There is always something that will prompt one either to greatness or otherwise. This is why life is unpredictable; a family friend serves as a wake-up call for me when I was on the verge of giving up and just settling for what I see instead of what I truly desire for my life. When I was young, my dream was to become a medical doctor. All I ever wanted was to be a medical practitioner and stay in that line. But in the end, it didn't work out that way, so I decided to change to nursing.
At some point that dream of mine wanted to be truncated by some challenges, and I wanted to give up on everything I've always desired for myself and the kind of lady I wanted to be. Then there was a living example for me that stands as a pointer that if I should give up, I have a lot to lose, and getting back on that track might be so difficult in the long run.
I have a family friend that I discussed with some time ago during my difficult time, and she explained why she wished she had not gotten married to who she got married to presently and why she wished she had chosen differently.
"I've finally gotten admission into a higher institution after waiting for a good five years," I started the conversation.
"Hmm, and are you happy about it even though it's not what you wanted?" Aunt Sola (real name withheld) asked me.
"I am happy to some extent; at least it's a bit closer to what I want." This was when I got admission to study science laboratory techniques.
"So do you want to give up on your dreams and become a dependent lady who is always at the mercy of others?" she asked.
"I'm just tired of everything; at this point, I will accept whatever comes my way," I replied.
She started laughing hysterically, and after a while tears started rolling down her cheeks. I was surprised to see that because I was wondering what could make her shed tears, Is she sorry for me?" that was my thought.
"What happened? Why are you crying? Is that for me or for what?" I asked repeatedly.
She smiled and said, "For you as how? See this lady on, I wish I had the chance you had now to put my life in order and make the right choices instead of settling for what I settled for".
At that point, I looked deeply into her life and all she had been going through in her marriage due to her husband's infidelity and irresponsible acts towards her and the children.
"My dear, don't ever make the mistake of giving up; once you do, that is the end, and at last, you will be at the receiving end. If you don't understand, take a good look at me and use me as an example. I wouldn't want you to be like me, never. I am earning #15,000 monthly as a salary, which is not enough to take care of myself, not to mention my children or my home. If I quit this job today, I have nothing to fall back on; I will be stranded and also suffer likewise, my children. I just have to keep doing whatever it takes to keep myself together and take good care of my children. The time I rushed into marriage because he looked promising then, I would have used it to learn some other skills and patiently waited for the right man who would be everything I needed in a man, not who I am with presently,"aunt Sola concluded.
After saying this, I didn't know how to pacify her; I just sat where I was and critically looked at her life and how hard she was struggling to make ends meet and make sure her children lived well just like their peers.
"I surely don't want to be like her; no, that was not how I visualized my life to be; instead, I would rather keep working hard towards my dream and make good things out of the disadvantages around me and build the future I wanted for myself," I thought within myself.
Her story stands as an encouragement for me not to give up on achieving my dreams. I wouldn't want to live a life where I will be struggling to get what I need at the time, but instead, I will build a strong foundation for my future now and never settle for less, no matter how challenging success might be.
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