I have heard the phrase “no glory without a story” many times. But I couldn’t get to understand what it truly meant.
Right from my childhood days, I have always wanted to live a happy life, a life that's way better than that of my Dad. I have seen him struggle a lot and I can't blame him because of that.
He is our father and I can see him trying his best. But at some point, I felt he was not doing it enough because I saw other kids' parents struggle and go beyond the limit just for their kids.
I forgot the fact that personal health matters. I was carried away by the rosy life of other families and failed to realize the blessings in our very own family. Many times I have thought about the reason why my dad wasn't a politician and had a lot of money, built big mansions, and also had many cars.
But he was just content with the nature of his work that kept bringing him some amount for the family to survive on.
If dad was a business tycoon, at least our life wouldn’t have been like this. Maybe I would have money to buy an Android phone at the right time, maybe I would have some extra funds to get new clothes. A lot of thoughts in my head. But I didn't know the reason why Dad was that way until I experienced it myself.
Life went on, as time flew.
I got into the university, and this same struggle had been a part of me since childhood but at least I managed to get into the institution. Mum would call me alone in the middle of the day and late in the night.
“Abdulqudus! Please know the son of whom you are. And know the home you came from”
This phrase got so consistent in my hearing to the extent that anytime I am alone about to think of her, I will remember those words and her actions.
My first year in the institution wasn’t so fair, but I did my best and moved on to the next year. And that’s when I met these friends of mine.
Julius was dark in complexion, his cheeks were so drained and his eyeballs were fixed deep into his eye socket. His facial appearance clearly shows that he is also not from a rich background just like me.
Myself, Julius, and Timileyin. Year 2016
He walks in a way that I would most times make fun of him and laugh because of the way his trousers look so big on him. But Julius didn’t allow that to define him.
Our second year wasn't much of a difference, but way better than that of our first year. We told ourselves stories of how we survived the first year and also hoped our five years in the university would have better days ahead.
“Remember the son of who you are”. I felt our parents had this in common. When our discussion got to our parents, Julius also made mention of this. That’s when I knew he was the kind of friend I could move with.
Our third year in the university got better, yet I could also remember how we struggled to get transport fare down to school and wait for free rides from lecturers to take us home.
But things got a turnaround when I joined Steemit that year. I was introduced to the platform by my brother.
As much as I realized I could earn money from the platform, I was focused and determined, I made sure I earned something that could cater to my needs. It became obvious that I was doing something to fetch me money. Julius challenged me one day.
I introduced Julius to the platform and he was trying to make a wave too. But I did far better than him. I was more focused and interested in blogging. But Julius was rather interested in something else.
He left blogging, but I didn’t. I was earning consistently from blogging, but Julius rather focused on airdrops and token launches. He read a lot of PDFs on crypto projects and how to trade and earn from trading. In the end, I was still focused on blogging.
When we got to our final year. Julius was sent out of his hostel by his roommate because he couldn’t afford to pay his rent then. They did him wrong, he explained to me and found someone to share a room with for him.
One day Julius woke up with great excitement. He got a token drop from the Trust wallet token (TWT) then. The money was a huge one then. He was so happy to have his dreams come true after years of consistency.
After that token drop he received. Julius began to hit his jackpot from then on, he got good fortunes coming his way.
I was happy for him, but I also wished to hit that jackpot. I became jealous, but I tried to control it. Julius packed up from his hostel and went to get a nice apartment. He furnished his room very well and also bought nice clothes and fancy shoes. Julius became the talk of the street. I was surprised at how fast Julius changed from grace to grace.
Julius and Myself. Year 2021
With time, I got closer to him and asked him to teach me how to trade and hunt airdrops, which he did. The more he kept explaining to me, the harder it gets. At some point when I started hunting for airdrops, I got headaches. I realized that wasn't my way. I was just childishly envious of him.
I got back to blogging again and gained my strength. I realized it was unwise of me to have forgotten my blessings and got carried away.
To date, I am still blogging and Julius is out there with his crypto hunts and trading. We are now gurus in our fields and respect each other for our consistency and dedication.
I learned the reason why Dad was not a politician or a business tycoon. But he is just himself and our father.
