Hi guys, I hope we are all fine. As usual, this week KISS prompt is such an interesting one. I have gone through people's entries and seen how they were so bond with many things and I have come to share with you that item I find so difficult to live without.
For me, I am so attached to a diary, yes a jotter. I once received as a souvenir at an uncle's wedding in Lagos city in 2009. I would admit it was my first time of having such a beautiful jotter, since I grew up in the village. So, I cherish the jotter and held unto it so tightly. When I got back to the village, I thought of what to use the jotter for, then I decided to keep it as diary since it was that precious to me. I decided to be writing some experiences, and precious moments of my life there.
Not too long from then, I had a crush on one handsome guy in our class in high school and I wrote how I felt, and everything about the boy in the diary. I wrote few other things then and kept the jotter so well. So years later, after my graduation from the college. I wanted to take up a teaching job and many people told me I could not do it. Even though I had not done it before, I summoned courage and apply to schools. I saw the need to groom myself inorder not to fumble before students. Then I started reading as if it's for exam. Then, I decided again, to convert my diary to a note . So, I started studying the subject I was about to teach, topic by topic, and jotting it in my precious jotter. I read so wide and became so vast in knowledge.
They called me for the interview and I passed excellently. I was offered the job, thanks to God and my blue jotter. So, I got the job in 2017 and I used the jotter to teach my students throughout the year that I was in the school, preparing the students for external examination. To my amazement, all the students I tutored that year passed excellently. So, when it was time to go for my one year mandatory national youth service far in the north, I knew I could not leave my jotter behind for any reason. I took it along, and luckily I was also posted to a school, and the job was so easy for me. Though I still took my time to research and update my teaching, the jotter serves as a good foundation and I also used it throughout.
After my service year, I came back to the southwest, and took another teaching job. The level of confidence exhumed in my blue jotter can't be underestimated. I started teaching in another school and people thought I was a genius. They didn't know my jotter contained all topics. Imagine what happened the day I lost the jotter, I cried so much that I couldn't eat. Fortunately, I dreamt about it, and I saw where it was in the dream. Waking up, I traced my jotter to the area and found it lying flat on the floor, waiting for me. So, I picked my jotter and vowed to be more careful with it. So, I got married in 2023 and I had to relocate to my husband's place. Do you know the first thing I took? My blue jotter! It followed my to my husband's house, as it has been following me since 2009. Though I have exhausted the pages, I don't have to write in it again, I have enough.
Imagine, my husband came back from work last week, he is also a teacher and complained about a topic. I immediately directed him to the shelf to take my blue jotter and study the topic. He found it so helpful. Funnily enough, he didn't only thank me for it, but also started talking about my crush in the high school. Then, I knew Mr Man had gone through the first pages of the jotter and also read what I kept there when I was still using it as diary. We both laughed hysterically. My husband could not just stop making jest of me and the crush I had in such an early age. I never thought anyone would see or read that, since I don't lend people that precious jotter. So, over it all, my blue jotter has become so attached to me.
I'm also always proud of myself for making good use of it, which is a key idea in minimalist lifestyle. Minimalist living is making an optimal use of a thing. Imagine, I converted a year 2009 souvenir to a precious archive of knowledge to train so many students from 2009- till date. That's over 15 years, many of them have even graduated from universities.. I think it has now become an encyclopedia that my children's children will like to see and learn from as well.
Thanks for reading.
All photos are mine.
