Motivation Tuesday: HOLD ON

Ade was tired. Nothing seemed to be working. His mates did the same things he did and they succeeded, for him the story was different. He had just gone for his hundredth interview and it was a no show. He didn’t understand . He had a first class degree. He was a hard worker, a staunch Christian, a good person and an ok dresser. “Why don’t they like me?” he pondered.

Yesterday, his girlfriend, tired of his “I will get a job soon” had ended their relationship. His landlord was going to kick him out tomorrow. Ade sat on his bed and cried. He had even tried selling recharge cards by the side but that had failed too. It made no sense. Why was he alive? What was he living for? This world is so cruel and unfair? You live right, follow the books, graduate right, do everything right and you get rewarded with failure. He looked around his one room apartment. His stomach rumbled to. He only had ten naira on him.

“What have I done wrong?” he asked the room. “Why is my story different?” “Lord, why have you abandoned me?”

He got no reply. His eyes strayed to the half used rat poison he’d bought weeks ago. “Isn’t it better I leave and have some peace? Leave all my worries. Leave the pain in my heart. I need peace.”

He had contemplated this before but he had his girlfriend but now she was gone.  He downs the poison and waits for peace.

Unknown to Ade, in one month he was to receive a call from a multinational company with a mouthwatering offer.

Zizi watched as the bride and groom kissed each other. She sighed in her mind. This would make it her fiftieth time as a bride’s maid. She understood marriage wasn’t her life’s purpose but this was something she wanted badly. She had dreamed of getting married since she was four, having five kids. She was thirty-four now.

If she had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t be this worried. It’s been years since she had one. Guys just didn’t ask her out. They didn’t mind smashing her and she didn’t want that. She had the perfect body, a pretty face, a good job still no one saw her. She pondered if she was invincible to men.

She’d been everywhere; from churches to the other side, everywhere. Some said spirit husband, some said jealous friends. She had paid a lot, prayed a lot still no guy. If it was a boyfriend she could manage that but there was no one. “Do I repulse men?”

Days later, she ran into a man in his forties. He was charming and interested in her. The only thing was, he was married. He made her an offer; to marry him and bear him children.

Zizi thought about it, “Well, I’ve always wanted to get married and have children. This is the first man that has seen me in years. Maybe this is it. It’s African to have more than one wife.”

She agreed to his proposal and they got married.

Unknown to Zizi, there was a guy who flew in from Europe. That was it. They were to meet and things would click for them. Well, they did meet last week but there was a ring on her finger already. He looked at her, “Her husband is really lucky” as she made her presentation at work then he looked away.

Sometimes, we go through things and it looks like it would never end. When will the day break on that situation? We ask ourselves so many questions.

I want you to know that, no matter what it is you are going through, hold on. The only way from down is up. Situations will never last. Tough times can never last. You are tougher than you think you are. Change is constant and that too shall pass.

Hold on for a little longer and don’t give up no matter what it is. Hold on.

Thank you for reading my thoughts. What are yours?

Image cred: udmcentral.com