Friday, August 31

2 Days of 'Free'

*jumping excitedly and waving at new followers* Welcome! Glad to have you!

It is Friday, woohoo! TGIF, right? Hopping from one foot to the other and generally flying in the air, right? Most people welcome this end of the week with such pleasure and acute relief (you would think they were caged and in torture all week!) I try to imagine what the bosses think of this reaction. 

However universal this reaction though, I am sure there are  one or two people who can do without Friday as much as I can (really) do without Monday! But, please, who detests Friday? Who??
Oh, and by the way, Friday is already weekend in the Middle East! They must have this reaction on Thursdays.. TGIT hmm... :-)

Free or not, the days can only be as free as you make them. I find it hard to reconcile the joy that Friday brings with how the days following are so packed  full of events that you see people flitting from one place to another, literally breathless, so much so that by Sunday, they have hardly had a moment of rest and are so thoroughly exhausted but would gladly do it all over again! Its  like a vicious circle, if you ask me. I have a friend to whom I say, (at the end of whatever event or meeting we both attended during the 2-days of free) 'go straight home' because knowing her, she would be everywhere, doing stuff and being a busy bee (no pun intended there! Lol!). Come Monday, when the customary 'how was your weekend' greetings come, we all respond shortly, 'short.' (now, pun intended!) Is it any wonder? 

So, what are you guys up to this WE? Me? I intend to 'mind' myself, and sit at home! Yeah, my favourite place. :-)

Musing...just musing...

Be free oh.

Monday, August 27

Too Attached!

Interesting post, "Comfort Zone Dwellers" on a friend's blog, click here. My comment on the post is that most of us are indeed comfort dwellers in many ways, especially in the things or areas in which we absolutely refuse to let go, to accept change, or to try new and interesting ways of doing things.

I use myself as an example; I like my house; I loove my room! Note that my new home is not even furnished, and all my room has is a bed, bedside table, standing mirror and a cabinet for my knickknack. But bare and stark as it is, there is nothing I look forward to more than going home, striding straight into that room and being enveloped in its warmth. It is my most favourite part of the house, the most welcoming, my space, and we understand each other perfectly! Hiding in that room is the high point of my day, it is so bad that I have to consciously decide to come out and mingle with the other 'flatmates,' to join them to gist or watch whatever movie series is rave of the moment. For those who are snickering and turning up their noses at me right about now and thinking in their minds 'shebi its you', spare me o, let me enjoy 'the alone' now before husband and children make their grand entrance, disrupting the peace (in a good way of course). At least, then I can, without regrets, remember I made very good use of my 'solitude' and 'alone-ness!'

Being the sort of person described above therefore, it truly amazes me when I find people who are reluctant to go home; whether they be living with people or on their own. Different strokes for different folks, granted but why would one want to traipse everywhere, and not want to go home? Make that house a place you always want to go back to...better still, learn to enjoy your own company.

Anyway, reading that post so graphically described (it is hilarious) by the blogger, I thought to reconsider the discomfort I sometimes feel when there are people in my house up until after a certain time! For instance, there is nothing that pleases me more than a free Sunday evening...omg! (I am trying to break free of that Monday blues) but, all I want to do when I get home on a Sunday is be alone so I can quietly and gently ease myself into the Monday mood. BUT, how about breaking out of that comfort zone, and being spontaneous; giddily and excitedly taking on each day, or event and being open to change: full house, quiet house, prompted, impromptu visits? Taking it all in your stride? Flexible, as opposed to rigid? Of course, we must never discount the place of personal space but the part where you mingle with 'society' should also not be disregarded.
Talk about balance balance balance!  Talk about 'being free!' #Sigh.

 Am I alone in this particular comfort zone?? What's yours? Lets deliver ourselves!!!!

Be free oh.

Thursday, August 23

It's Only a Car

This is about my car, and the near-...no, not accident, probably something worse that could have happened but which we now will never know. Much like sleeping and waking up.

And after I have told you what went amiss, it wouldn’t matter if you analyzed it and thought that it wouldn't have been that bad (one of my friends already brushed  my concerns aside, but you see, he didn’t see beyond 'the car'). TD Jakes once preached that 'Nothing Just Happens' and I completely agree. After all, we always say that life is a stage, and we are all actors, howbeit acting an unseen script!

So, I have had this car for a little over 2 years, and me, correct somebody that I try to be, I diligently serviced the car when I should, have the correct papers, and generally keep a good eye on this possession. Fast forward to when the novelty of 'new' had worn off, and I would say, due to unforeseen circumstances, I started to slack off. Finally the car had had enough! A few days ago it started to cry and spurt and gargle and screech (you know how your ears are attuned to every sound your car makes, how you are able to tell every tiny foreign sound?) so for my car to emit this alien and strange....cry, for want of a better word, I was in a panic...well, not really, and not yet. That evening I decided to clean out the interior and while I was at it, thought to go the whole nine yards...upon opening the bonnet and the engine oil thingy, guess the sight that met my astonished eyes? It was dry! As in, COMPLETELY DRY!! No engine oil!  Goodness me! Aghast, I told myself I would drive it to work and get one of the drivers to go put oil in it. Careless. Careless. Careless! That night, I had a strange dream...long and short, do not drive that car. Of course, one may argue that dreams are always about the thought one went to sleep on…hm, your own argument, and it is fine. I saw that when I put the car on drive, it shot backwards, and when I put it on reverse, it shot forward and all sorts of other drama! Knowing very well that that was definitely not the manufacturer's intention when he put the car together, I had better read between the lines of this dream and take heed!! Next morning,  the voice of another friend, when I pinged to let him know what was up with the car, echoed almost exactly I saw...an ominous, 'do not move that car one inch before you have had an 'expert' check it' seemed to be the consensus.

Needless to say, the report of the mechanic was enough to cause my eyes to bulge, and my ears ring...omg, you mean I have been driving around with that?!

Imagine for a moment that this is not about the car, but about life. Think about the careless way we sometimes go through each day and how much we trivialize the things that really matter. Think about how we procrastinate on things that demand, and rightly so, our immediate attention. The damage we cause daily by doing or not doing what we ought to, the consequences of which may not be immediately apparent, but given time...oooh what a mess! Imagine the loss of time and resources, all of which could have been avoided, if only! It really is about discipline, and taking personal responsibility.

This simple lesson on a mere possession taught me yet again, to consciously do the right thing and always at the right time, of taking responsibility, of being vigilant enough not to give place to the enemy...not one single tiny chance! It is like diligently following a doctor's prescription, and failure to do so may not always mean the situation will not get better, it may, but whatever it is will return when least expected to bite where it hurts the most.

And you know the beauty of it all? I have this amazing and awesome knower of all things who is willing to tell me, and lead me in exactly the right way so I don’t grope and stumble. 'You shall hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it...'  Isa 30:21. Who knows what garbage we carry around daily, like a bomb waiting to explode at the most inopportune time. We don't have to do it blindly, oh no.  But, the question is, do I really give Him the time of day? Do you?

This is not about the car...but about the car!

Be. Free. Oh

Wednesday, August 22

Just Write

Oops! Did that sound like the title of the Queen Latifah movie?  :-)

Truth be told, it hurts  when I go to blogs that follow Zouzou's Muses and find beneath my last post, 'one week ago' meaning the post you see was written a whole one week ago!! Unacceptable!
Ok, ok, so I know I didn't sign a contract to write daily, I didn't put it on paper, or in blood anywhere that I would post daily, however, I have a keen sense of responsibility to those who take out time to click here...I do that myself, and get disappointed when I find a new post isn't up on any of my fave blogs....
However, however, I hit (a more relevant) gold in my search for something to write... (I was going to write about my long weekend, and how I cant believe I came out of it unscathed...) I go into my draft folder on my desktop and found the piece below I had started ages ago but never finished ...and it being so apt, as it correlates with what you have above, I just could not not post! 
Read on...

Tuesday, August 7

Whose Fault?

Recently, activity began on the uncompleted buildings and empty plot of land around our house. It was as if the owners agreed by mutual consent to start building! Are they taking advantage of the lack of rain for now? I wonder.
Anyway, as I watched this activity for weeks from my bedroom window it occurred to me that there is something I am supposed to see from what I am seeing but I couldn’t readily grasp it! However yesterday morning, it hit me! It is this thing called 'choice.'

The workers arrive every morning; I watch them chatter as they lift cement and blocks. I watch when, at the end of the day, they wash their feet and change, then stand around for the supervisor to pay them after which they hitch up their bags and leave; the end of another day. Their lives are ‘so simple’, yet not so. One would think it works great for them because they get paid daily, although how much they are paid is not, for the moment, relevant. I try to imagine the kind of responsibility each one may be carrying: wife, children, mother, siblings, sick relatives, what? I wonder if any of them are actually graduates…(it is Naija, and here, anything is possible).They spend hours each day carrying, heaving, dumping, dropping, shoveling, building...how about rest? How about health? Although I concede it is great exercise for the body, but sorry, I would gladly keep my ‘lack of exercise’ and not involve myself in such hard labour, because I have a choice, you see.

How many of them have been thrown into this because they have none, or so it seem?  Can we honestly blame the lack of opportunities, broken down infrastructures, bad economy, etc for this? In a way, yes but I don’t totally agree.
Looking at this innocent and normal activity I ask myself if any one of the bricklayers is wondering why he is not the guy who drives in and sits in the Land Cruiser watching others work, or why he is not the guy who supervises and pays them at the end of the day. Does he ask himself why he is the one balking under the weight of cement and block-carrying, often in the hot sun, sweating? The power to decide which of this three we are is firmly within our grasp. Even God says He has set before us life and death, but advises: ‘choose life…’ it’s an advice, it is not by force.

Who or what decides our emotional state? Who determines the tone of our day, our lives? Whatever situation we find ourselves: emotionally, physically, career, life, finances, relationship etc, is a direct result of decisions taken consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly, good judgment or bad judgment. I am of the school of thought that there is always a way, we only need to find it. Often when I succeed at trying to do something, especially on the Internet (as I am not much of a browser, even if I say so myself), I am filled with such a sense of achievement I sit back with a satisfied smile, smirk at the computer and say, I found 'The Way!' Loool.

On another (though related) note, I honestly wish we could have a come-back at vocational training centers where people learn handiwork. Because of our (often bad) experiences with artisans, we tend to regard them with such disappointment, even though their ‘area of expertise’ is a ‘necessary evil’. But think about a scenario where they are properly trained, not just to offer their services but to do so with professionalism! If that were the case, would watching a couple of bricklayers pose a scenario that would wring a post out of me? I wonder…

Be Free. Be free. Be Free Oh!