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Dominique Middlemas: Creating With Purpose, Walking With Faith

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There are some creatives who remind you that creativity is not simply about making beautiful things. It is about using what has been placed in your hands to make the world a little brighter, to tell stories, to create connection, and sometimes, to remind someone else of who they are. This week on Wander and Weave, I am shining a light on one such creative: Dominique Middlemas, a Zimbabwean digital creator, model, fondant and cake artist, entrepreneur, and the founder of Godfidently Women, a faith-based platform created to empower women to walk in love, trust, and confidence in God. But behind all these titles is simply a woman who loves creating things that bring people joy. For Dominique, creativity has always felt like more than a talent. It is a gift from God, and one she believes should be used to encourage others. Her creative journey, however, has not been a perfectly mapped-out road. It has been filled with twists, uncertainty, financial challenges, loss, and seasons where she q...
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Dear Diary, I’m Another Year Older… and Honestly, God Has Been Good

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Dear Diary, So… my birthday was on the 8th of August. Yes, I know. This birthday reflection is a little late. 😂 But honestly, I think I needed a few days to sit with everything before attempting to put this particular year into words. There is something about birthdays that makes me pause. I don’t just think about the number I am turning, but about the woman I have been, the woman I am becoming, the people who have walked with me, the doors God has opened, the ones He has closed, and all the little moments in between that somehow make up a whole year of living. And what a year it has been. If I had to describe my last year in one sentence, I would probably say: God really said, “Let me show you what I can do.” There were wins. There were losses. There were moments that made me laugh until my stomach hurt and moments that made me sit quietly and wonder what on earth I was doing. There were beautiful surprises, new beginnings, lessons I did not ask for, and blessings I certainly did not...
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Japan's Best-Kept Travel Secret Is in the Drink Aisle

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The Japanese Convenience Store Survival Guide: Drinks That Can Save Your Trip One of the first things that fascinated me after moving to Japan wasn't the temples, the trains, or even the famous vending machines, it was the convenience stores. At first glance, they look like ordinary convenience stores. You walk into a 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, or Lawson expecting snacks, coffee, and maybe an umbrella if it suddenly starts raining. But spend enough time browsing the drink aisle, and you'll realize Japan's konbini are quietly offering something much more impressive. They're miniature survival kits disguised as neighbourhood shops. Somewhere between the bottled teas and canned coffees are rows of mysterious little bottles with bold Japanese writing, bright colours, gold caps, and promises that seem almost too good to be true. They claim to help with hangovers, jet lag, dehydration, bloating, exhaustion, indigestion, and even sleep. As someone who has lived in Japan, I've l...
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The Women Who Became Home: A National Girlfriends Day Reflection

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Yesterday, the 1st of August, was National Girlfriends Day. While social media was filled with beautiful photos, appreciation posts, inside jokes, and screenshots of conversations that probably should have remained private (we all have that one friend who believes nothing is confidential if it's funny enough), I found myself smiling quietly and reflecting on the women who have walked beside me through the different seasons of my life. Friendship has not always come naturally to me. I don't think I was one of those girls who effortlessly collected best friends wherever she went. You know the type. The ones who still have their kindergarten best friend, their primary school best friend, their high school squad, and somehow everyone still meets up every December wearing matching outfits. That wasn't my story. My younger years were filled with friendships that were pleasant but often temporary. We laughed together, shared classrooms, borrowed pens, exchanged secrets we swore wo...
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The Weight of What We Hold: Learning Not to Build My Happiness on Things That Can Leave

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There was a time when I believed happiness had an address, and somehow it was always outside of me. Sometimes it lived in another person's smile. Sometimes it rested in a friendship that made me feel seen. Other times it hid inside a relationship, a dream, a possession, a title, or even a version of my life that I desperately wanted to protect. I convinced myself that as long as I held on tightly enough, I would never have to experience the emptiness of losing it. But life has a way of reminding us that everything we grip too tightly eventually teaches us about letting go. I know this because I have lived it. I have been the woman whose entire emotional world revolved around people. When someone drifted away, changed, disappointed me, or simply chose a different path, it felt as though a piece of me had been ripped away with them. I wasn't just mourning their absence; I was mourning the version of myself that only existed when they were around. My world would crumble. I would c...
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Through His Lens: The Storytelling Journey of Tinashe Brighton Jakarasi

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Through His Lens: The Quiet Art of Telling Zimbabwe's Stories Before I dive into today's feature, I want to say something I find myself repeating often: Zimbabwe is overflowing with talent. Not the loud, flashy kind that constantly demands attention, but the quiet kind. The kind that observes, listens, creates, and leaves the world just a little more beautiful than it found it. Every time I speak to another Zimbabwean creative, I am reminded that art isn't simply made, it is lived. This week's Shining a Light on a ZimCreative introduces us to one such storyteller, a man who doesn't merely take photographs; he preserves moments that time would otherwise steal. Meet Tinashe Brighton Jakarasi. Some people inherit cameras. Others buy them because they are on sale. Tinashe's relationship with photography, however, began with something far more dangerous: curiosity. We all know curiosity has a reputation for getting cats into trouble, but thankfully for us, it occasio...
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If You Really Want to Know Me, Feed Me: My Favourite Traditional Zimbabwean Meals

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One question I get asked over and over again, whether I'm talking to friends here in Japan, meeting people from different parts of the world, or chatting with readers of Wander and Weave, is, "What is your favourite Zimbabwean meal?" I always laugh because whoever asks that question clearly doesn't realise how impossible it is to choose just one. Zimbabwe has such a rich food culture that every meal carries a story, a memory, and a feeling. But since so many of you have been curious, I thought it was finally time to answer the question. So, my lovelies, come hungry because today I'm taking you on a little culinary journey through the meals that instantly make me think of home. If I had to begin anywhere, it would have to be with the meal that comforts my soul more than any other: sadza, muboora une dovi, and roadrunner chicken stew. If Zimbabwe had a national hug, I am convinced it would taste exactly like this. Sadza is the heart of almost every Zimbabwean table....
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