A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.
Intense look from his eyes caused Brigitte to peek over her shoulders. No one there, except the wall.
“The gentleman from the symposium.” “Of course, it couldn’t be me that he is admiring.” “No one notices wallflowers or do they?”
Mama despairs that she would be left on the shelf.
”Don’t slouch Brigitte!” ”Wear a smile, you shouldn’t scowl so much!”
Auntie Agatha tut-tutted at her bumbling attempts at playing the piano, violin or knitting.
”Don’t frighten off possibilities with too much knowledge of tomes, ruins, horses and butterflies.” ”Men do not appreciate too much intelligence her sage counsel.”
Tired of no dance, a breath of fresh air is required. A flitting moth of unusual colour catches her eyes and she ventures to discover; new addition to my glossary she thinks.
Over voluminous skirts she trips into the Rose bush.
Strong arms encircle to help her up as she mouths her thanks into intense gray eyes.
Unwittingly, she has captured her own Tiger butterfly.
This evening, I went grocery shopping with the children and as we traipsed lazily down the aisle, a young, tall, slim, beautiful lady passed me by with a young child.
The first thing that I saw was her hair that was shaved to the scalp and she wore the skin-cut with pride.
I tried not to stare, but I knew. My spirit grew disquietened.
In my heart, I knew that this lovely soul is battling for her life.
We walked past her and continued our shopping but my mind couldn’t focus.
After a while, I backtracked several aisles down to find her. I felt a bit nervous that she might not appreciate my disturbing her peace, but a little voice in my heart said Go! So I continued.
I approached tentatively and out-rightly told her that I noticed her shaved scalp and she confirmed that she has breast cancer.
My heart went out to this total stranger. I have witnessed first hand the heart-rending havoc that cancer wreaks on sufferers.
We talked for a while, it turned out she has a chemo/radiation session tomorrow and of course she is trying to live life as normal as possible especially for her young child.
By the end of our discussion, ironically, she ended up comforting me. We shared a blessing and a hug.
I admire her strength and really wish her well. I wish her miracles.
I wish more Grace and strength to those who are suffering at this time.
May faith, peace and healing hands be your portion.
If you don’t believe in Miracles, perhaps you’ve forgotten that you are One! The Miracle is in You!
In my second quote of the 3 quote series, I would like to share the often forgotten sense of ourselves as miracles.
I love to remind myself of this quote, which unfortunately, I have no idea where I learnt it, but when I started meditating on it with regards to myself, the sense of awareness of the miracle in me, simply grew and keeps growing.
Most of the time, we are seriously enmeshed in the entire drama of trying to eke out a living, the drama that unfolds around us everyday, the stories of our lives and the wishes that things should be different, that we lose sight of the fact that our mere existence, our every moments, are ”miracles in action.”
Our miracles start to happen when we channel as much energy into our dreams and being as we channel into our fears and shortcomings.
You are still a work-in-progress. Don’t give up on the magic in yourself.
Leannenz, I thank you for inviting me to participate in this quote series. It is a good opportunity to reflect on those things that matter.
I would like to invite 3 awesome bloggers to share their favorite quotes in the series of 3.
Pulitzer winning or not, journalists like to delve into every part of your anatomy and dig out dirty secrets when given the room to do so.
Sometimes, when I read articles or listen to tittle-tattle and junk news that smacks of downright breach of privacy as well as meanness with a good measure of desperate desires to hurt the other person, the quote ”that the heart of man is desperately wicked” comes to my mind.
The great urge to pull down and annihilate the other person takes primal position in their minds and in as much as I like honesty, being upfront and read as an open book, there are certain areas that I would be unwilling to discuss beyond the peripheral aspects.
Putting my family members under undue glare of the limelight is not something that I would be willing to entertain. I guess I will be suspicious about the reporters motive for asking prying questions about family, even if they are nicely and positively coined. I would rather their privacy is maintained, except where they were to choose otherwise.
Issues bordering on sexuality are not topics that I am likely to dabble into either. Oh yes! such hot topics sells the news, but, no thank you! I won’t be your next meal ticket!
I think that the excessive push of sexual boundaries and Mores in today’s world is part of the dysfunction that we are experiencing. Nothing seems to be private anymore! Individual sexual proclivities should be kept personal and not for public consumption. Sometimes, in the bid to say so much and show our fierceness, we hurt ourselves and others.
I am also not sure that I would be willing to discuss my future plans in any details. I like to hold some of my thoughts to my chest, knowing the fact that my tomorrow’s don’t lie in my hands. It leaves me feeling strange, as if I am putting the cart before the horse.
I guess I can pretty much talk about everything else including some dirty secrets in my garden! Who doesn’t have any secrets?
Sometimes, some secrets are even better kept open. That way, they loose their sting and the power to hurt the secret holder.
Collecting his accumulated Isusu from the thrift collector Mama Nchekwube was like a dream come true for Ikem. His skepticism had prevented him from participating in one before, until his friend Ifeanyishowed him the dividends of his own effort.
He had never held such an amount of money put together as his own. It felt good. All the ideas of what he planned to do ran around in his head.
Now, he would buy a nice Ankarawrapper, vegetable oil and share a bag of Abakaliki rice with his neighbour to take home to Mama for Christmas. She prefers the local rice to the foreign ones that have been de-husked. They seemed to loose the real taste of Osikapa, but the art of cleaning the Abakaliki rice which was known to contain stones, was only perfected by old hands like Mama.
There was a hurried excitement of Christmas in the air. Wheel-barrow boys were pushing around cassettes of Christmas songs by ABBA and also blaring them from their cassette players from one end of the market to the other.
You could hear the exchanges of customers and vendors over the noisy din:
“Ha!Nwanyi Bacha, biko, I need to travel with this blouse o.” ”When can I come and collect it?”
”Nne, you should have brought this material earlier than now.” ”You know that this is the season for us eh!” ”I will try my best but maybe on 22nd, you can come and collect it.”
”Hei!Mbanu! ”Please 22nd is too far.” ”I am traveling on 23rd to the village.” ”Please try for 20th.” ”Biko!”
Indeed, it is the season of harvest for the tailors. They are turning brisk business churning out Christmas and New year attires as expediently as possible for all the holiday galore.
Ikem was gripped with nervousness. The money in his pocket felt hot that he could almost feel it burning through the lining of his trouser. Every brush of another human in the buzzing, cramped market made the butterflies in his stomach flutter some more. He felt as if eyes were watching him and he decided there and then to go and open a First Bank account.
He had never owned an account before and this time of the year is known for spikes in highway robberies and pick-pocketing. He had no plans of falling victim of such nefarious activities and losing his hard-earned money.
The remaining days fly past in a flurry of activities. As he excitedly packs his meager belongings to take back to the village. He knows that he will miss this place and pangs of melancholy occupy his thoughts, but he has to journey forth to pursue brighter tomorrow’s at Onitsha.
****
The motor-park is a commotion of human traffic and vehicles. Wagons are filled with families all loaded down to the teeth with their luggage for the forth-coming days of merriment. Conductors are shouting their destinations on top of their voices to draw passengers attention. Hawkers of all sorts of items, bread, boiled egg, chin-chin, kuli, kuli, soft drinks are doing their best to entice the traveling customers to patronize them..
Quick bargains are struck, last minute purchases are made, buses loaded to the last perimeter takes off with passengers, to Enugu, Ozubulu, Awka, Okigwe, Orlu, Owerri, Aba etc.
The Igbosare well known to sojourn home en-mass during this festive period. It is almost like a general return of indigenes. Some would travel for days on top of lorries all the way from the northernmost part of Nigeria to be with their families for the holidays.
Ikem boards a bus going to Oji, he cannot wait to eat Mama’s authentic Okpa and Abacha Ncha. These are some of the delicacies of his people.
Quick Glossary for words that you may not know:
Abakiliki: Abakaliki is the capital city of Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria. The inhabitants are primarily members of the Igbo nation. Abakaliki, as in the past, is a center of agricultural trade including such products as yams, cassava, rice,
Abacha Ncha/aka African salad: Native snack/meal peculiar to the Igbos but has become a well-known delicacy all over Nigeria. Made from cassava flakes, with palm-oil, oil-bean seeds, dry fish, garden egg etc
Ankara: African print known to symbolize African fashion.
Biko: Igbo word for saying ‘please.’
Chin-chin: A fried snack popular in West Africa. It is a sweet, crunchy, doughnut-like baked or fried dough of wheat flour, and other customary baking items.
Hei!/Ha!: An exclamation which could mean, you don’t say, indeed, what, really and a myriad of other meanings.
Ifeanyi: A popular Igbo name shortened from Ifeanyichukwu which means, nothing is bigger than God.
Igbos/Ibo: The Igbo people, historically spelled “Ibo”, are an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects. Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. They arerenowned for their tough, resilient adaptability as business people, tradersandfortheirart. The largest migrating tribe in Nigeria.
Ikem: An Igbo name for boys shortened from Ikemefuna, meaning may my power/strength never be lost/or founding.
Isusu: An informal means of collecting and saving money through a savings for the enablement of kith and kin ventures.
Kuli-Kuli: Hausa food that is primarily made from peanuts. It is a popular snack in Nigeria. It is often eaten alone or with a mixture of garri, sugar and water popularly called “garri soakings”
Mama Nchekwube: Nchekwube is shortened from Nchekwubechukwu which means to have hope on God.
Mbanu: An expanded NO with a bit of cajoling added to it.
Nwanyi Bacha: A nickname given to the female tailor occupying the prefabricated shed where she sews. It’s like saying ”the lady at the shed” or nicknaming someone after their trade e.g. egg seller, truck pusher, driver etc.
Oji: A Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria to the south bordering Anambra State and Abia State
Okpa: A traditional Eastern Nigerian delicacy, made with ground Bambara beans.
Onitsha: A city with one of the largest commercial markets in West Africa. It is situated on the river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria.
Osikapa: A local Igbo name given to cooked rice.
Enugu, Ozubulu, Awka, Okigwe, Orlu, Owerri, Aba etc. Some of the towns and villages found in the Eastern Region of Nigeria inhabited by the Igbos.
Back in my parents home, we always had what we needed and the most important thing was that they were enough.
My dad was no Adnan Khashoggi and I am not going to paint a picture of any silver spoon.
Our home was a respectable middle class Nigerian Lecturer’s home where the basic things were provided and on special occasions, such as birthdays a communal party was organized for the celebrant with other children within the neighbourhood.
In my family back in those days, we had no idea that we could ask for presents or the likes. We just did not have the mentality of such entitlement or expectation that exists today.
So, as a result, the presents you received on your birthday tended to be something more practical that you had need for and during Christmas your presents were based on what was currently in vogue for children: a doll, books, football, a mouth organ, an accordion, a flute etc.
We were contented. Like my mother always said, ”you don’t miss what you never had.”
I missed nothing because I had everything that mattered.
You can’t live a positive life with a negative mind. How many chameleons can you see?
For me, it is a conscious effort to make and reflect on positive affirmations each day, so that I don’t get drowned in the sea of negative vibes and occurrences which pervades today’s life.
Not that I don’t get affected by the rotten stuff that life tosses, but I try to deal with it and move on. Worrying, adds no value. You can’t keep carrying an umbrella hoping that rain will fall, when the sun is shining brightly 😉
If I choose to dwell on the constant personal negative challenges that have stared me in the face, not only will I be swamped with complete disbelief in the wonder of life, but my life would be a total mess.
I try to mindfully apply certain quotes to my life and I will share some with you.
Today, I am going to do my best. I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.
Life is a gift. Never take it for granted1
Did you know that many butterflies can taste with their feet to find out whether the leaf they perch on is good to lay eggs?
A positive brain is 31% more productive than a negative, neutral or stressed brain.
You cannot start a new chapter in your life if you keep re-reading the last chapter. Move on to the next please! Thank you.
I am in no competition with anyone else but myself.
Believe that you can and you will!
All things work together, for my good!
This is the first quote in a series of three that I will share of the next three days in the quote challenge. Thank you for the invitation leannenz. I really enjoyed your first in the series of quotes. I would like to invite 3 awesome bloggers to share their favorite quotes in the series of 3.
If I have only 7 words to share with you, I will by-pass all the niceties like ‘how do you do’ and go straight to the meatier part of things.
“Life is short! Apply your time well!”
These 7 golden words are as ancient as ever.
Your time spent here on Earth represents your life!
A simple analysis will give a clearer picture of the brevity of it all and how impoverished we all are when it comes to time.
A 70 year old gets 25,500 days.
An 80 year old gets 29,200 days.
A 90 year old gets 32,850 days.
A 100 year old gets 36,500 days.
With the stress level associated with today’s living, attaining old age has become a rarity.
Not every one will be lucky to see 70, 80 , 90 years and over.
Therefore, we must utilize the share that we get of this most precious and scarce resources judiciously.
Focus on the things that really matter such as: Living in Grace, Love, Joy, Hope, Happiness, Peace, Unity, Kindness, Gratitude, Family, Friends, Fulfillment, Self-Actualization, Understanding, Passion, Patience……
Don’t waste it by robbing yourself trying to live some other person’s life and do remember that in the expenditure of your time, the time taken to rejuvenate is not wasted time!
a cooking pot and twisted tales 