The holiday has come and gone and I can boldly say that I had a lot of fun and learned some lessons as well.
It was an unusual holiday for me because I didn't travel to my hometown like I used to do. While I spent time to have the needed rest, I spent some days visiting colleagues and friends.
On boxing day, I visited a friend and I had an experience that I would keep remembering. My friend stays in a story building and his own flat is on the first floor.
Some children beggars popularly called almajiri in northern Nigeria do come around to beg for food or money to feed.
My friend and I were seated at the front of his flat taking fruit drink while we had a view of the compound and the busy road behind the fence. A small boy came to the gate with a plate in his hand begging for food. The boy appeared hungry and he drew our sympathy immediately.
My friend asked him to enter the compound while he went to the kitchen to get him food. He took the food downstairs and I saw the almajiri receiving the rice into his small bowl with smiles and gratitude.
I was looking at everything happening without a keen interest partly because I am used to the scenarios. They visit my house often and each time they come, whatever I can afford in money or food is given to them.
A few minutes after my friend joined me, my sight was on the boy who had exited the gate. Immediately he went outside the gate, I saw him being stopped by a younger boy who was out for the same purpose. I saw the boy that came to us earlier emptying his rice into the plate of the new person and they parted ways.
I was curious to know if the older boy had come to collect food from my friend without the intention of eating it. My friend and I decided to go outside the compound to find out from him. Upon asking him about what transpired between both of them, the boy explained how the boy whom he gave his food complained of starvation.
"He is not feeling fine. He is hungry and his body is hot. My only problem is hunger. He needs the food more than me."
I was surprised and at the same time proud of the boy's selfless action. I asked him about the last time he had eaten and he said it was almost twelve hours. Despite being in need of food himself, he was able to identify someone who was in dire need than him and he sacrificed his comfort for the person.
We invited the boy back to the house and he joined us on our table of fruit drink.
"What's your motivation for doing what you did?" We asked him.
"You are in a situation to assist me and you did. It would be selfish if I see someone that I am supposed to assist but look the other way. You are kind to me and it's good that the kindness is passed on." He explained.
I pressed fingers against my gaping mouth and widened my eyes as I listened to the boy.
Later, we ate before he left us when it was getting late. I was moved to give him beyond what I could have ordinarily afforded to give him in cash.
I learned some lessons from that encounter. It was a practical teaching that one doesn't need to have much or be rich before rendering assistance to others in worse challenges. When someone has the spirit of giving, he would do that irrespective of his or her economic status.
I hope to live with the lesson and allow the impact on me to manifest continually.
Thank you for your time. I will appreciate your comment.