It’s February!!!

Rambling about January and my anniversary!

“One year ago, with trembling hands, she wrote and clicked the publish button."

When you saw the title, you probably rolled your eyes and thought, "But it’s been February for a while, why the excitement?"

I know that, but I was taught that whenever you wake up, that’s your morning. So please, stop giving me the dead stare.

And yes, this week’s entry should have come earlier—Sunday or Monday night, maybe—but my brain doesn’t always follow schedules. Anyway, it’s better late than never.

January was THE month. I’m not here to talk about how long January was—no, that’s old talk. But January was full of surprises—shocking, for a new year. It didn’t bother to start with ads, just straight to action. A good thriller book with no conclusive end—a complete cliffhanger.

First of all, I overslept on the 31st, so I didn’t wake up on time to go to church for crossover night, nor was there any network in my village to tune into an online service.

Sorrows! Sorrows!

I always start the new year in church or by tuning into an online service. So, why did 2025 choose to be the first year I break my lifelong tradition?!

I planned to do the 12 grape festival, but I couldn’t find grapes in my village!

More sorrows! Sorrows!!!

Leave me to be dramatic.

Then came series of drama that didn’t even bother to polish its shoes before showing me shege. Argh!!! It was a dramatic month.

- I didn’t start journaling as planned.

- I didn’t even make it halfway through the first draft of my book.

- So. Many. Negations.

In a nutshell, January was horrendous. (I like the sound of that word, but hold on—let me check the meaning.)

I’m back—and yes, that word is perfect!

So, back to why I’m excited about February!

You haven’t figured it out yet?

It’s officially one year on Substack!

On the first of February last year, I killed the monsters in my head and made my first post. And let me tell you—it’s been the best experience ever. Let’s talk about growth:

- I started with 0 subscribers, and now I have 259! Wait—imagine stuffing 259 people into a room. It can’t just be any room, but a BIG room. 259 people sitting and paying attention to what I have to say—to my insane thoughts and my horrendous (this word again!😂) ideas. This is a big deal! My brain is still trying to paint the image.

- I’m slowly finding my voice in writing. Out of all the books I’ve read about writing while growing up, one piece of advice stuck with me: “Find your voice.” At first, I was… confused? Finding my voice with just ink stains on a blank sheet? C’mon, how?! But with the help of reading a lot of books (as advised), I’m slowly getting there.

- I’ve met so many amazing writers and humans here. People who weave words like music, each note blending into the next, creating symphonies out of sentences.

- Posting on Substack moved me from a doormat to a delightful chandelier. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. It’s the reason I was able to start my BookTok, BookTube, and Bookstagram journey (October & November).

So yes, February is now a special month for me. It deserves an award and a BIGGGG celebration!

Bye for now! Here’s to (hopefully) being more consistent and to February treating us all better!