I didn't feel like writing today; I already had a stressful day and my head is blocked for any creative writing. But then I remembered an encounter I had with a graduate in his small kiosk. For some reason, our few minutes of talk helped me realize a bitter truth—one that shows how we are our own saviors in life and why past failures and risks involved shouldn't be our roadblock.
I had gone out this evening in search of chicken meat. When I didn't get it, I decided to go for beef and later ice fish. It was at the ice fish shop that I met this young man on white roasting fish and selling food items. He called me "boss" and asked what I came to buy. I smiled and told him it was ice fish, then inquired about the price immediately.
"#1200," he said, pointing at one big fish, then added, "I can afford it."
I told him I needed two, but he'd need to reduce the price. He started joking about how a graduate like him is outside roasting fish on a white shirt and that's because life is hard.
"It's everywhere," I replied. "Besides, you know how much you're earning, so you don't mind the color of cloth you wear to business," I added.
It was at that moment he went silent, then decided to tell me the story of his life and how he ended up here.
Image generated using Gemini AI
"People see me here and think I'm wasting my time. But I've built a three-bedroom flat, and I'm currently feeding seven people who are depending on me from this business," he told me. "Immediately after my youth service, I knew no one was coming to help me. I decided to start a business selling garri with the little I had. I even had an accident that almost claimed my life on my first trip. I felt like quitting, but I kept on, and today I'm happily doing this business and seeing profit from it."
We spoke for some minutes, and he ended up selling the fish for #1000 each. The story he told me felt like sharing a casual life story, but what I saw was a bitter reality of life—no one is coming to save you if you keep blaming anything and not taking action to see that your life gets better. The accident didn't stop him, the ridicule of what he was selling didn't stop him; all he saw was himself making a better life. Honestly, we can't continue to give excuses for everything and blame everyone for our failures. As long as we are determined, whatever we start with isn't too small.
