Its my 25th birthday and i feel the urge to put pen to paper, wanting to share a few things i have come to learn about life. As one grows older, things tend to be put more in perspective. There are two sides to a coin. This applies to life too. There are the ups and downs, the good and bad, the poor and the rich, as in the social strata. Fortunately for some, they open their eyes to the world the first time and find the silver spoon has been squeezed into their hands. For the others, either the spoon was snatched from them or misplaced on journey to earth. But either hand mother nature has dealt you, we have all experienced good and bad times alike. It is general consensus, life isn't fair. I come from a 'middle class' family, one of a few families clinging to this class, hoping for a lucky break to move upward before the middle class completely goes extinct. So we aren't poor, neither are we rich. We are just able to afford what we need(not want), when we need them. But living and growing on the streets, i have seen a conflict of lifestyles, two extremes of living. I have seen families barely afford a square meal, while i have a friend who eats a three course breakfast, that will completely pass for a three square meal in majority of homes, everyday of our 6 year friendship. Walking home from work sometimes last week, i saw a young man on his bicycle, trying to beg for money, for his next meal, i guess in a Lagos traffic. Though he was spurned severally, he kept enjoying his ride in a psychedelic manner, smiling. This is an example of the many people who are powerless to alleviate their predicament, but still take life in their strides, determined not to allow situations keep their heads down. On the opposite, i have seen friends get cars as graduation gifts. A particular one, making around a hundred thousand naira daily, running errands for his permanent secretary father. That's about five times the minimum wage, which a worker will even have to earn in 30 days. I have met friends who have got it so bad at home, they fend for themselves. As if that's not a big enough task, they even have to send money home. A family of six living in a room, erected with wood, nailed to another family's fence in a commensal relationship. You tend to ask, for these, can life get any worse? YES, it can. Life will not spare anyone. Just when you think you are in the deepest of problems, a jaw dropping challenge gets knocked your way. That's how exasperating life can be. Whereas, i have friends whose parents have more houses than they can live in. Not just anywhere, but in the metropolitan capital of Nigeria, where housing is the most expensive. This is simply life. You want a better definition, you'll probably not get one. Fingers aren't equal, but you can work harder to get closest to the longest one. You don't have to be the shortest one. In a popular parable, where the master shares talent before embarking on a journey. To one he gave five, another three and another one. This shows from time that life doesn't come in equal measures. Some bridge the gulf, with diligence and hard work. They say luck is opportunity, meeting preparedness. You have to keep plugging away for you never know when it might be your turn. When life throws an unfair headstart at you, you've got to have the legs to make up and pull through.
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