Work got the best of me last week, and somehow, I was happy doing every task that came my way. Seeing my students understand every explanation I give them makes me happy, so even when my hands are too weak to write on the board, knowing that educating those kids is mandatory gives me the strength, and I love what I am doing.
I have this kid in my classroom who takes more time to do things compared to his mate. Calling him "slow" sounds unbefitting because I see him as a special kid, and despite his condition, he has a passion for learning. Initially, I didn't bother paying attention to him until he answered a question I asked during teaching, and I felt really bad about leaving him out all these while.
I wish I had paid him more attention and to sought his forgiveness without asking, I am paying more attention to him lately.
What actually happened was that the school proprietor invited me to his office because of this particular boy and expressed his concerns. At the end of the meeting, he said that I shouldn't worry about his speed; what matters is the boy's determination to be part of the class, and truly, he was willing to be part of every activity even though he would be the last to finish.
The conversation with the principal replayed in my head severally and it made me reason very deeply because life really didn't make us equal.
While there are those with good health, we have people whose health is naturally bad. They don't smoke or drink; they exercise and eat healthy food, but they still struggle health-wise. There are those who work 20 hours a day and aren't rich, while there are those who work just a few hours and make more money.
Just because you are a single or still struggling financially at 40 doesn't mean you can't achieve these things. People doing it ahead of you isn't a condemnation and shouldn't make you think less about yourself.
We aren't equal and won't be because there will inevitably be differences among us, but our differences don't prevent us from living happily or doing the things we love. It doesn't stop us from trying to live a decent life like everyone else.
I was having a gist with my uncle, who works in Enough, Nigeria, over the week, and he told me about his participation in the Enugu city marathon. I laughed so much because I knew that even if the other competitors were crawling, my uncle wouldn't win, and yes, he didn't, but he was excited despite being among the last few racers.
He also said something about not winning. He wasn't after the position, and what mattered to him was crossing the line, which he did.
Many of us consider ourselves to be late in life because of a delay, or maybe we have a condition that makes it look like we aren't making progress. It doesn't matter if we're the first to cross the finish line or not; what matters is that we didn't give up on ourselves. We pushed ourselves to the very last line, and even though the spotlights aren't on us, we surely made ourselves proud.
We can always look back and smile at the whole experience. The pain and everything would be worth the struggle in the end.