Breathe taking it is, the festivity, a season that feels like it will never end but only last for awhile. The festive season still continues as today marks the end of the year, it been buzzing at my place all week with family and friends taking turns to visit. The feeling is unmatched, I have been away for more than 8 months due to my NYSC service and being opportune to celebrate the festivity with my family and friends is something I can't trade for anything. It has been lovely I must say but it does have it downsides, going back and forth to the market does feels tiring. I drove to the extent I could remember every block from my house to the market, it is not as if the market is located on my street, just hundreds of miles away.
Quite fascinating when I think of it, no matter how tiring the whole preparation for the festivity and celebration was, I was filled with excitement beyond what I could describe with words. To be honest it has been a very tough year filled with lot of rough patches, can't begin to outline the numbers of challenges and hurdles I had to encounter, not the kind of challenges I was used to, I went out of my comfort zone to a land I have never been just to ensure I fulfill my duty as a citizen of my country. It is not as if I am all puffed with the whole sense of patriotism but it is a phase of life I can't seem to avoid. After all the hurdles keeping me still in a strange town as most would describe as a place outside civilisation but then I was able to find my way back home to celebrate the festivity with my family.
Isn't that enough reason to be grateful, to be overwhelmed with gratitude? It is quite strange you know, when I finally got home to celebrate the festive period with my family a lot of things have changed. I have been away for just 8 months and some days, suddenly I could barely recognise the neighbourhood I have lived for more than a decade. Everything feels strange and different like I had been gone for almost a century. Lot of people I used to know were no longer who they used to be, I know time changes everyone but I must say time is indeed cruel. Some oldies I used to know in town had died, some young lads I used to know are now mothers and fathers, suddenly it felt like I was the only one who had chosen not to move on or should I say I moved in a different direction.
It feels like I have missed out a lot, despite that the only thing keeping me home right now is the festivity which will soon be gone in a couple of days depending on individual nature of work. I miss those days when I was still a kid, I never needed an excuse to stay at home. School resumes around second week of January though I could still chose to remain still for an extra week by faking sickness or whatever comes to mind just to enjoy the festivity a lot longer but those days are long gone. Now I'm a serving corper whose direction is dictated by my superiors. I wouldn't be able to add a day to my festivity even if I want to, I can try but it will surely come with consequences I can't afford to bare right now.
So when I'm asked, when does my holiday end? The answer is quite simple. All I can say is, it ends whenever I hear Clarion call. Quite a definite answer but it is not as if someone is going to blow a whistle or something. The Clarion call also symbolise as "A call to serve" which means in a few days from now I'm going to be called back for my monthly biometric clearance for January which usually happens between 1st of January to 10th. It is one thing any corp member can't afford to miss or else the reason is substantial. Just like I have been expecting, the announcement was made by my LGI in our local government WhatsApp group that the monthly biometric clearance will hold on January 7th.
I have no choice to run back like a deer since my PPA is in another state and I still have to be around to do some cleaning in my apartment before the clearance day. So my holiday is officially over in a couple of days because I will be traveling back few days before the clearance date. I wouldn't say this current situation is something I desire but then all I can tell myself regardless of the odds is that everything with a beginning must have an end, it doesn't matter when. At least I still have a couple of days left before by departure, so let me enjoy that and look forward to the next festivity by then I would already be a free man but then in life we are never truly free.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled "When does your holiday ends" in hive learners community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
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