When I met 23, it was a phase of uncertainty in my life. I remembered the fateful day, it was nothing spectacular. Just my younger brother and I, home alone, and bored. He is my day one soldier. The only person that knows me in and out, after Jesus. Having him around on a day like that, for support is significant. I can’t ignore the fact that we are different, and sometimes it takes a lot to get his demotivating ass up. But he is the only one I have. We hit some wack blunt. I sent a lot of thank you-s on WhatsApp and Twitter, yeah I had a lot of wishes.
When alone, I did a lot of reflection. The type that mostly comes around on birthdays - the anxious thought. Does my age commemorate what I’ve achieved? I looked at my mates, the ones I knew. It’s easy to form opinions from that angle but thank God I didn’t dwell on it too much. But it was always there. 22 didn’t offer me much peaceful solace at all. I learnt , fought, to prove to people who had real interest in my life that I am worthy. My family.Life was fair when I met 21. I guess the only thing on my mind then, was how to get booze for the boys. My mind was crazy for a bit. I had only my girl, then, for comfort. I can be like that sometimes. Since I attended theirs, they should mine, right?
It was at 22, I started to perceive the harsh reality of life. I had been living unconscious before then. Towards the end, I remember I was working on a business with Couz, just to be on the fast mode. It failed at 23 and it was like a salt on injury since I’ve delayed a bit of my life for academic unseriousness. Back to 23. It really threw me into uncertainty. Out of my comfort zone. New environment, new job. Can you believe I became a teacher? My mom has been pushing that idea ever since I wrote WAEC and I always reject it. Never imagined myself in front of pupils, taking them to a subject. But I did it. All thanks to 23 and I loved it. In the last one year, I really outdid myself. I also met new people. They made me realize I wasn’t crazy for the ideas I had in my head. I thought I was losing touch with reality. Maybe I was a mental Joseph, with dreams. But 23 made me clarify that I’m on the right pathway.
The most precious thing 23 gave me is Jesus. I won’t say I didn’t know him before, but now, when I fold my palm, I know he is there. That’s how close we are now. I’m feeling superhuman. If you are reading this now, I’m here to say Jesus doesn’t offer a slavish deal. With him, you are free. I can’t say of the devil. Life has dealt unfairly with me in a way. I’m always the youngest one in the room. So I unconsciously tend to hide my age. I’m always playing catch up. I see it as an opportunity to learn more. See what older peeps are doing. Where they stumbled, what they did wrong. I don’t tell my age upfront so when I talk, they don’t easily discard me. I tend to talk a lot.
I met 24 yesterday. She is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what she has in stock for me. With her, I know there is an air of mystery and uncertainty. But I’m sure it’s going to be a lovely ride.With 24, I’m open to more of life, Jesus, positivity, possibility, opportunities, lessons, knowledge, wisdom, more uncomfortable zones and all. I listed the positives but I know it won’t be all that. But I’m ready for the challenge forthcoming. Happy birthday to me once again. Took a while before I could come up with this, it was overwhelming. Thanks for all the wishes yesterday, it was an honour.
Photo is from my Mobile