane. And once I remembered who Allan was, I remembered my dream. And once I remembered my dream, I knew I had a place to stay in Nairobi before I messaged Allan.
So when I decided to write this post, I was standing in Allan’s mostly white living room, with Allan hunched over his laptop, and we were bantering like old friends.
The Friday Fix is my church, and your attention is my offertory.
SHAMELESS PLUG
Every time I’m about to remove this plug to create space for something else, it drives droves of people to TLDR Weekly. It’s not broke, so I’m not fixing it 🤷🏾♂️.
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MY FAVOURITE THINGS
My breakfast recipe
1 cup of oats that are not cheap
2 cups of milk that give me gas because lactose delulu
A tablespoon of sugar I’m not proud of
Blueberries (in this economy)
Grapes (refer to blueberries subtext above)
1 banana (2 if they’re the small, sweet ones)
4 slices of a mango (do I count the cubes? I’ll never tell 😅)
A generous scoop of @bangbangug peanut butter when I have it
A video
This reel is related to the recipe above and is really a soft launch for more to come.
A picture
First time I’m hitting publish from Nairobi, and I love it here. I’ll get an apartment or three here when I grow up.
PRO TIP
Your new favourite scheduler
I interrupt your weekly dose of Excel tutorials to bring you a new alternative for scheduling meetings without the tennis of sharing times. Cal.com works with your favourite apps and can even allow you to get paid for meetings. For free.
WHERE FUN GOES TO FLOURISH
The Friday Fix playlist
Brain teaser
From Braingle.
Female kangaroos carry their young (joeys) in a pouch. Likewise, kangaroo words contain another word (a joey) within themselves. A joey word is a synonym of the kangaroo word, and the letters must be in the same order.
Example: "rapscallion" contains the word "rascal": RApSCALlion
See if you can find the joey words in these kangaroo words:
1. prosecute
2. scoundrel
3. falsities
4. stockings
5. pantaloons
6. brackets
Answer below
Shem’s picks
✔️ Listen: The introvert’s guide to extroversion
✔️ Search: A database of famous, unidentified people
✔️ Work: Try scheduling a Mega day to be more productive
Brain teaser answer
Answer:
1. sue (proSecUtE)
2. cur (sCoUndRel)
3. lies (faLsItiES)
4. socks (StOCKingS)
5. pants (PANTaloonS)
6. braces (BRACkEtS)
Have a great weekend,
— Shem
Et cetera
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