So this afternoon I was on a bike and I had a very nice conversation with the rider which is weird because I rarely do, I mean, I’d just sit on the bike and ‘hmmm’, ‘wow’, ‘oh-oh’ till we arrive our destination because its really hard and boring keeping the convo going with most of them especially the old ones.
A bonus… if you can manage to strike good conversations with a bike rider, it might reduce the price he’ll charge you for his services, *wink*.
Remember, I said ‘it might’, ha!
Apparently, the rider I happened to be riding with today was a bit old, a parent, he seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties. Trust me, I had no intent to talk at all, just the normal stuff I always do on a bike, plug in my earphones banging to loud music and enjoying the breeze that comes along with I and the rider speeding away.
Today was different. We were going along the road when all of a sudden he stopped to address a young girl who seemed to be heading back from school. She was dressed well and neatly in her uniform except from the region above her neck. She had used her neck tie to tighten up her beret which was on her hair, leaving her chin below fastened with the remaining parts of the tie.
He scolded her softly about it and she quickly adjusted it. She greeted him and apologized as she went on with her walking.
As we rode off, the man began talking and said she was his daughter. I listened as he began to pour out about how both of them were close and how he didn’t want her to be looking irresponsible. He said further that, he always talks to her about all these things because he loves her, and how her mom is always hurling words at him that he’s not doing his job as a father.
We went on, and he talked about how smart and intelligent his daughter is and how she always came up top in her class which always made him proud of her. Moreover, I became sad when he mentioned how he struggles to give her the best of education, changing her from one school to the other, borrowing money just to make sure he could pay her school fees.
There was one thing he said that moved me… he said, “I don’t mind if I have to wear the same shirt everyday to do this job, as long as it can get my children the education they need, as long as they get to be better than me and don’t experience my poor and illiterate background”.
Remembering those words makes my eyes tearfilled. It reminds me about the everyday sacrifices, the 9-5 jobs, the overtime hours our parents go through just to give us the best they can. Sometimes it might feel like it’s not enough and we aren’t like the other kids who live an everyday life of luxury. The truth is, the sacrifice your parents make for you, the sweat they drip for you is way precious than gold or silver or any thing that seems to glitter in this cold world so never take them for granted.
I might not have all I want in this world, but I know God gave me the best gifts ever, my dad and mom. They might not be like otedola, or bill gates or dangote, and so on, but they’re the best. And when I grow up, I want to make them proud just as they’ve made me proud of them. I want to give back to them hundredfold of what they gave to me if that makes sense. I don’t want them to feel like the hurdles they jumped or the bridges they crossed was a waste of energy. I want them to reap the fruit of their labour.
Hearing that bike man talk about his family and how he does his best even to the point of being in debt to make ends meet for them just hits hard on me. I don’t want my parents to continue suffering or toiling hard because of me. I want them to enjoy the good things of life even before they begin to reach their climax. That’s why I’m working hard to being a better person, becoming the man of my dreams, I don’t want to breathe or even have an under-achieved life. I want to be great for me, for those who preceded me and for those who are going to succeed me.
Do you have parents or mentors or someone who is watching over and taking care of you? can you see how much they’ve done for you? Can you just think about it?
And even if maybe you don’t have parents or anyone you can call family around you… God hasn’t left you either, the fact that you wake up every morning and you can breathe and walk and think, the fact that you still have that life in your hands, is worth being grateful for. It’s worth wanting a better life, a better day, a better chance to make things different!
Be the best of yourself! Not just for you alone but for those who see you through to that goal, for those who stood tough by your side, for those who are coming after you, for those who need to be inspired by your journey to greatness!
If Otedola, Bill Gates and co. can give their loved ones a better life. You can too! Let it be your goal!