Some years back it was really a big struggle for I and my family. It was a real struggle and hardship that nearly tore my family apart completely.
At that time, everything just turned upside down for us out of nowhere. It was like life had just turned its back on my family, leaving us stranded with no idea what to do next.
As a young couple with two kids, serious hardship came knocking at our door. My husband worked in a factory back then but they just fired him without any reason at all. For him to even get another job became extremely difficult!
Overnight, money just stopped coming into our house. It's no small thing! To take care of two young children without any income, you know very well the anguish I went through at that time.
It was real agony and suffering as we struggled day and night to survive. Many times there was no food in the house, no money to pay rent or buy basic necessities. My husband had to travel up and down hustling anyhow to get work. But he could not settle anywhere.
As the woman of the house, I was left stranded with these two kids and an empty pocket. It was a hopeless situation. No help from anywhere, no money at all. I just watched as things kept getting worse before my eyes.
Hunger, bills, everyday troubles - all these problems were piling up on my head. That's how depression entered my body. As the days went by, I started losing hope and strength to carry on.
Anytime I looked at my kids, tears would just start running down my eyes. How would I take care of them? As they were growing bit by bit, no food to give them to eat, no school fees to pay. It was a heavy burden that made me just cry all the time.
My mind was never calm. Thoughts of failure and giving up filled my head. Since this was a family matter, I couldn't discuss my problems in public. So I just wallowed in my sorrow, crying myself to sleep every night.
Depression had really taken hold of me! I lived in fear that my husband would just leave us and run away, as he was hustling so much with no results. My kids would just grow up neglected and abandoned as I had no resources to cater for them.
Life lost all meaning as I wallowed in that deep pit of hopelessness and sadness. I asked God why this kind of tragedy had happened to me as I tried to pray for a solution.
Until one day, my sister visited and saw what was happening. It was her advice that opened my eyes from the depression that surrounded me. She told me not to give up, saying if I continued like this my whole family would just scatter.
She bluntly told me that instead of wallowing in sorrow, I should stand up and find a way to make money on my own. As the woman of the house, I needed to find a hustle that could at least put food on the table while my husband struggled to find work.
Those words shone a light into my heart and woke me up. My sister said I should look out for a side business that could bring in a little cash each day for my children's sake.
That's how I started hustling with a small delivery job. I would carry and deliver all sorts of things like food, groceries, even documents. Anything that would put cash in my hand and food in my kids' mouths.
Gradually it started working as money began trickling into my house again. At least to buy basic provisions. Although still not enough to pay full rent and school fees, at least our bellies were not as hungry as before.
That's how I used my small hustle job to push through those hard times. As a woman and mother, I didn't let depression swallow me alive. I struggled to provide for my family's sake even without my husband's income support.
Over time, my hustle paid off very well as more jobs started coming my way. That's how I was able to employ some boys to join me in the delivery work as the money increased.
Before I knew it, we had started a small business! Just from that small delivery hustle I had started during that time with sheer determination. Depression did not stop me at all as I kept pushing hard.
And what made me happiest was seeing my husband finally get a job again after years of hustling! As he saw the progress I had made through my efforts, he became filled with happiness and hope again.
My family reset and came back better! All thanks to that time I refused to give in to depression despite the hard knocks that wanted to shatter us. With struggle and hustle, we survived it.
Those days are gone now but it taught me one lesson - never let depression swallow you no matter what. As long as you get the opportunity to wake up each day, find something to do to keep progressing forward. Once you keep moving, the light will eventually come.
Thanks for reading here❤️❤️