Hello there! My name is Damaris. I’m 33 years old, an only child, not yet married but dating a real nice human. My biggest flaw at the moment (because they change up constantly) is that I let perfect be the enemy of the good. 

Take, for example, this blog. I bought the domain on June 23rd – the weekend after a three-day Masterclass on creative writing with Jackson Biko. I was positively burning up with the desire to share my writing with the world. So much that I frigging bought a domain so I could put my name on it!

But then apart from settling on a name and getting advice on the design, my second-born baby blog has been sitting here. Staring at me accusingly, like a baby who I’ve refused to change diapers. It’s guilt-riddling stuff.

You see guys, I have a problem.

I often let perfect be the enemy of the good. What would the inaugural post be about? Me? Would that make me an egotistic, narcissistic (stick a condescending reference here)? Would it even be interesting? Would anyone want to read it? Would I want anyone to read it in the first place? Would I want to post and share before the design of the entire website was complete? What would Bett and Biko think? Would I be featured as a cautionary tale in the next edition of the Masterclass? Question after question. Excuse after excuse. All because I wanted it to be perfect right from the start, blinding me to the fact that good enough could also be okay.

But it’s been one and a half months now, and that baby with the serious case of the stinks has learned how to walk (and maybe even how to change their own diaper). So no more excuse!

Hello world, welcome to my blog! Please have a seat as I give you a handful of reasons to subscribe and come back every week for some great content.

I’m a cool person.
Okay. So not biker-club, dinner-in-Dubai, amateur-snake-charmer type of cool. I leave that to my cousin, Ash. Even his name is cool. But I’m cool in that I have diverse interests that are hopefully different from your own. Since I could make out letters on a page, I have loved books and the written form. I also do a spot of baking-cakes, bread, cookies or cupcakes. I try not to tell too many people about my Mary Berry side because it leads to questions about my weekend activities. You know who you are. I recently got back to the mat–yoga not karate. I wish it was the latter. I feel like knowing how to deliver a debilitating kick to someone’s midsection would somehow make my life richer. I have an unusual devotion to getting a bargain and will go to incredible lengths and places to find them. I was a vegan for nine months. With that comes plenty of revelations which I’ll happily share. I have a thirst for knowledge, a love for cats, admiration for Marie Kondo, and penchant Pinterest. Impossible as it sounds, I plan on getting even cooler, so you’ll definitely want to stick around for that.

I’ve had some travel adventures.
Want to hear about my near kidnapping on a rainy evening in Istanbul? Or how about the time I wore a yellow shift dress on a night cruise on the Bosphorus in mid-Spring? Nah? How about my culture shock in Germany? A night on the town in Entebbe? Ubers gone wrong in Mtwapa? The search for wigs in Zurich? A monkey attack in Zanzibar? There’s got to be something in that list that made you chuckle. I often think about how I would have so many more stories to share if I traveled more often, but we’ll make do with what we have for now.

I have had plenty of dating adventures.
I’ve already mentioned my nice human, but before him there we The Others. And I still remember what it’s like to be single and dating. And why let my dating misadventures go to waste! There are lessons to be learnt. Horrors to be exorcised. You think you’ve had a bad date. Read about Melvin who had me shuka kwa mataa. Yes! Or the divorced dad of two I met for brunch at a valet-serviced restaurant with my car with a cut-out; this last detail is important. Or the Saint Lucian who discombobulated my brain for a week or two but introduced the concept of voice notes instead of phone calls… is there no limit to new-age dating? Then there’s the guy who after one too many cocktails, had me stick my head out the window and puke from a moving vehicle (added that real fast to the dating deal-breaker list). The French guy I impressed with my profound knowledge of France’s politics thanks to an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (AKA when TV saves awkward conversations). Then there was Tinder. Oi! I was a serial first dater and I have enough stories to tell my daughters that I can spare some for you. Aside from that there are the dates that evolved into relationships and the lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn. Yes, there is a lot here, folks…. maybe too much, haha ha!

Life has happened.
Life hasn’t been just rainbows and butterflies. Is it for anyone? And while some have told me I exude a vibrance and light, there’s been some gray and darkness in my slice of the universe that I may share. I am a growing believer of telling the whole story. Not just the creative, filtered edits that leave out the bits you messed up or life messed you up. It will require vulnerability, and vulnerability requires feelings of safety and courage. Let’s see how you and I shape out, shall we?

I have girlfriends.
Women need girlfriends and men need girl friends. I can be both because I am one. There’s nothing like having a sisterhood and women who have your back. I have that and it doesn’t necessarily look like how we imagined it would – large and teeming with bosom buddies from when I was in kindergarten. It’s smaller. More intimate.  And more real. We’ve taken our companionship further and began a book club, aptly called Chapter One. Under the Reviews section of this blog, I’ll be sharing personal reviews of our books of the months. I’ll even throw in some discussion questions that you can use for your own book club. Thank me later.

I have career advice.
Marketing and customer service are a passion, and I have worked in print and now in investment banking. Two technical and unrelated industries. Neither of them were fields of focus in my formal education or professional training. But, false modesty aside, I did and I’m now doing a solid job in my capacity. Afraid to try something new in your career? Suffering from impostor syndrome? Too scared or tired to look around for opportunities? Looking for cost-effective marketing tools for your business? Need ideas on personal branding?  I can share my advice and experience at this point of my career journey, and we can learn and grow together.

I have an active imagination
On the blog, you will also notice a Fiction section. That’s my stretch goal. The reason I have began the Margaret Atwood’s masterclass on creative writing. The reinforced thought from the Bikozulu class. I have an imaginative mind and the stories I have written in my head really should have a home. 

Now, here is where I make my closing argument like a prosecutor at a trial. Besiege you to come back every Saturday for a new post. Tell you that my first blog, Musings (content available for nostalgia’s sake in a tab above) was the warmup, and that this is the real deal.

But I don’t think I have to convince you. You know this blog will be good.  I can’t wait to share with you some fresh perspectives in Life Lately, and in turn I hope you will share your thoughts in the comment sections.

Curtains up. The main event is beginning. And oh…. I brought you flowers.