FORTY TO 40
Forty to 40 is a Blog & Podcast Hybrid Project looking back, living in the now and pondering on the future as Raymond Nurse turns 40. Each blog or podcast episode will feature topics beginning with ‘F’ such as ‘Foundation’, ‘Family’, ‘Financials’ and ‘Frenemies’ and much much more.
01/40 - Framework
Who am I?
Wendy and Whitfield’s first, second and third born lol. My ‘disappointments’ that brought me into this world as an only child - More on them at some point during Forty to 40. When I protested, Mum would say she got perfection at the first try so why would she have to go again? The truth is that I knew and she knew that I would torment and roast any that came after me so it was in their best interest for me to be a ‘one and done’. So who am I? A vital component of ‘Framework’ relies on me acknowledging that ‘No Man is an Island’ so now you get to learn a bit about my team.
You can also visit the ‘Collaborators’ page for links to the quality content they were producing before working with me and what they can produce for you when you utilise their talents in the future.
My music man who is an expert with all things rhythmic is none other than Barbadian Andre Forde. I wanted some music that represents who I am and where I am from and spoke to Fordie - Apple keep changing Fordie to Ford and it is very aggravating. He was more than up to the task. I told him about Forty to 40 and he went on to create something that he was proud of and that he thought fully represented me, once we got past the Wukking Up Wild version of me, and settled on Caribbean Cool, he was off to the races. In one stop, Fordie gave me a blend of drums, bass, guitar, keyboard and pan. Andre is just as bad behind the lens as he is on the sticks. Peep ultralensbdos on IG and try to convince me otherwise.
Before you listened to your first podcast, Ashley Long was creating them. Dayton, Ohio gave us one of their very best and I am pleased to be working with her on Forty to 40. She will be the host keeping me focused on creating the best project possible. I have learned so much about the process of producing a quality pod - That’s the industry and the cool kid’s way to say podcast. The intricacies of what goes into it all I gladly leave to her but her personality will shine through on the episodes and you will learn more about her as you learn more about me.
Framework was a great place to start when I finally decided on how to ease my way into 40. How could a lil Black boy from the island of Barbados ring in a milestone as meaningful as this? I want to stick a pin there - Yeah for sure, plenty pins will be stuck throughout this entire. My 39th birthday was the best birthday of my life, don’t wait for your birthday to end with a ‘5’ or a ‘0’ to live it up.
Don’t wait for your birthday to live it up. Each day truly is a blessing so live them all up and revel in the gift that we have to rise the sun and enjoy another 24 hours. Nothing in this thing called life is guaranteed. Fully live your life but be sure to live it in a way that is kind and respectful to others as you live it.
Now…
How could a lil Black boy from the island of Barbados ring in a milestone as meaningful as 40?
He could do it with all of you.
How would that be?
With a little help from a blog + podcast hybrid project.
I have done funky birthday ideas throughout my life. The main one I have kept up with across most of my birthdays after undergraduate years was ‘Birthday Check-ins’. November 13th was the one day in the year that persons would reach out to wish me well as I made another trip around the sun. I decided that this would be the moment that I responded to them enquiring about how they are doing and how life was treating them? The common thing was life was very much life-ing so the full spectrum from health issues to lost loved ones that were lost would come back my way but the biggest thing was always a sense of gratitude for being able to ask them in the first place. Check in with your people more often, we all have plenty happening and you don’t really know when someone needs a little sunshine in their rain.
The definition of framework is ‘a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text’. For me, it is the nitty-gritty, what makes us tick? I know what makes me tick and what ticks me off all in the same. Wendy makes me tick… Drivers on the road that turn on their indicator for a split second before it can properly tick… They tick me off. Over the years, different situations have caused my framework to evolve but at its core, I am the same Bajan thrust into said situations around the world.
The structure I have in my life and what I hope for all comes from my nation. Despite being born out of atrocities in many ways, Barbados did a lot of things in her framework to position me to be able to be here right now typing these words. I was born with a ventricular septal defect and was just starting my journey in Architecture in Jamaica when the valve above where that hole in my heart started to collapse compounding with the already known issue. The framework of Barbados’ healthcare insurance ensured that Wendy - That’s my mum for those who were wondering and there’s definitely way more about her to come, and my family were in a position to provide a percentage of the funds to get me life-saving open heart surgery. After being given a year or so to live after my 19th birthday, if I didn’t have the surgery, access to quality surgical procedures in a timely manner made it possible for me to be here writing now healthily en route to 40. Another area where I was given a chance was in Education. Barbados is not perfect but when we became independent on the 30th of November, 1966, it was the step we took before becoming a Republic and shaking up the socials in 2021, a decision was made. The decision was to frame the education system in a way that our education levels (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary) were free for all children on the island. Miscellaneous fees were all that would be required and that proved to be a game-changer for many middle and lower income households similar to the one I grew up in. On top of that, there was a testing system implemented that largely placed students across the island based on their ability to learn. Even though I went on to choose an area of study that was excluded from our tertiary system freeness - such a silly chap I know, I had already benefited from qualifying on merit for the best education on offer on my little rock. QC, Cawmere and Lodge… That’s all I have… Actually K-O-L-I-J… Kolij … Now I’m done.
Eventually I would go on to finish my schooling with a double Masters in Architecture and Urban Design with the latter being responsible for shaping my thoughts on ‘Framework’ even more. I’ll not bog down the dance with a myriad of ways about how Urban Design further shaped those views… I will end with this one…
Policy should be kind and it should lead with what works best for the many and not for the few. A little island with the population of just over a quarter of a million people figured out its framework to ensure that this little Black boy could go from its shores into a big, big world… Alive and well and that I could go on to thrive…
Manners and Respect for that Framework, BIM .
The next episode will be a podcast hosted by Ashley Long and it will air on the 18th of February.
Cheers for listening and stay blessed.