I woke up today with the thoughts of the people I have met along life’s journey who are broken and have told themselves they cannot rise again. People who life has dealt a difficult hand that they are certain that they will never be whole again. Well, let me tell you something very special today. Wake up from that place that life handed you. It can be your morning again. You have to tell yourself hard as it may seem that the yeast that seems to be scarce in your life for the longest may have been added to make you rise again. And I can assure you, that yeast may not come from a hand you know, may not come from those you trust, may not come from your best friend and may not even come from your family and friends but from a stranger. That my friends, I assure you is the way of the spiritual. Especially if you are a good person and a repentant person.
Being good in itself is medicine and an investment for when you need yeast in your life. It may not look like it pays now but as I have always said, kindness, charity, empathy and goodness are all bankable currencies. The second thing to help you wake up from that place you are getting used to staying is to tell yourself continuously that it will be better. Positive thinking flips the coin of difficulty.
Self-doubt digs you deeper. The third mantra for planning to quit the darkness and embrace the light is to tell yourself that you are not alone. Tell yourself that there are those in their numbers that are worse than you. Take a look outside, see the person who life has piled an enormous weight, count the huge boulders weighing you down, two? Well look around you even among your friends and see some who have four times your weight and guess what they still seem to be graceful and less irritating. And they with eight stones over their head may get out of the rot faster than you. Ask for grace from the Almighty so you can walk straight in spite of those boulders.
As I often do on this column, let me share a little tale about being under and thinking that the sunrays may never filter in again. It has happened to the best of us when you did not go out to offend anyone and everyone seems to be against you. More often than not, if you have been blessed with efficiency and gifted with some measure of knowledge, even without showing off, just in the course of doing your job to the best of your ability, a few feathers will be ruffled. If you seem to be doing better than some of your so-called friends, envy will set in. You will be shocked that you may even have spousal envy or be unable to please your spouse no matter how hard you try. These are some of the trials and tribulations.
I am in the middle of writing my memoirs on my 35 years of service as a broadcaster and subsequently a top-level media administrator at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). I am also putting finishing touches to my latest book, “So you want to be an Mc, tales and tips from a veteran Event Compere” available in 2020 but for pre-order by December this year. I look back at my life and I am quite surprised at the many times the Lord has lifted me above danger and past my traducers. And so, to the story.
Being good in itself is medicine and an investment for when you need yeast in your life. It may not look like it pays now but as I have always said, kindness, charity, empathy and goodness are all bankable currencies
As Executive Director, Programmes at NTA for three years, I learnt more profoundly, things I had always known that human nature is inherently wicked. I dealt with some of the most bizarre incidences, lies, barefaced fact twisting, back hand behaviour, the height of betrayal and most of it were coming from people I knew. Sometimes I needed to interrogate the state of my mind. Before then I had encountered a boss, who was keen on decapitating me. Eventually, I retired at the height of my profession as an Executive Director.
I was on my way to do the things I enjoyed and was now answerable to myself. Leaving a toxic environment always re-awakens you. So, I took myself to Mauritius on a working visit. While there, I received a text from one of my trusted aides while I was in service. She with whom i would share my challenges, ask her why human beings were inherently wicked, eat with her although by ranking she was about four positions below me. She would tell me the plots and twists and plans of my naysayers and I will share with her what I was hearing. I am a bad eater, so I always need to concentrate fully to eat. No one was allowed in my office when I was eating because that was the end of the food and perhaps eating for the day, but she was allowed to break the protocol.
So, in Mauritius on a holiday, I received a text from one of my trusted aides who was still in service. It was 4 am Nigerian time which meant she could not sleep. The message was unflappable asking that i should forgive her, she did not mean to offend me etcetera. All along, my confidant was in bed with the enemy. It was an interesting development., this person could have killed me. The message could have depressed me for a long time. I was hurt of course but I chose to move on. Her conscience was clearly about to kill her. So, she was in my space on behalf of others. But you know how God says vengeance is mine, I moved on and simply cut her out of my life. Part of regaining that morning glory is to cut toxic people out of your life.
Find positive people and hang with them. Okay, so your spouse betrayed you, it’s not the end of your life, find something that makes you happy. Learn something new, don’t go into depression because of others. Find something that makes your heart sing and do it Look at the glass as half full and not half empty. Remember, drugs are not an option.
Yes, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Pull up your will power. It does not matter where you are. It can be your morning again. Arise!
EUGENIA ABU
