Spa Fridays In Uganda

UNFILITERED MUSING 11

When I lived in Uganda, I would teach throughout the week, but on Fridays I didn’t have a class to teach. Throughout the week, my days were filled with P.E. classes, mentorship classes, and basketball practice. But Friday was a free day.

The organization I lived at had three different pods, with eight houses in each pod. Each house had about eight children and a “Momma” who was hired to take care of them. One day, I had the idea that I wanted to randomly choose a Momma to go and paint her nails.

I would walk around the pods and see which Momma was sitting outside on her porch. The first Momma I saw, I would walk up to her and ask if she would like a little spa day with Jess. One hundred percent of the Mommas would say yes.

We would sit there and have girl time. I would ask her questions about her life, where she grew up, what she enjoys, what her favorite color was. We would just be together. I usually had an exfoliant and a moisturizer that I always used during our spa visits, and at the end of it, the Momma would look back at her nails, and I can hear it now: “Ooooooooooo,” followed by laughter and a twinkle in her eyes.

It was usually the highlight of my week. Just that one-on-one time with someone who poured so much love and nourishment into others.

At this point in my life, I work from home, and I’ve realized that I call my Fridays “Flow Fridays,” where I follow my bliss and usually don’t have anything on my schedule. But recently, I have been working for YOU ARE.

In 2025, I was officially hired by our Board of Directors to be the Executive Director for YOU ARE, an organization I founded back in 2019.

These Fridays, I am creatively coming up with campaigns so that more women and girls have safe housing and the opportunity to go to school.

Life is funny. About nine years ago, I was spending my Fridays making sure that women in Uganda felt loved, felt seen, and felt heard. And today, I am still doing the exact same thing, just in different formats.

In this life, I feel like there are experiences and opportunities that constantly ask us… How can you make an impact? How can you love someone? How can you nurture someone’s existence today? And the majority of the time, it can be in the most simple ways.

I really hope you choose to just go with the flow… just as I was walking around the pods nine years ago, seeing who I was going to love and encourage that day.

And when you come upon the opportunity — the person on the porch, or walking beside you, or sitting across from you at the table, I hope you choose to be curious. Ask questions. Listen. Encourage. Because my goodness, the twinkle in the eyes after you make someone feel seen and heard is worth it in every lifetime.

Flow toward the twinkle, my loves.

Rooting for you,
J 💫

Me with the Mommas on the porch.