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O’s Musings

@orica.smart

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Melanin Rich Skin Boss,Skin Corrector, shifting perspectives, building safe spaces.
Founder @theospot & @polished.to
Educator • Speaker• Mentor. Mom.

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Zephefffaaaah!!!!!

Weeks later and I’m still trying to wrap my head around you being gone… I AM NOT OK!!!

The first day of college, this bubbly girl walked in and asked if she could sit beside me, and I shyly said yes. That tiny yes turned into 25 years of friendship, sisterhood, and memories I’ll carry for life.

From girls to women…
We traveled together.
We cried together.
We laughed until we literally couldn’t breathe

Thank you for traveling across the GTA almost every weekend to pick me up just to party with you.
Thank you for being the best maid of honour.
Thank you for seeing me through some of my darkest moments.
Thank you for loving me the way you did.

I’m gonna miss the way you said my name.
I’m gonna miss those eyes looking straight into my soul.
I’m gonna miss your smile and that wild, contagious laugh.
Your energy is already missed… more than words can ever catch up to.

You’ve left a huge hole in the part of my heart reserved for friends.
Love you forever Zepheffa 💜🦄

Ps. Stop by anytime 😌🥲

#fuckcancer
#GoneTooSoon #ForeverInMyHeart #25YearsOfFriendship #SisterhoodForever #RestInParadise #CelebratingYourLife #LoveLivesOn #MissingYouAlways #BestGirlForever #MemoriesThatMatter taken in HEART BREAK by @orica.smart

133

96

a year ago

NOBODY TOLD ME I’D BE STINKING. 😭💀

Listeeen. Nobody told me that one day, in the middle of my big woman life, my armpits would just decide to betray me.

Like any other morning I showered. I used my regular deodorant. I got dressed. I drove to work.

No workout. No running. No strenuous activity. NOTHING.

And by 11:30 am!?

STINKING. Armpits wrenk like Ram Goat.😫

So I started warning my class.

“If I’m standing next to you and you smell me, I promise you I showered this morning and put on deodorant.

That’s when one of the older student, who’s in her late 50s said:
“Don’t worry, teacher. I know you’re clean. It used to happen to me too. It’s hormones. It’s normal.”

GIRL. 😭

First of all, thank you for defending my hygiene in my hour of need.

Secondly, WHY DID NOBODY TELL US?!

Apparently, hormonal changes can affect body odour. And here I was thinking my body had malfunctioned.

My regular deodorant? USELESS.

So I went to Superstore during lunch and bought Dove Men+Care Extra Fresh because clearly, my usual deodorant was no longer qualified for the position.

And the wildest part?

THREE DAYS.

It happened for three days in a row and then NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN.

Like my armpits had a hormonal episode, disrupted my entire life, and then went back to business as usual. 💀

WHAT IN THE PERIMENOPAUSAL HELL?!

Ladies, has this happened to you? Because apparently, some of us have been living through this for years and nobody thought to send the rest of us a memo!

P.S. Before the natural deodorant committee convenes, this is a STORYTIME, not a product recommendation. I needed my armpits to cooperate, and Dove Men+Care got the job. 😂

Please direct all complaints to my hormones. Toodles 😒💀

#MultidimensionalWoman #OSMusings #ComedyOfA40PlusWoman #PerimenopauseChronicles #stinkyarmpits by @orica.smart

10

11

a day ago

Last Sunday, my son opened the door to Edill’s Coffee House, and we walked into one of the most strikingly beautiful coffee house’s in Scarborough.

We stopped here between his basketball games to refuel before the next game started… and listen… the space is BEAUTIFUL! Bright, spacious, yet warm.

My son is STILL thinking about his grilled cheese sandwich and lemonade, and I had the BEST pumpkin spice latte. I also got a pistachio croissant, which I only got TWO bites of because the long-belly teenager ate it all while waiting for his sandwich! 😂

But what really stood out was how thoughtfully the space reflected the owner’s story. Through the coffee, the atmosphere, and the details throughout the café, she shared a little of her Kenyan heritage with us in a way that felt natural and welcoming. It was a beautiful reminder that East African coffee, and the cultures behind it, deserves its own space here in Canada.

It didn’t stop there guys! I went looking for the bathroom and I stumbled upon a PRAYER ROOM. 🥹 I couldn’t help the big smile. It warmed my heart knowing someone had thoughtfully made space for their staff and customers to practise their faith.

And then… I entered the ladies’ room and discovered a HANDHELD BIDET. The most coolest thing EVER!!

Y’all. My inner child came right out!! WHY was I testing the water pressure?! 😭🤣 You literally cannot take me anywhere!

But seriously, this experience reminded me of something:

Intentionality is not just building a beautiful business. It’s building a business where people can see that you thought about them before they even walked through the door.

And that, to me, is what makes a business stand out. It’s one thing to create a beautiful space. It’s another to make people feel seen, considered, and welcomed.

Edill’s, thank you for being the change. 🤎☕️

#OSMusings #CulturalAwareness #multidimensionalwoman #respectentrepreneurs #coffeehousefinds taken in Edill's Coffee House by @orica.smart

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6

2 days ago

Me: Yo! Where are you?

Friend: ’Bout to drive in the hole (underground parking).

Me: Oh. 🥲 (feeling defeated)

Friend: Yuh good?

Me: Chuckling I can’t reach the toggle of the zipper to get my dress off. Can you meet me in the lobby?

Friend: *lmfao* Say less. 😂

Your 40s WILL humble you!

The weight gain and aches? Humbling.
The seemingly sudden shortening of your limbs? MURDAH! 😭😂

I loved myself in this dress. Mind you, before purchasing it, I had issues zipping it all the way up. Automatically, I thought, “Big back, big back!” 🤣 But I soon realized my arms weren’t long enough to reach the zipper. Easy fix… right? Or so I thought. LOL.

I went to the event feeling GOODT in this dress. Confident. Cute. Feeling myself and knowing I had someone to zip me up when I got there. 💃🏾

But chiiiile, I got home, and taking the dress OFF became the real and main event. 🤣🤣🤣

WHY COULDN’T MY ARMS REACH THE LIL’ ZIPPER TOGGLE?! 😭😭😭

Listen, Lindaaa! I was twisting and turning like a dog trying to get its tail, reaching, negotiating with my own body…. And NOTHING!! 🥴😂

The embarrassment of having to use a LIFELINE at midnight! Thank God for friends who will meet you in the lobby at MIDNIGHT to laugh at and unzip you because, apparently, this is where we are in life. 🤣🤣🤣

Frozen shoulder: 1
Orica: 0 😤

#MultidimensionalWoman #OSMusings #comedyofa40pluswoman #perimenopauseandbullshit perimenopausejournal by @orica.smart

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19

3 days ago

Reflection Station…

#multidimensionalwoman #osmusings #comedyofa40pluswoman #perimenopausediaries #myjournal by @orica.smart

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2

10 days ago

I read an article a few weeks ago that said, “Check on your 40+ year old friend, because they are going through it.”

And honestly… I felt that. 😩

Because there is A LOT happening in our 40s.

So I started wondering…

Are we grieving our youth?

Or are we just learning how to love ourselves through all these changes?

Let’s talk about it. 👀

#multidimensionalwoman #lifeofa40pluswoman #perimenopausediaries #womenover40 #osmusings by @orica.smart

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18

12 days ago

September really said, “Girl, sit down.” 😂

And I did….. well, for the most part.

Not a ton of dressed-up photos, events, parties, or places to prove I had a “busy” month.

But, I lived.

I taught. I educated. I celebrated birthdays, mentees, good food, quiet moments and small wins.

I laughed. I reflected. I grieved. I missed people who should still be here to celebrate with us.

September wasn’t particularly festive by Instagram standards, but it was full.

Sometimes life is loud. Sometimes it’s quiet.

Either way, life is still happening.

September, you were quiet.

But you were alive. 🤎

#multidimensionalwoman #osmusings #comedyofa40pluswoman #perimenopausediaries myjournal taken in IN MY WORLD by @orica.smart

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4

16 days ago

Two women. One concert. One very honest conversation about what the fuck our bodies are doing. 😂

And listen… “at least mi pum-pum nuh dry” took me ALL THE WAY OUT. 😭

But jokes aside, vaginal dryness and discomfort can be a very real part of the hormonal changes some women experience during perimenopause and menopause.

And there can be so much shame around it. It can affect how you feel in your own body, your confidence, intimacy, and even your sexual relationships.

Which is exactly why we need to be able to talk about this shit without embarrassment.

We gonna laugh AND have the conversation, because shame doesn’t live here😂❤️

Welcome to O’s Musings. My journal clearly has no damn filter. 😂

#multidimensionalwoman #osmusings #comedyofa40pluswoman #perimenopausediaries #myjournal by @orica.smart

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17

a month ago

I am NOT my Hair

I’ve been cutting my hair since I was 16.

And after all these years, I finally realized…

It wasn’t the hair it self, it was the length I wasn’t attached to.

I’m attached to the freedom.

The freedom to change it.
To experiment.
To be soft, bold, feminine, edgy, sexy… whatever the hell I feel like being. 😂

And maybe that’s why cutting it has always felt less like losing something and more like letting something go.

Because I can always start again.

Hair grows.
Life changes.
So do we.

And every version is still me. ❤️

New cut. Same me. Maybe just a little more free.

#multidimensionalwoman #lifeofa40pluswoman #womenover40 #osmusings #lifestyleover40 by @orica.smart

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16

a month ago

Yo!!! I have some deep friends ya know. 😂

Check it…

One random summer in NY, one of my best friends asked me a question that I’ve carried with me for over 20 years.

“What do you own?”

And because I was in my early 20s, living in my mama’s basement, I started listing my shit. 😂

My bedroom set.
My TV.
My stereo.
My computer.

She looked at me and said…

“No. What do you own?”

And I was like…

Myself. 😂

But then years later, my children and my business got added to the list of “things” I own.

Rude awakening. 😂😂😂

Because eventually you realize… people aren’t things. And neither is your business.

So I’ve gone back to that question every few years.

And now, at 46, my answer is completely different.

I own my peace of mind.
I own my happiness.
I own my emotions.
I own how I respond.
I own my mind.
I own my name.
I own my integrity.
I own how I show up.

And THAT feels very different from owning a TV. 😂

Funny how the definition of ownership changes as you grow.

At 22, I thought my friend was asking me what I had.

Now I think she was asking me:

What truly belongs to you?

And baby…

I own a whole lot more now. ❤️

And yes… I no longer live in my mama’s basement. 😂😂😂

P.s me at a ripe 26

#multidimensionalwoman #lifeofa40pluswoman #womenover40 #midlifewomen #lifestyleover40 by @orica.smart

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31

a month ago

Brain fog is fogging,fogged up.

Especially on days when I’m teaching or speaking on a panel, my brain gets really fogging foggy.

And honestly, it can be embarrassing.
Because I know my shit. I know I belong in that room.
But when you can’t find the words, suddenly you’re questioning yourself.

Like… Do I actually know what I’m talking about? Am I losing it?

And that’s the fogged-up thing about brain fog.
It can make you feel like an imposter… in a room you actually earned your way into.

#multidimensionalwoman #lifeofa40pluswoman #perimenopausediaries #womenover40 #midlifewomen by @orica.smart

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14

a month ago

A pop of colour.

Grade 9 and Grade 12. 🤍

One starting his journey, and the other completing hers.

Two very different seasons. Two different roads ahead. But both stepping into a new chapter that will shape who they become.

My babies, I pray you walk into these years with courage, wisdom, discernment and good people around you. May you always know who you are, trust yourself, and never be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

I’m so proud of you both. 🥹

Prayers up for them as they begin another school year. 🙏🏾✨

#MultidimensionalWoman
#LifeOfA40PlusWoman
#MotherhoodJourney
#RaisingTeens
#TeenMomLife by @orica.smart

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34

a month ago