I was asked to get to the studio at 10am. I was there at 9.50am. The plan was to do hair and make-up, then selection of outfits and accessories. This was my third photo shoot with the extraordinarily talented TY Bello – celebrity photographer, singer, producer, proud mother of twins. I did my first shoot with her in 2011 and then 2018. On the morning of March 24th 2023, I thought I knew the drill with TY. Five years is a long time in the life of a creative person. TY was always on another level as a photographer but what she did on that day left me and my team awestruck. Not only did she battle the hairstylist and make-up person till they got the right look, she kept reeling out one prop after the other. The first thing she said to me was, ‘This shoot has to be special, you are celebrating a milestone’. I went with the flow because I am always open to new and interesting things. She brought out two sets of flowers for two white outfits I wore and she said, ‘This is a new season for you. That is what these symbolise’. When I got the photographs, I cried. Not because of how pretty I looked in them, but because I was grateful to be able to mark such a milestone in good health and with no crisis looming over me and my family. I did another photoshoot with Korede Olabanji known as PhotoNimi, and his photographs were also a wonder to behold.
Sixty years. I am grateful for all the blessings I have received. I will never take them for granted. I still have a long way to go, but I am glad for where this journey has taken me so far. My deep gratitude to all my family and friends from all over the world who have made me feel so special at this time. Thank you for making me think about what a new season means.
A season for laughter and joy
For love and happiness
Freedom from anxiety and worry
Gratitude for the small things that always add up
A season of preparation
A season of reflection
A season of insight
What is gone is gone
What is done is done
This season is for moving forward
For carrying and owning my own bags
Packed full of goodness, grace and blessings
For leaving stuff that is not mine behind
All those things that go bump in the night
They can scare the six or sixteen-year-olds
Not this sixty-year-old
I move
Not sluggishly dragging my feet
Head bowed in fear
Cowering in uncertainty
Full of doubts and second guessing
No
I strut, I march, I dance, I leap,
Straight into my new season
Head held high
Hands on my hips
Back and shoulders up
Blooming like the most vibrant of special flowers
Blooming in ways that make dark places yield to the light
Blooming with the grace of Almighty God
Blooming. Into my new season.
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com