Life is all about living to gather experiences, we learn from our past mistakes and actions. Then, we try to avoid such errors in the present and future. There are times when we learn from our own experiences and there are times when we learn from other people’s experiences too. But what's most important is learning and allowing what we learn to make an impact on us.
I will be sharing some of my childhood memories that I can never forget in my life. Lesson learnt and still in use till date. Also, I will add some of the lessons I learned while growing up most of which I can't forget.
I was just about 6 years old then, if not so precise, but I knew I was still in elementary school. There was a friend of mine whom I liked because he was just my seat partner then. So we gist and do class assignments together. Lanre was brave and bright. I also have some others but not as close as Lanre.
One day Lanre brought 500 naira notes to school. Since he was my seatmate, she showed it to me first. I was so surprised to see him bring such an amount to school.
He said, “Shhh. My dad just came home from London and gave it to me”. My childish self believed him straight away and then Lanre started spending lavishly. I was scared because I knew the home I came from and the warnings we got. But I was also fascinated with Lanre's enjoyment. Till I fell a victim.
He gave me about 20 naira then and bought a few things too. So I took the money home with the thought that my dad would acknowledge the fact that Lanre's dad just returned home from abroad. My dad saw the money and then asked about it, I explained.
Then the next thing I realized was how he took me home and dealt with me. I could remember blood stains on my clothes then. And the scar I got on my tummy from the way he beat me that day. We went to Lanre’s house to find out that he had stolen his dad's money. I was disappointed and learned my lesson.
I love myself around elderly ones and this is because of the life morals I tap from them. When they call my names and open my ears to their life experiences. I would always concentrate and focus. One day Grandma called me and said; “be careful of whom you choose to marry.”
I didn’t understand her much then, but I couldn’t forget her words for me. She narrated how it's so frustrating to get married to the wrong one. She told me how much she missed her husband and she promised never to like another man. That’s how strong a happy home could become. I took her words so valuable and couldn’t forget them to date.
It was my second year in the university when I decided to give love another chance. But with the wrong person or should I say the wrong way? I had a lot of regrets about falling in love with someone who never had any mutual feelings for me in return. It was like I was waiting for the ship at the airport back then. It only took divine intervention from above to save me from what I seemed to love back then.
I will never forget my experience with her. One-sided love is never a thing. Love should be mutual. If not, there is no way you can experience what love means.
Our last days together at the university brought a lot of memories and tears to my face. It was like a goodbye but see you again. We never could tell where life was taking us. We couldn’t see the future ahead of us. But we still had to depart after years of being together.
There was a song one of my friends cherished so much then. “Ghost by Justin Bieber'' I really love the song and any time I listen to it, it brings back those memories we had together for a very long time.
No way!! Apart from being appreciative of what people had done for me. I also remained grateful. I have always cherished every act of kindness that comes my way. Even though I might not be able to pay back exactly what was done to me. But it will always remain in my heart that someday I have to pay back this act shown towards me.
