The one with a fun levity list
Episode 23
Another tardy post, what’s become of me? At least last month, I was aware I was behind. This month I didn’t even realize it! Perhaps it was due to all the joy of this summer…or perhaps the sadness.
Being back in America is so nice, it feels gluttonous: the food, the grocery stores, the coffee shops. Amazing. And we’ve also had some nice family time. We’ve been busy playing in the cold river water in Michigan, playing in Southwest Texas on my uncle’s ranch, and now playing in the heart of Houston. Pretending that we have American lifestyles even if the charade will be short lived. The kids and I fly back in early August. CJ is already back, doing Nigeria camp and work life without us, which he reports is boring (and likely quiet in the absence of Teddy.)
Even though we are safe and enjoying Texas, many not far from here, are in the midst of tragedy from the recent flooding. I’m sure you’ve read about as it made the news everywhere, even my driver from Nigeria texted me last week to see if we were ok.
I’ve been praying for everyone in Central Texas: those still on the ground searching, those left to weep and mourn the loss of their loved ones, and the many communities that will have to rebuild and move forward with the loss of so many wonderful people and kids.
I understand that flooding can happen all over the world, but when it also takes so many lives, I expect it to occur in Nigeria where infrastructure and resources are non-existent, or at best lacking, not in central Texas. It’s a shocking reality when it’s the later. I’m reminded of words I wrote in a newsletter last summer, “Apparently, things can go horribly wherever you are. This is an unfortunate truth of the human condition.”
When things feel heavy, I like to make a levity list. A simple list of ways I’ve seen grace and beauty lately. It’s a list of non-critical information to help invoke critical emotions, like hope and joy.
1. NEW BOOTS from Charlotte Stone.
This is the coolest shoe company, because several pairs of their shoes coordinate, but don’t match, which is a type of funky I love. I’ve been eyeing these boots (they match, but still fun) for months now, but living in Nigeria it’s not as simple as just ordering them. There’s not a reliable mail service there, in fact, quite the opposite is true. It wasn’t until we were stateside that I could physically order and receive them, but they’re worth the wait! Wearing them brings me joy, even if they’re made from suede which is annoyingly high maintenance.
2. The total stranger that stopped and waited at least 15 minutes while we captured a ram and guided it back to my uncle’s ranch.
As it turns out, rams (also known as transcaspian urials if you prefer the sophisticated term) are expensive animals. Which is why it was a problem when one someone escaped the ranch fence and was trying to headbutt its way back in. My sister, her husband, my dad, and cousin all devised a plan to get it back in through a large gate. Our plan was underway when a stranger came driving down the road in a giant pick-up truck. This ram was terrified of vehicles, and we knew the whole plan would be ruined if the truck kept going. So, my cousin went and explained the situation to them, and to my awe, they stopped and waited patiently while we got the ram back onto the ranch. I would’ve been annoyed; they didn’t mind at all.
It’s a “human rights movement, disguised as a coffeeshop.” Their simple mission is changing the way people see other people by employing at least 80% of the people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The one in Houston opened in 2023, and I’ve gone every day this week since I found it. Both the coffee and customer service are fabulous.
The original coffee shop began in North Carolina with one family who wanted to employ their own children with Downs Syndrome, Bitty and Beau. As of this writing, they now have 17 locations in 12 different states!
4. Ryan Trahan
Ryan Trahan is a Youtuber that Ray watches, that I actually really like and approve of! He is currently traveling through 50 states in 50 days to raise money for St Jude Hosptial. His original goal was to raise 1 million USD, but as of day 31 he’s already raised almost 4 million! Ray really wanted me to donate, but I really disappointed him when I said we couldn’t donate 50K and make Ryan spin his infamous “wheel of doom,” like Mr. Beast did. Sorry, Ray. If you want to watch the series here’s a good video of him explaining the rules of his road trip!
5. My Friend’s Weird Side Hustle
Speaking of St. Jude, one of my good friends is a pharmacist there and she is also raising money for the hospital. But that’s not why I put her on the list. She’s on the list because of her weird new side hustle, Samantha’s Saloon. She started a little “fun” business fixing up American Girl dolls. I’ve listened to many explanations of how to fix broken doll eyeballs, repair doll amputations and eliminate doll mold problems. If you need an American Girl doll repaired or just want to give her FB page a follow, click HERE. If want to donate to St Jude on her behalf, click HERE. Her goal is 3,000 USD and she only has $580 left to go!
6. Witnessing our Nigerian and American lives collide
This has its challenges, like when I dropped Teddy off for soccer camp and then watched him cry in frustration because he didn’t know how to play “Duck, Duck, Goose,” with the other kids. A similar situation occurred when we went to the Dude Perfect live show and the whole audience was singing and doing arm motions to the song, “YMCA,” with the exception of Ray and Teddy, who were just looking around the room blankly.
While we get to learn about cultures around the world, we also miss cultural things here in America like games and songs. But mostly, this overlap has been amazing. Seeing friends from Nigeria, here in America is the best of all worlds. After spending time with our friends from Nigeria in Michigan this summer, I realized that there are still gifts to be discovered in this expat-life, even 2 years in.
7.Our Airbnb host, who also owns Houston Segway Tours and offered us a free segway tour!
I’m currently staying at an Airbnb in Houston and our Host also owns and operates Segway Tours of Houston. She generously offered a friend and I a free segway tour. I had never done a segway tour before, but this blew my expectations. Riding the segway was fun, and we learned so much about the history of Houston and got to see a lot of beautiful murals.
10/10 recommend doing a segway tour with her company if you find yourself in Houston!
8. Lastly, doing an F45 class with my mom who was recovering from major brain surgery this time last year.
Also, she’s 72 and had no problem keeping up with this high paced, HITT style class! I’m forever inspired.
I hope this list made you think of your own current levity list. I’d love to hear what’s on it in the comments.
Yesterday, I woke up to find all of our (mine, Teddy and Ray’s) Air France flights had been canceled due to someone medaling with my Air France account. For context, I had called a few weeks ago about moving a flight date, and somewhere either within the calls or with the chat bot, I had gotten in touch with not Air France, but scammers. I spent most of yesterday in a panicked tailspin trying to recover our flights to no avail.
My friend who had come to visit for the weekend joined me in this mission, even though doing anything else would’ve been more fun. Before she left to drive back to San Antonio, where she lives, she gave me a hug and said, “I still think good people have to win in the end.” It reminded me of this Bible verse which I will share in closing:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
Newsletter Updates:
A Day in the Life with my friend Holly’s family leaving Nigeria is coming in August! We finally did our interview together and I’m working on transcribing it all. This will be our next newsletter as we fly back to Nigeria August (after we buy new flights, of course. NOT from Air France.) I’ll be jet-lag-drunk for at least a week after that which will be fun combined with back-to-school madness.
If you’re missing hearing about Nigeria, I highly recommend my camp friend Alyssa’s post, “Reflections from Nigeria.” While her Substack mostly features articles about AI, this is a beautifully written reflection on her 4 years in Nigeria and her experiences living there.
Awww! You linked my article. Thank you! I'm glad to hear you're having a great summer, and I love the idea of a levity list. Oddly enough, it seems to be the little moments of surprise and joy that seem to have the biggest impact.
Love you, B! Thank you for hosting me this weekend. Yes, in the end, the good people will win! 🙏🏼❤️