A MOST PECULIAR YEAR
This year has been a ride. If anyone had told me how this year would turn out prior to, I would not have believed them, not one bit. It’s funny, almost nothing I expected or predicted occurred, but here I am writing this with gratefulness and gladness in my heart.
If there is anything that sums up the lessons learned this year, I guess it would be that nothing ever happens exactly the way you plan it, no matter how good a strategist you are, and that is neither good nor bad. Some of the things that didn’t happen left me sad and a bit regretful, while some others made way for better things.
This year has been a peculiar one. I remember coming into it with a certain wide-eyed wonderment, hopeful and eager for the unfolding of events that would ultimately lead to a great year. I have come to learn that the days, and months, and years that go by are only as great as you make it, because nothing good just happens. I learned that in an almost painful way. This year got me frustrated, lonely, depressed. I lost hope so many times, but such is life, and as this year runs out I find myself wide-eyed still, hopeful and enthusiastic for the events that will unfold to become the days, months and ultimately the year to come. Call it fool-hardy, but I have no other choice but to hope.
I remember the six months I spent in training. It now seems like a distant memory, something I did a lifetime ago, but it played its part, not the part you would expect, definitely not the part I thought it would, but the part I needed. I embarked on the training expecting to be shown the things I needed for life in my industry of study(civil engineering), but what I was taught, by no one in particular, was far more value-able. During this time I discovered a huge part of who I am and what I really want to do with my life, I always had an idea, but now I could see the full picture, or at least more of it. I was taught lessons by the buildings around me, by the bridge I walked over every day, by the camera on my smartphone through which I saw beauty in ordinary things, and how life is fleeting. I learned to make the most of things, wherever I may find myself, to enjoy life with friends, to take risks now that I am young, and not worry about the future, at least not more than the required amount.
Looking back on the events of this year and writing this reminds me of the times I when I would sit at my window in the evening. I would peer out to see the sky, the setting sun, the buildings, the children playing and would be reminded how simple life could be. These memories fill me with gratitude, and as I feel the wind shift around me as what is left of the year slowly slips through my fingers, I shall say my thank yous. So here goes:
I am thankful to God, that he kept me this long, that he continually gives me a song of the angels. I am thankful that life is impersonal, that its occurrences often transcend good and evil. I am thankful for family, by blood and by bond, for there truly is no place like home. I am grateful for friends, both old and new, for they are like Nigerian Jollof, they make life sweeter. I am so grateful for the way this year turned out. It really has been bittersweet, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And even after all the struggles, all the frustration and the heart-wrenching disappointment, I sit here wide-eyed. I sit here hopeful, just as eager to carry on.
So as the very soul of this year sings his last hurrah, and as the sky and the trees join him to whistle into the night as he nears the end of his song, I wish that whatever remains of this year, however many hours that may be left, be continually filled with happy moments. I wish you reading this all your heart’s desires for the New Year, but more importantly, I pray that you be given the fortitude to carry on if those desires are not fulfilled. However your year went, I hope you look back at some moments and be filled with happiness.
And may this happiness make light our heavy hearts and bring strength to our weary bones, and may you continually be renewed and encouraged as you open another chapter in your journey.
Happy New Year in advance.
