I Thought You Should Know

1.     To begin, begin.

The way to begin something is to begin. The first start to anything you want to do in life is to just start. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begin with just one step. The saying, "time waits for no one" is up till now, relevant.

 

“The scariest moment is always just before you start” Stephen King.

 

For you, who have been scared of the outcome of the things you want to do, Stephen King had you in mind when he made that statement. Hopefully, you take the cue and begin.

 

2.     We all have stories to tell:

I believe we all have stories to tell, whether you write them down or not, whether you own a blog or not. However, some lack the courage to tell their stories; some are stuck with the “what would people say?” thought, some believe their stories should be told by others maybe because they aren’t good writers and some believe that these stories should live within.

 

Zadie Smith tells her stories through writing so that she might not sleep walk through her entire life. “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleep walk through my entire life”

 

As an artiste or even a person, telling your story is the most original form of art and your story is the easiest to tell.

 

Ben Okri says “Without stories, we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. Even in silence, we are living our stories.”

 

3.     Experience is the best teacher but it doesn’t have to be your experience:

From time immemorial, we’ve always heard that experience is the best teacher but what has been left out is that it doesn’t have to be your own experience. You can and you should learn from people’s experience.

 

You wouldn’t jump into a burning bush just to get to know how fire feels on the skin. Listen to people talk, listen to people tell stories, sit with wise elders (there are unwise ones too), gather and garner experience; it’d help you as you move on.

 

4.     Visit libraries, read books:

Read books. I’m going to have to repeat that again. Read books. One more time, just so it sinks in; Read books. Books are the oldest form of storing experience; wise men have come and gone and we are lucky some of them had written books and some books have been written about some of them and all these in books still remain. All those wisdom.

 

Books would help you travel through the mind of other people: see the things they saw, smell the things they smelt, feel the things they felt, think like they thought and like other characters in the book thought.

 

“A room without books is like a body without a soul” – Cicero.

 

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” – Charles W. Elliot

 

I cannot over emphasize the importance of reading. It is sad that I got to learn about reading vastly late; when my mates read novels back then in school, I’d look at them like people who had so much time or who just wanted to get lost in the world of fantasy or romance.

 

Now, I’m learning that books are the best of friends and I’m beginning to bask in its euphoria. Visit libraries, read books – read hard copy books, read e-books; just keep reading.

 

“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1, 000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” – Carl Segan

 

Isn’t that wonderful?

 

5.     Feel free to be human:

I mean Human. I am not going to do the strata thingy here, no classification; be you: male, female, a child, an adult, rich, poor, black, white, LGTBQ, straight, bisexual; it doesn’t matter.

 

You should feel free to be human and don’t be accountable to another human for being human. Feel free to cry, feel free to make jokes, feel free to laugh, to smile, to give, to ask when you need. It’s no crime to be human. Be HUMAN.

 

6.     Thank you, Onyedika.

For helping me get a job and for the gifts; they, however little (like you’d say) mean a lot.

 

7.     Google is your friend:

Shocking? I don’t think so. We all at some points in our lives have been fed with lies or we must have seen or heard somewhere that the “police is your friend” and bail is free. Not in a country like Nigeria, not with all we’ve been experiencing and all that we’ve have seen in this year 2020.

 

Let me tell you who your friend is and for those who haven’t made him your friend, you should; Google. Don’t get me wrong on this; I’m not saying you should swallow everything you see on that space hook, line and sinker.

 

In the course of my having a conversation with a friend last night, we talked about people who pop gums and I told her I didn’t like it, she asked if I’ve heard about Misophonia; in the heat of the conversation I said no but before she could reply I ‘Googled’ it and sent her “Yes, I know.” After laughing she asked again why I told her no first and I told her that I didn’t know then but I know now because I had ‘Googled’ it.

 

I also asked her if she’d like to go to China, she said yes but when I told her China doesn’t use Google, Facebook, Twitter due to the country’s Great Firewall; she ‘Googled’ it and chose to go to another country.

 

Last night, we both learnt something new.

 

In all, I mean you should SEARCH and RESEARCH. I’m sure your new friend Google would be glad to help.

 

8.     Heartbreaks are normal:

I’ve been doing a lot of discussing these days; I’ve been trying to engage some of my friends on different topics and to be honest, I’ve been enjoying them and I can certainly say the same for them.

 

I had brought up the topic of ‘Heartbreak’. I wanted to hear their experiences and I can conclude now that heartbreaks are normal. Different strokes for different folks; some cry, some smile at the realization of what they’ve been through, some coil up on their bed at night for months and the next day they’re wearing their only neat shirt of modesty and not wanting to ruin someone else’s day with their facial expression or their honest replies of ‘I’m not fine’, some just move on like nothing had happened.

 

Heartbreaks are however not related to relationships alone.

 

Remember, hearts are made to be broken and broken hearts still beat and can still find love like broken crayons still color beautifully” Joseph Omoke.

 

9.     Thank you, Omoke family, John, Chinaza, Chukwudi Otti, Controlled Chaos – my group of friends (‘Chaos’ is deceiving; we’re the best set of people on campus, very peaceful too. The name just came from someone who was trying out oxymoron).

 

Thanks for all the support, the kind words, the words of encouragement. Thank you, Chukwudi Otti for helping me create this platform and for believing in me.

 

Amara, keep being a troublesome girl. I love you like that.

 

10.            Love isn’t an illusion:

Find love. Find that thing that makes butterflies flutter in your stomach. Find that person that makes electricity spark in you and your pent up hormones treating to burst open. Find that thing that gives you joy. Fall in love with that sport, that food that place, that person.

 

You can also enjoy love without being in a relationship.

 

11.            I got another writing certificate:

 

November 16 is the day we celebrate Chinua Achebe for being A MAN OF THE PEOPLE who preached CIVIL PEACE and found out that the center cannot hold and THINGS FALL APART when they get shot by the ARROW OF GOD. People would be NO LONGER AT EASE in the ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH but they’d remember THERE WAS A COUNTRY, CHRISTMAS IN BIAFRA, CHIKE AND THE RIVER, HOPE AND IMPEDIMENTS, HOME AND EXILE in his COLLECTED POEMS.

 

Those are just few of his works. Don’t mind me; I’m just trying to play around.

 

I got another writing certificate; the first was a master class certificate from Zenpens and another for excellent participation. Now, I got another for participating and contributing in the Fifth Chinua Achebe Poetry/Essay Anthology – “Achebe: A MAN OF THE PEOPLE” organized by the Society of Young Nigerian Writers, Anambra chapter. That would be my first book publication, the first time my name would be published in a book and hopefully, the first of many. Plans are underway.

 

12.            Be happy:

 

This whole write up wouldn’t be meaningful if I don’t add this to the list: Be Happy. In our world that’s full of troubles and depression choosing to be the best amongst our friends, promising to stay when others make use of the door.

 

There’s only one way to survive, to remain sane: being happy. Before you were born there were problems, you’re here and still these problems and a thousand more linger in the air like the horrible smell from a shoe worn by a man with blisters under his foot, hanging in the air, refusing to leave; when you leave there’d still be problems.

 

Y.O.L.O (You Only Live Once). Enjoy life, travel, capture the best moments, don’t let you happiness and laughter cease as soon as your data expires, see the 8 wonders of the world (Yes, look yourself in the mirror; you’re a wonder of the world too.).

 

13.            The year’s ending, don’t end with it:

 

This year is coming to an end, you should let it end and not yourself. Don’t end with the year, don’t self-destruct. 2020 has come with too much trouble: the pandemic, ASUU strike, EndSARS protest and the personal battles we’ve all at some point in this year fought.

 

Here’s my story: from the beginning of this year, I had problems, every month came with a different issue. That time I’d classify them major and they bothered me but now I’d remember them and thank God for staying put. At a time, I got sick thrice in two months which was very unusual. Usually, if I get sick it’d be till another four years and always it was malaria or malaria with typhoid but this time, one was something different and I was involved in another thing I can’t begin to narrate here.

 

I’ve made mistakes I can’t talk about here and they were all hard to bear. Relief came – a tad bit but before I could even enjoy it, I had to begin to face the psychological side of it. I still fight this psychological fight, this thing doesn’t entirely go away; you still have the memories at a corner of your mind.

 

Anyways, here’s the good news, I do not plan to give up my life or my sanity, and I do not plan to end with this year.