Thank You For The Happiest Year…

And with this, the 2023 season comes to an end.

Wagwan guys?

It's two days left for the year to end, and it comes with a lot of emotions, and mixed feelings, maybe. Some high expectations for the year were cut short, back-to-back Ls, yet some Ws to cover up for the Ls. Some major and erm, maybe not so major, those tiny bit Ws. It's been a rollercoaster for real. What a year!

But this newsletter isn't me. No, this is a heartfelt piece to you, my friend.

You see, I didn't realize how far I've come on this journey until my friend, Bukola asked me when I started this newsletter thingy. Then it dawned on me that I have actually come a long way. I mean I had this baby at the beginning of this year.

A baby I conceived last year (shout-out to the day ones from my previous platform) but I wasn't sure how I would nurture her. I felt like I had a lot of expectations. I did have. People would say each content was better than the previous, and that put pressure when I was starting on Substack. But then, all I ever wanted to do was share my thoughts, experiences, and perspectives from life, adulthood, and everyday activities. And that's why the only name that could resonate with me was "Wagwan With Damdam." Which literally means What's going on with Damdam.

You see, all I ever wanted to do was tell stories and share 'em in the most relatable form. To you. A storyteller who was unsure of what to tell was how I felt when I dropped my first newsletter here. But I just knew I had to start regardless.

And from January till this date, it's been a wholesome experience riding with you. It's been a long way yet feels surreal that not just friends but random persons, now homies, can relate to my ordeals and experiences. Thank you for listening to my rants. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts (even though you may not agree with everything I say), and thank you for opening each email. Thank you for writing back to me. Thank you for the comments. Thank you for sharing on social media (shalla to my IG fam). Thank you for subscribing. If you have been here since the first newsletter, thank you so much. Who would have thought you'd read over 17 newsletters? I would have asked for your details, but I heard you guys dettyed December, so I wouldn't bother. And if you ask for mine, who am I to refuse?

Moving forward, I hope you continue to see value in every mail you read, and every conversation we have. Blessing Abeng would say, value isn't about the carousels you post. But the ability to trigger emotions. Or convey the emotion you want. And as much as there wouldn't be a "Wagwan" without you, I hope you never forget to see the light in every piece you read.

It's been lovely riding with over 500 of you. At some point, I started to focus on numbers, but I had to learn to focus on the number of times I would talk to you.

So I'd like to wrap this newsletter up.

I probably would take a break from writing to you, as I do want to take my time, re-strategize, state things in place, and all of that. For you. Or maybe, I just need a break for myself. But hey, this isn't goodbye. I'm not too good at goodbyes. But you'll hear from me sooner than you think, and when you do, I'll have lots of stories to tell. And we'll pick it up from where we started.

Thank you for your feedback too. 

I hope you give yourself grace for the things that happened this year, regardless of the situation. I hope you forgive yourself and tell yourself that it's okay not to be okay, but it's not okay if you don't end up okay. I hope you pat yourself well done for the things that happened this year, and remind yourself of what you must do better next year. 

Lastly, I hope you dare to dream. That you didn't get all you wished shouldn't stop you from dreaming big. Dare to dream, you're bigger than you think. I wish you the most amazingly beautiful year in 2024.

Happy New Year in Advance.

Love and Magic,

Damdam

P S: stay away from romantic relationship, guys. It's vanity. I love you so much. ❤️