Tuesday, 26 September 2017

A 'Golden' LIFE

When I got a message from my agent about doing a commercial for Toyota in Japan, it got me excited. This is one country I have not visited and so I was anxious to know more about the people and culture of this amazing nation. 

I know In the ancient times in Japan, when a bowl is broken, it's put together with cracks being filled with gold creating a beautiful lining. This is to emphasise that it was once broken. They believe when something has suffered damage and has a history it makes it more beautiful and this got me thinking about the ups and downs we experience in life.  I often say  I am entirely made of flaws, stitched together with good intentions by the Grace of God and I let my life represent my strengths not my weaknesses. This analogy of the broken bowl goes for human beings and it caused me to pause, think and reflect ... how possible is it to put 'pieces' of ourselves together so as anyone 'touching' us understands what happiness is.  When do we get tired of spinning round and round and stop chasing pretty rainbows and just allow it to be... wrap up all shattered and scattered dreams of our lives, put them all down and start putting them together, piece by piece filling the cracks with gold.
  



Everything that you have been through, everything that you are going through doesn't make and shouldn't make your life 'uglier' although it may seem that when we are going through it. It is up to us to choose to paint those struggles with gold and make it beautiful. You are not broken beyond repair, you can pick yourself up and learn from what has happened and become a better person from it because of the struggles that you have been through. You can wear your scars proudly as a badge of honour as if to say .. 'Hey, look what I have been through, it's made me who I am today and I can get through anything life throws at me now'. Sometimes I call it experience. 

Nobody has had a perfect life, and nobody ever will. It's only up to us, if we choose to paint broken pieces gold and make it beautiful. 

Don't be ashamed of what has happened to you. For everything that has happened to you is for a reason. The more we deny and the 

           
                                                                 
more we complain and don't accept what we have been through, then it doesn't become a lesson, and therefore it's not useful. I sometimes call it useless pain. The moment we accept and find what is useful in the struggles, then that's just like us painting the cracks in our broken pieces GOLD, turning something that could be ugly into something beautiful and inspiring. Yes, turning a negative into a positive. 

When you learn from what you have been through, then your 'golden cracks' are inspirational for others, and the struggle was all worth it, useful pain. So don't get stuck on how  life challenged or is challenging you. I once heard a quote that said,

"Every next level of your life will demand a new you." 

This empowers me greatly and sometimes it takes being broken in order to become that new version of yourself. Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life and the hidden secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can and thanking God all the way...So if you are going through hard times, I hope you can pause, take time to reflect and I hope these words can help you or someone you know and care for....

With every blessing xxxxxxxxxxxxx



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posted by Anne-Wafula Strike @ 15:45   0 Comments

Sunday, 27 January 2013

'The Sessions'.


Series: Another view

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A member of the British Polio Fellowship's view on The Sessions

None of the disabled friends of Anne Wafula Strike had ever heard of a 'sex surrogate', as described in this wonderful film – but many would like to try it
The Sessions - 2012
'I related to how Mark felt about his body' ... John Hawkes and Helen Hunt in The Sessions. Photograph: FoxSearch/Everett/Rex Features
When I heard a film had been made about sex and disability, I was worried. How could a film about a man who survived polio as a child, and who now wants to employ a "sex surrogate" to take his virginity, be anything other than gross? I was ready to cover my eyes – but I didn't need to. This is a wonderfully sensitive and beautifully acted film.
  1. The Sessions
  2. Production year: 2012
  3. Country: USA
  4. Cert (UK): 15
  5. Runtime: 95 mins
  6. Directors: Ben Lewin
  7. Cast: Adam Arkin, Annika Marks, Helen Hunt, John Hawkes, Moon Bloodgood, William H Macy, William H. Macy
  8. More on this film
  1. In My Dreams I Dance (My Story)
  2. by Anne Wafula
  4. Buy it from the Guardian bookshop
  1. Tell us what you think:Star-rate and review this book
Like Mark, who is played by John Hawkes, I contracted polio as a child. But he spends many hours in an iron lung and is near immobile, whereas I have never used one – I was born in Kenya and they didn't have them at the time – and I'm a Paralympic wheelchair racer. Nor had I ever heard of a sex surrogate. I've been asking disabled friends about it, and most of them haven't either. It's opened their eyes; some of them are saying they'd like to try it.
I could very much relate to the way Mark feels about his body. He's ashamed; at first, he can hardly bear for Cheryl (Helen Hunt) to touch him. When I was a teenager, I felt the same way: boys were starting to notice my friends, and I couldn't imagine anyone ever finding me sexy. Eventually, I just decided that I was beautiful the way I am. Mark goes through a very similar process.
There's a lovely moment when he says something like: "God must have a wicked sense of humour – he made me." I feel the same way. If you have any kind of religious belief, you learn to accept yourself – to understand that your disability is not a curse, but that God has made you in his own image.
I'd have liked to see the film look at post-polio syndrome [a condition that affects polio survivors later in life]. I have it, and many people don't even know it exists. But that's a small criticism. This is an important and educational film. I hope it will help people to understand polio better.
• Anne Wafula Strike's autobiography In My Dreams I Dance is available through the British Polio Fellowship (britishpolio.org.uk; 0800 018 0586). The Sessions is out now.

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posted by Anne-Wafula Strike @ 10:49   0 Comments

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Stoke Mandeville.

I went to the meeting at Stoke Mandeville a week or so ago and was disappointed to find the wind was against us so the times I did were not up to my usual standard. However, it was my first competitive track meeting of the season and it was good to get back on the track and racing. Hopefully my times will improve with hard training. I've continued to work really hard and did a really good session down in Kingston with Jenny Archer on Saturday. I'm hoping to get down there again later this week.
On Sunday it was my birthday and I was absolutely delighted to get a phonecall from my dad in Kenya telling me that three men from a polio organisation here in the UK had turned up at his homestead that morning. They wanted my dad to show them the places they had read about in my autobiography, 'In My Dreams I Dance', and also to fill them in on the things they had read about in more detail. They told my dad he was an excellent role model for the parents of disabled children and that made him feel justly proud. I was so happy that my dad was getting some recognition for the wonderful parenting he had shown me growing up. It made my day! A birthday to remember.
So, I'm off to Mark Hall for some more training and I'm really looking forward to returning to Switzerland later this month for some top class competition.

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posted by Anne-Wafula Strike @ 07:52   0 Comments

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Busy Busy Busy

I'm back! Phew! My life has been very busy since my last entry. Life can be very difficult. The trials of this life will test our obedience to the truth which has become cheap in todays society.

I spent Christmas in Kenya and it was fantastic to be with my family and friends once again.

In January I had a book launch at the Kenyan High Commission in London which was a great success and I got lots of positive feedback about my book, 'In My Dreams I Dance'.

Also in January I spent a morning in the Gibberd Gallery in Harlow working with pupils from Harlowfields Special School. I really enjoyed interacting with the young people and they produced some wonderful work.

My training in January was tough but as usual it was very rewarding and I really worked hard to get ready for the coming season.

In February I travelled down to Canvey Island to help judge a fantastic event,'Singing Olympiad' - 'Sing Up Canvey Island'. The event had 9 schools competing in a singing competition and some of them had used me as inspiration, something I felt really humbled by but also very pleased. The performances were wonderful and in the end all of the competing schools won gold because they were all equally brilliant. I really enjoyed this event so thanks to the organisers for inviting me, and to the children for entertaining me and the other judges.

I trained really hard throughout February and my coach, Ken Day, really had me sweating as he made me push my limits hard. He's a great coach and I really enjoy working with him.

On Sunday I did my first race of the season, the Silverstone Half Marathon, and I was quite pleased to finish in one hour twenty minutes but I know I can do better. At least it was better than last year, and I was raising funds for disabled women in Burkina Faso so it was a very worthwhile exercise. I'm struggling with my chair and need a new one.

Yesterday was International Womens Day and I was very pleased to have an article I wrote published on the Guardian website. http://gu.com/2nt2p

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posted by Anne-Wafula Strike @ 04:42   0 Comments

Saturday, 9 October 2010

Training Buy The Book.




Training has continued to go really well and I'm very positive about next season.I've been following the Commonwealth Games keenly and was delighted to see James Huckle, my Harlow pal, win his medals.There's been a lot of adverse publicity about the facilities in Delhi but I think it's been fantastic to see athletes competing with each other in a spirit of sportsmanship and overcoming all the obstacles put in their way. Great stuff.


My life has, as usual, been hectic outside my sporting activities. I attended a dinner in the House of Lords in my role as Goodwill Ambassador for ADD(Action on Disability and Development) and it was nice to get 'glammed' up for a change. I was also delighted to win an award myself at the UK-Kenyan Achievers Awards in London. I was very proud to accept the Sports Personality of the Year award and got a lovely trophy and certificate. Finally, I had a table in the Harlow branch of WH Smiths where I signed copies of my autobiography,'In My Dreams I Dance'. I felt very honoured when our local MP, Robert Halfon came to show his support. The signing was a big success and I thank all those people who came along, and the manager of WH Smiths who arranged it all.

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posted by Anne-Wafula Strike @ 10:23   0 Comments