I've always loved Mondays. No matter when I go to bed the night before, I always get an early start. Contrary to popular practice, my weekly reset begins at 5 AM with a prayer, setting my intentions. Sitting on my mat, I think of how life has felt very fast and dystopian, yet I wake up early every day. The world might be on fire, filled with chaos, but that hasn't stopped capitalism, my deadlines, and my KPIs. These days existential dread weighs heavily on my shoulders. As I start my week, I set my daily goals and keep it simple: to live, focus on my yellows, and survive.

The world is losing its color, so I've committed to wearing more colors each week. This Monday, I am starting with yellow, my favorite. Yellow is the color of sunshine, joy, and sunflowers, and it feels like a small rebellion against the grey. Wearing yellow reminds me to find my spark, and to look for the little things that bring happiness.

Yellow takes me back to childhood, to the days when everything felt brighter and simpler. It reminds me of how much I am a slave to nostalgia. I am deliberately going to take stock of all the yellows that make up my day despite my to-do list, despite my deadlines and long meetings. I will only focus on the yellows. 

I go into the office, and Madam Mary, the office cleaner greets me with a smile and a question, “Is the color for the week yellow?” she asks. I respond with a smile and say, “Yes.”

Her warm smile is a yellow. So I add I open my notes app and add it to my list.

• My nephew running into my room to scream, "Wake up!"
• My nephew's warm hug and smile
• Listening to a podcast while showering
• Playing Ayra's new album on the ride to the office
• Madam Mary's warm smile

I go on with my daily activities and continue to add more entries to my list

• The jokes I make with my colleagues
• Nigerian women excellence
• Drinking tea from my mug with bee imprints
• Researching and finding helpful resources on the first page of google
• One hour of focused work
• Dance breaks
• Sharing tweets with my friends
• Treating myself to 20 minutes of Tiktok
• Whenever my friend says her bit, "Not my circus, not my monkey" which is her reaction to everything
• All the tracks in Billie Eilish’s new album
• Riding a bicycle because its World Bicycle Day and it reminded me of my childhood rides
• The new dress you just ordered and excited to receive
• Seeing your friends after work

It is 9 pm and I look at my list, I have over 45 entries of my yellows. Even as Nigeria Nigerias and the world continue to feel unreal, these small moments are my anchor helping me find light and hold onto hope. The world might feel like it's losing its color, but I'm committed to bringing it back, one yellow at a time.