You live, you learn, you grow
You know that feeling you have when a topic is just floating in your head but it doesn't quite come to you until something triggers it? Well, this article is just one of them. I was in a conversation with @Deeepensiverse yesterday discussing about life and its challenges when the title of this article came to me. This is why it's important to keep friends who reason on the same or even higher intellectual level than you, as NF would say:
"***Surround yourself with people who challenge how you think, not people who nod their head like they agree***".
[Source]
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Without further ado, let me get right to it.
You live
Life has a way of teaching us real-life lessons, sometimes good, other times, they are just bad but regardless of what life throws at us, we just have to keep on moving, that IS "**Living**".
In a few days, I will be 1 year older, I haven't really thought about celebrating birthdays but when I look back to see just how much life has thrown at me and how much I've had to deal with, the sleepless night, the painful ones, the happy one and the lucky ones, I just feel so good to be alive.
I've published articles about some interesting experiences in my life and how they changed me but sadly I can't publish everything, some things need to be kept private, I'm sure you'll agree with me on that.
****Author's note****
***I can boldly say I've done some of this but I still have a lot on my list to check out, it's time to give some things a chance, you know, living a little and trying new things but still taking precautions -you can never be too careful.***
***What is that thing you've always wanted to do but are frightened to make the first step?***
You learn
If you've spent 12 years in school or trying to learn a particular skill and you graduate from this without acquiring the said skill, it is assumed that you've wasted your time.
The main purpose of living is to learn. As humans, we are not above mistakes but we can try to correct these faults in the future by taking notes of the mistakes, finding the causes, and of course taking notes to ensure it doesn't repeat themselves.
Sometimes the precautions we take might be a little extreme, I would know but sometimes it's necessary. I was once hurt so bad that I shut the doors to my heart to prevent such a thing from repeating itself. You might consider this extreme, but in my defense, it's just me taking the necessary precautions to avoid a devastating experience in the future.
Will I give it another chance? probably, but for now, I'll relish my peace of mind.
****Author's note****
***Okay, you should know this, trying new things aren't always safe, it won't be a bad idea to carry a friend with more experience along. Yes, it might not go the way you planned but you will have something to learn, good or bad.***
***The good thing about this is that you'll probably have a good reason to repeat it or stay clear of it, that my friend is learning.***
You grow
The result of life lessons is to ensure you grow. Growth is the end result which is why elderly people are often respected for their wisdom and level of experience.
I've always believed that "**Age is only a number**", it doesn't necessarily mean you have grown, it only means you have aged - think about it
I once met a young lady who was just so mature for her age, it took a lot of convincing for me to believe otherwise, just as I have met older people who still act like kids.
If you have truly lived, then it means you embraced life challenges and faced them head-on, it also involves you taking breaks from time to time, we are human after all.
****Author's note****
***I know as little kids we are often eager to grow up really fast but you shouldn't, take your time to enjoy your childhood, there is time for everything.***
*So, let us speculate about the dip in the crypto market, I see more opportunities to earn more* ***BCH****, what do you see?*
*I'm buying more because I know the bullish market is just around the corner and I would hate to miss out on the opportunity.*
*I got some* ***Cattos NFTs*** *too which I'm not planning to sell anytime soon, I'm planning to stake all of them, it's so good to see* ***Smart BCH*** *continue to create more opportunities even as the crypto market continues to bearish run.*
***What are you doing during this period to fatten your portfolio? It would be nice to get more ideas.***
[**Lead Image:** **Source**]
Superpowers
Everyone wants to be super in their way, that additional advantage that gives you an edge when gathered among peers. I've always seen myself as someone who drops down from the sky with his Shining armor to save the day.
When I was younger, I often fantasized about being a superhero, I had a lot of lego toys of superheroes like Superman, Batman, Ben-10, Spiderman, Iron Man, and many others. I could spend hours on end just playing with my toys until one day my mother decided to get rid of everything as a way of forcing me out of the house to go play with the other kids outside. Did it work? It didn't.
[Image Source]
"**Mother, you may take away my toys but you can't take away my thoughts**" - of course, I didn't say this out loud for fear of getting whopping but I did say it in my mind.
If I had to choose a power it would have to be of the following:
Superman
[Image Source] https://dc.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003466191
This man has it all, the body, the physique, the strength, muscles, super hearing, x-ray vision, speed, and his power of flight. He's basically the strongest superhero there is, the movies don't even show his full capabilities, although growing up, I never really did understand why he wore his panties over his tights.
As much as I envy this character I wouldn't want my weakness to be a rock and even so, known to almost every antagonist out there, the strongest DC Hero defeated by a rock, how Ironical given he has the strength to break up rocks. I would choose his strength, not his weakness.
The Flash
[Image Source] https://comicbook.com/dc/amp/news/the-flash-movie-the-fastest-man-alive-tie-in-comic-dc/
The first time I saw this character in a movie was in Smallville and he went by the name Bart Allen, a speedster, I admired the power to move at high speed.
It would be helpful if I had to save my girl from a bad guy that was probably too big for me to handle, you know, live to fight on a different day. Haha, just kidding. Moving at a fast speed means more impact on punches also it means you can stop time if you are running fast enough. If that isn't enough, you could just reverse time, pretty cool, isn't it?
I have to admit though, it would feel lonely knowing that no one could actually keep up with me because in my own world I would have to slow down my speech to their level which I think can be exhausting.
Iron Man
[Image Source] https://playcontestofchampions.com/news/champion-spotlight-iron-man-infinity-war/
One of my favorites, I shed a tear for him when his character died after saving the world (but did he actually save the world? Thanos actually did but I still have my reservations on that subject).
I don't admire him for his suit even though I think they are cool though, I think his superpower is that he is very rich and smart and he has a very good sense of humor too.
If I probably had billions right now, I guess I would be a bit cocky too. Money is power in this world we live in. You just have to learn how to use it. Mr. Tony Stark is the type of Superhero I would like to be someday, not for his suit, or humor, but his money. One day, I'm going to be a multi-billionaire, and perhaps I'll be able to make a big difference just like what Mr. Marc has done here.
I could go on and on the list of superpowers I wish for but it wouldn't be complete if I don't share with you a short story about the day I became a superhero.
If I had to think of a superhero name it would be "Great" because I'm great, it's great don't you think? Get it? If you don't, then just forget about it.
Back to Pre-school
I was still in my superhero toy phase, I had seen an episode of Justice league that morning before going to school, an event I cherish because the power wasn't always constant.
Mary, my classmate was sitting under the mango tree crying, being the caring boy that I truly am, I went closer to find out what would make my potential "Lois Lane" to be crying in the early hours of the day.
**"I lost my lunch money" - she cried**
I wiped her tears up and we both tried to retrace her steps hoping to find the money but it was a lost cause, to be the superhero, I gave her my lunch money which would mean I would have to go hungry until I get back home.
This might not be much of a sacrifice to you but to me, my food was very important to me, without it, I think I could faint.
It was time for the lunch break, I didn't go out with my friends to play football because my stomach was already crying from hunger. Mary was in a really good mood, she came to thank me for what I did and I was happy that at least I could play the superhero.
Great the superhero
My eyes were focused on the clock which surprisingly was moving slower than a wounded tortoise but at least the school was over. A happy Mary ran up to me to give me a kiss on my cheek and for a moment I thought about how many children we would have and the house we would live in (just joking, I was too young for that, be good guys).
**"I found my money, it was inside one of my books, here, let me pay you back"**
Pay me back? The deed has been done, I've suffered the pain, I don't think it would be in my favor if I collected it back so with a smile I said - "**don't worry, you can keep it"**
By the way, Mary has a boyfriend right now, so at least we know how that ends, as much as we would like to play heroes sometime, you should know that it doesn't mean you would get the girl.
Being a hero is about making selfless sacrifices for the good of others (that doesn't mean you shouldn't think of your safety first though). More importantly, to be a good hero, you must have enough money.
Lead Image Source - **Unsplash images**
No love lost, no love found
***Why do we chase something that doesn't exist?***
***Is love just a myth, a bedtime story we tell our kids to keep them hopeful for a brighter and more beautiful future?***
***Is it just one big lie that has been passed down over generations?***
***Is it just a chemical in our brain?***
Over the years I've tried to understand this concept and each time I keep failing to come to a definite conclusion. I've loved, I've been loved, I've been hurt and heartbroken, I've been lied to, cheated on, and suffered a lot of disappointment yet like a fool, I keep running back to that same lie, I keep listening to that voice that says "**Love exists**".
Recently I decided to give love a chance, I "**loved**" a girl, I tried to be there for her as best as I could but somehow it seems that the more I try to be a better person to worse it became and soon we moved from talking every day to a week and the trend continued, even when we do speak, it never gets past the casual "***Hi's" and "Hello's***", in Nigeria, most of my friends will refer to this as "***Breakfast - yet to happen***".
I'll be dishing out this "breakfast" soon to focus on my other priorities, I don't need this right now. I should be more focused on Fattening my wallet and eating what I want just being happy, not the way I was yesterday, tired, exhausted, and sad with a lot of questions and doubt going through my mind asking the one question I should have asked myself... "***Great, what have you done to yourself?***"
I've spent years building walls around my private space only to see it crumble each time I let myself believe in the so-called "**Love**", leaving me with a lot of work to build and rebuild. I don't think I have that strength anymore so I'm going to call it quits...for now (however long "for now "**might be**"
It's time to remove that gentle man's suit and swing it away, it was getting heavy to keep up with anyway. Maybe being the "**good guy**" is not always the best.
I have a bad of overthinking every single detail and analyzing different scenarios in my head, a habit I realized I shared with my good friend @Deeepensiverse.
From past experiences, once I start to visualize how I was going to end a relationship, it's only a matter of "***when***". I have a million scenarios played out in my head already, and today made that decision more concrete, I'm so upset right now so I'll just vent it out through writing, if I don't, I doubt I'll be able to sleep well.
*Back to my initial question, is love just a myth?*
It's not, it is very real, maybe not the way it is portrayed in movies, the butterflies in your stomach or the sun smiling back at you. It's much easier and less complicated.
If you ever find anyone who completes you and makes you a better version of yourself, don't let them go. Okay, I realize how weird that sounds thinking it out loud now but you know what mean haha
I feel so much better now that I released these bottled-up feelings, read.cash has really saved me from myself. It's time to let my phone rest and get some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow.
In other news...
I decided to mint more **Cattos** **NFT,** I was unable to do it with my phone so I had to complete the process with my laptop, at the time it was only **9400/10000** NFTs, and I was targeting Sunday as the time all the NFT's will be bought but then came the whales who bought the rest in less than 30 minutes, I was surprised but satisfied I bought more.
Now, what's the next step on the journey? I bet it would be interesting profit wise. Don't forget to do your own research before investing in anything.
Oh, it just occurred to me, I'm counting on you all to keep this article a secret until I've made up my mind.
Lead Image Source: **Unsplash free image**s
The world we live in (Part 2)
*If you missed the first part, you can always go back to read it when you want, I'll leave the link* ***here*** *for ease of access.* https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/the-world-we-really-live-in-the-truth-you-dont-want-to-know-part-1-72afef8c
*These articles are featured around my insinuations and may not be fully factual but if you give it some thought, you'll discover how all the dots connect.*
A big thank you goes out to
all my sponsors for the supports
they have given me during
my journey here
*As I type this article, my head aches a bit from trying to push myself to the limits, I forgot I was only human and right now, a good sleep should do the trick.*
*Now, let me blow your mind...*
***The world is flat***
Yes, I know what you are going to say, "what about all the scientific experiments to show that the earth is round, of course, the undeniable image of the shape of the Earth thanks to the growth in science?"...but what if I told you that you're seeing it all wrong
**How you ask? Relax, let me explain it to you...**
Yes, the shape of the Earth is indeed round, but **THE** Earth we live in is actually flat, this is so because we actually exist on the surface, there are multiple levels of existence within this very Earth.
**In a world where escaping is not an option**, once you are sucked in, there is no escape for you, at least not to my knowledge. A second earth-the round Earth. You do know after land there is water, and beneath that is just more and more water until finally there is land again right?
*I have a theory about the gateway that leads to this world, something scientists have no definite proof about...yet.*
**The Bermuda Triangle-** there have been cases of people disappearing around this zone, the phenomenon surrounding this area is weird and even though there is no definite/Factual answer yet, I say we have one.
*Oh, I'm not done...*
*What is meant to happen will happen.*
A statement true in every word and it should be the most obvious yet it is the most ignored, "**The Time Loop Theory**"
We have been here before, we just don't remember how or when but we have, and we are simply doing things on repeat and placing the reason on a higher power. That's what we do when we do not understand anything.
**Everything that is happening right now is meant to happen because before it happens in this time, it already has**. We can't do anything to change it because we do not know exactly what will happen next.
In the past, **some people were gifted with the power to look into the future** and see exactly what would happen, it's not always clear and fully detailed but when it finally does happen, it becomes clearer.
Of course, the future is not set in stone and it is filled with loopholes, which are determined by the decisions we make today but others aren't that flexible.
**Nostradamus** made a lot of predictions that even though it didn't seem believable at the time (some would consider this knowledge too advanced at the time), they eventually came to the past. **(****Source****)** https://www-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.businessinsider.com/predictions-of-nostradamus-2011-12?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16424920132071&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fpredictions-of-nostradamus-2011-12
The book that predicted the sinking of the Titanic, "**The Wreck of the Titan**" by Morgan Robertson, published in 1898, and the Titanic sank In 1912. **(Source)** https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Titan:_Or,_Futility#:~:text=The%20Wreck%20of%20the%20Titan%3A%20Or%2C%20Futility%20is%20a%20novella,Atlantic%20after%20striking%20an%20iceberg.
**The Simpsons** happen to be the most recent "seers" making predictions long before they happen for those paying close attention. **(Source)** https://www-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.businessinsider.com/the-simpsons-is-good-at-predicting-the-future-2016-11?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16424927599621&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fthe-simpsons-is-good-at-predicting-the-future-2016-11
I won't go into details, I believe if you are truly curious, you will do that by yourself, I'm merely sharing my thoughts on some of the widest topics you probably haven't given much thought to yet.
*I plan to write a third part but that would depend on the outcome of this one. As I said in my last article, we choose what we believe in, if this doesn't sit well with you, just take it as a fictional experienced of a weird boy, but if you do share my thought, perhaps doing more research would not be such a bad idea.*
*Okay, this is me signing off, it's morning here and of course "no lecture week" because of the convocation ceremony of the graduating students, which also means "****Freeeeeeee Fooooooood****", since I happen to have a lot of friends graduating, I'm sure to eat to my fill today. I'll update you as to how it goes.*
Lead Image Source: **Unsplash free images**
The world we really live in - The truth you don't want to know (Part 1)
****If you thought we were alone, you are wrong, we live among other beings, creatures that may have existed long before the first men were created...****
**A long time ago**, long before humans dominated the world, there were **Giants** who controlled and lived in the mountains, there were **water sprites** and **mermaids** who dominated the sea, there were **Elves**, who lived in the heart of the forest and of course, the dwarves who preferred to live underground protecting their gold.
**Believe it or not**, this is the reality that we have failed to understand. We prefer to live in the dark rather than accept the truth. ***Imagine what Man would have done if by chance they came across a Fairy or a Mermaid?*** Humans have always wanted to be the dominant species right from the start, but they fail to understand that long before they came to this world, there were other beings.
**The desire to dominate** drove this species to reproduce and hunt down practically "anything" that might feel like a threat forcing the other beings to go into hiding just to survive this "human" nature. If you still doubt, read the creation story, God created Animals first before men, on day could actually mean Billions of years as scientists recently discovered from the fossils of Dinosaurs.
**The plan was simple**, as long as humans don't know of their existence, they were safe, a consensus was held and with the power of magic from these beings, the memories of their existence were wiped out from the fragile human mind whose level of understanding is focused mainly on what he can see and feel. There were a few exceptions of gifted people who tried passing along this "age" in folktales but who would believe that it was true with their memory wiped.
**Generations after generation,** the truth continues to fade into stories and movies as pure fiction, even as you read this right now, your mind is still filled with doubts, you are allowed to, perhaps it's better not knowing judging by the continuous growth of the human population. When they had no species to lord over, they started fighting one another for rights over land and sea, properties of nature that weren't originally theirs.
**When the forces of nature decide to react** to this form of imbalance in nature through earthquakes, hurricanes, and other disasters, a lot of human lives are unfortunately lost, almost like the ridiculous riddle that is built around the Chicken and Chick, which of them came first?
**In case you are wondering where most of these beings went to, the answer is they didn't really go anywhere**, they just got better at surviving and not getting involved in human matters. When you walk in the woods at night, they are there, when you swim, they are there too, just because you can't see them doesn't rule out their existence. This is not to freak you out, they don't desire to cause you to harm as you may have seen depicted in stories means for entertainment, if they wanted to, I'm sure they would have done that by now.
*Where is Atlantis, Where is the Holy Grail, why did they all disappear? What if I told you that they were a part of the old world, their disappearance was required to keep the existence of such powerful beings hidden.*
**Before you come at me with theories, these are merely thoughts for you to think about, I won't make it too long because I'm a bit exhausted. To balance the scale in my favor, I'll leave you two choices that would make both you and I sleep well at night. This article is only Fiction to those who don't believe, and to those who share in my weird delirium, you are free to believe what you wish.**
**These are thoughts I've played out in my head in hopes of finding answers, in sorry if you found some of what I've written upsetting, it's just fiction, but mate, what if it was real, would you be able to do anything about it? If yes, what would that be? Will there be a Part 2? definitely.**
Lead image source :**Unsplash free imges**
Update: a busy week
Date: Friday,14th of January, 2022
Published by: Greatwolfman
**Sharing the opportunities of BCH with my Roommates.**
A few days ago I resumed to the school hostel, a place I often refer to as "Trenches" in my past articles. In the past, I've had some discouraging replies from the people I had spoken to about Bitcoin Cash, or simply no sign of interest so I didn't even bother anymore.
You can imagine my surprise when @ThatRealGuy showed interest, perhaps not everyone is as lazy as I thought. Even though I had a very busy schedule, I was able to put him through the registration process. I know this is just the first step but I'm determined to share everything I know about BCH.
**Let me digress a little...**
I've been away
*You may have noticed*, I haven't been active here for about 2 days, the reason is that I've been preoccupied with school activities and the past few days have been really stressful. We have only 4 to 5 weeks of lectures left for the semester to come to an end, it shouldn't be this way but a major event in the country would be coming up soon and my school will be the host.
This is the reason all lecturers are doing their best to cover up a lot in just a short amount of time, I'm not sure how feasible this plan would be judging from the workload but one way or the other I'm sure we will survive this as well.
**Yeah, that's it... Now back to the discussion.**
I was shocked to know that none of them in my "Trench" actually knew what BCH was. They must have figured out it was a cryptocurrency but not the background. You can only imagine what must have gone through their mind when I talked about the opportunities of the "Smart BCH" Network.
It looks like my work has been cut out for me, I'm just happy I've been put in a situation where I can add value to the community. Fortunately, I'm not alone in this, we have a big community of BCH enthusiasts both here on read.cash as well as members of the BCH Nigerian Forum, a family dedicated to the mass adoption of BCH in our communities.
I minted some Cattos NFT's
Speaking of BCH, I haven't been fortunate enough to get any of the recently launched NFT's, and by the time I learn of their existence, it is usually too expensive to follow through with my plans. My most disappointing being "Thrones", it would have been nice to have a queen and king, sitting on the throne of my wallet. I wish I could turn back time just to get it but I haven't invented the traveling machine yet, I'm getting close though.
I was even sadder when @HappyBoytold me without mining the queen I wouldn't be able to mint the King either, 2 losses in one sentence....sighs. Well, better late than never, I immediately got some Cattos NFT's, I might buy more soon but not to sell, I prefer to stake it as I explore other opportunities.
Remember to always do your own research and risk only what you can offer to lose.
Learning to be more social
I challenged myself this year to get out of my "shell" for a bit and take my chances with the world out there, my first task was trying to be more social. I have a lot of friends but I hardly know my name. The usual form of greetings is the informal "Boss Man, My oga, Comrade, My Gee" [all slangs that correspond with 'hello mate']. I have gotten so used to this that it has become really awkward to request for their names so I don't bother.
Not anymore though, I spoke to 2 new people today, big progress for me and I'm proud of myself, I don't remember their names anymore though but I'm sure I'll remember again...someday when the need arises.
***I have just summarized my last 3 days in one article, could have written more but I'm exhausted right now, it has been quite a day for me.***
***Happy Birthday to my good friend and the Princess of BCH Nigerian Forum -*** @Princessbusayo***, I pray everything you wish for comes through, more BCH to your wallet, enjoy your day sweetheart.***
Lead image source: **Unsplash**
My Trip to the UK-Diving Deep
***It was just a dream but it felt real...***
**I was at home when I received a call from a friend that he secured a contract** in the UK so we will have to leave as soon as possible to start work on the building. I was so excited (at the time, I had not worked on any site, so perhaps that was what spurred this dream).
**I left a message for Mom that I might not be back for months as I packed my things and hurriedly left the house**. I indeed doubted if I was dreaming so I pinched myself a little and felt the pain (who would have thought, you can also feel pain in your dream if you're mind convinces you enough).
**I found myself on the plane with no knowledge of how I got there**, I brought my phone to take a few pictures, I was going to publish an article "My trip to the UK" on read.cash as I was feeling excited about the trip and wanted to share it with my friends. I recall I had read an article about a trip and was looking forward to publishing mine too.
*In a way, you can say I practically wrote this article in my dream since I'm actually giving you a detailed description of "****My Trip to the UK****".*
I don't know how long it took but we soon arrived at the airport, the person I was going to stay with while I was there had sent the home address so I could head over. I got in a cab and finally, I could say I was " here".
*Now, here is where it gets weird and difficult to explain hence why "we" will be diving deep.*
**I come from a tropical region in West Africa -Nigeria** and of course, I was expecting it to be cold here but it wasn't, at least not at the time, I didn't give it too much thought so the journey went on.
**The cab came to a halt and I stepped down to carry my bag**, but when I picked it up, it got heavier with every step I took and made it difficult to take steps, I turned to the driver for assistance in but he drove away.
**I kept marching on until I go to the building**, I was over joyous to see my friend at the gate as he helped me with my bag inside the building, a task he carried out with so much ease, I thought it myself - "Ron has gotta be working out or I've just gotten lazy".
**After dropping the load, the next task was to visit the client**, I was already exhausted at this point and must have had what my mind understood as "Jet-lag", but Ron insisted we had to go and I agreed.
**The trip there didn't take so long, but when I looked at the back seat, my bag was there again** (yes, the heavy one). I looked back at him to get an explanation to which he did, " we will be boarding at the site where we will be working, so after seeing the client, we are heading down there" - he explained.
*Oh, it gets weirder*
**I arrived at the client's house and their faces looked familiar** even though I didn't really recognize any of them, there were really nice to me and didn't even want me to leave. We were having a nice chat when I received a call from Ron, it was time to leave. He was in some kind of hurry and I just didn't see why.
**He carried my heavy bag once more and I rushed outside** (only I was doing more groveling at this point because the weight of the bag had gotten heavier). I could hear him telling me to hurry but I couldn't work any faster than a tortoise carrying an elephant (okay, I might have slightly exaggerated here)
**After much effort, I got to the car, and I saw another familiar face** (a family friend) at the wheels with Ron, as I was about the board I noticed I wasn't wearing any footwear, I must have left it in the house, I rushed back (still with the load, silly me). I was able to get it only for me to return to the vehicle then it was gone again.
**The driver started to get frustrated** and I couldn't do anything right, what happens next was just out of my control. The car was parked at the other end of the road so the angry driver had to make a **sharp U-turn to get to where I was but unfortunately, there was a moving vehicle that collided with them killing both of them at the spot.**
**I rushed to the vehicle** to try and save them, my load wasn't heavy anymore but I could not save them, I ended up crying and feeling guilty. I blamed myself for the accident, if only I was just on time.
**I awoke from this crazy dream**, with guilt still on my mind, I was relieved it was only a dream and Ron was still alive. The first thing I did was to try and unravel the meaning of the dream. I have always been told that crying in dreams means something good was about to happen (and it did by the way).
**I interpreted the load that kept on getting heavier with time as an unnecessary life's burdens** I had to let go off to be free and the possible result of what could happen if I don't solve the issue on time
What are your thoughts on the meaning of this dream?
There are still a lot of holes I can't fill up yet, if you do, it would be of great help
This is my entry on the prompt generated by @meitanteikudo to be submitted to the prompt factory. Feel free to join in, click **here** for the details. https://read.cash/@meitanteikudo/prompt-diving-deeper-3826c4ad
Lead image source - **Unsplash free images**
Sometimes it's better to let someone go
**A story as old as time itself**, it's unhealthy to hold on to things that aren't yours. This is a case of knowing the right thing to do but being unable to go through with it.
I told myself I wouldn't write about love since it usually acts as a form of a trigger to my mental health but since I'm already feeling that way, what is the worst that could happen?
Exactly 1 year ago around this time, I was still in a toxic relationship even though at the time I hadn't realized it yet. My friends advised me to quit the toxic relationship, I knew it was the right thing to do, yet every single time I tried to end it, I found another reason to stay. It got so bad that it was obvious no amount of advice could change me from the path I had chosen for myself. I knew exactly where it was headed and I went on with it.
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**Hello friends**, here's an article based on my experience and what life has taught me, you might find some of the things I will write upsetting so I would like to apologize in advance. You might also pick up a free lesson along the way so you won't make the same mistakes I did. I'm glad I made the mistake because I was able to learn that way but I wish I had just avoided it completely so I wouldn't be in so much hurt.
I used to be a big fan of "**soulmates**" and "**love at first sight**" kind of situations but everything changed after I met this girl. I saw the red flags but turned a blind eye to it thinking it would change with time but it never did, it only got worse.
**I couldn't even focus on any serious thing for too** long without this lady coming at me for one reason or the other. Little by little I started to lose my good friends and I still didn't see what was wrong with it. ***Love (or whatever that was) must be really blind***. Even a blind man could see that it was heading to the pits.
**One time, I had had enough and needed to stop, so I ended it** only for me to fall back into the same old pattern a few days later. What is it about this girl that keeps bringing me back? - I thought to myself.
**It was like a drug, once you are addicted to it, you find it very hard to stop and if you eventually manage to do that, the tendency to relapse is always a risk especially if the drug is within sight.**
I really did try to let it all go, but my efforts bore no fruits, it's fruitless trying to advise anyone who thinks they are in love. I was self-aware of the damage I was doing to my health but I still stayed anyways. It felt like I was in a prison and I couldn't escape even though I had the keys in my hands.
**Everyone has the limits they can take**, I had finally gotten to mine, I had to let her go. I had to let it all go. It was finally time to let go of all the toxicity. It took a lot of courage and my mind was already made up. **What is the point of being in a relationship when you are nothing but miserable?**
It was one of the hardest things I had to do but every day I wake up and I'm just glad I did. At the very moment I ended it, I felt free, like a heavy load had just been released from my weary shoulders. I could smile again, the world just seemed different. **I felt like myself again.**
If you are in such a situation where you are no longer happy with your partner and every effort you have put into the relationship to make things better remain futile, then I suggest it's time to accept your losses and move on. It's never easy but in the end, it's completely worth the effort. **Your happiness should always be a priority.**
**I will also suggest counseling** if you are determined to make it work and you can afford it. There have been cases where counseling helped solve such issues, but there is still a risk of slipping back into old habits. We only live once, in this lifetime, live your life to the fullest be happy.
*During my last moments on this Earth, I want to look back and smile, knowing fully well that I lived my best life, don't you want that too?*
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I'm back to the trenches
*I promised to write an article about my difficulty trying to balance my private and social life with my academics. As a student, this is really common. I had a chat with* @Venvie *yesterday and she helped me see things more clearly. I didn't publish any articles yesterday because I wanted to take my time to make proper plans before I can pursue them, and I think I just did.*
The **secret** to every great endeavor lies with **good planning**, and of course the **brain and patience to execute them**. I will be sharing a few tips.
The holidays are over and now the semester has to continue. 2022 is going to mark the year I go for my Internship and also enter my final year in college. I shouldn't feel pressured but I am. So I decided to take a step back to analyze my goals for the year and make a plan to achieve these goals.
[Image Source]
The title "*Back to the trenches*" is a metaphorical expression to mean my return back to school. I could hear the mosquitoes singing with join as I walked into the room, they must have been overjoyed by my presence. The fan had stopped working just before the holidays, nothing had changed about it because the electrician was also absent. I couldn't even sleep last night because of the heat. Indeed, I was back to the "trenches".
Now that I've settled down, we can get right to it.
Step 1 - Outline the goals you want to achieve
I had to place them in the order of their priority but you can do yours the way that suits you best. Since my priority right now is my academics, it was at the top of the list, my social life is still in ruins though but I'm sure I can still manage so it dropped to the bottom of the list.
Step 2- I created a TimeTable
[Image Source]
I had to create a reading plan that would enable me to attend lectures among other functions and still be able to catch up with things taught in class.
It was easy setting this up, and I tried not to be too biased in creating less time for studies and more time to chill. Achieving a perfect balance is impossible when it comes to planning but at least there is a base to work with
Step 3 - Following **through** with the plan
The easy part is laying out plans, the difficult part is actually following through with them. I've made a lot of plans that I ended up leaving behind and just winging it and even though things got complicated, I was able to figure it out along the way.
This time I plan to make use of a "***Reward-Punishment***" system to motivate myself. It took me a while to come up with the most effective way to execute this system but I think I finally found it.
****The "Reward-Punishment" system.****
This system has been used to train the mind to function in a particular way, it works exceptionally with pets and they are not even as intelligent as we are so why not apply it to ourselves.
The system is quite easy, when you successfully complete each task, you get a reward, and when you don't, you get punished.
I chose my favorite meal **(Spaghetti and Turkey)** as my reward for completing each task successfully for the week. Failure to do that would mean I don't get to taste this wonderful delicacy and I will have to cover up the tasks I left out the following week or the punishment continues.
Conclusion
Now that the plan has been set into motion, the next agenda is to monitor the progress. The good thing about setting out plans is that sense of purpose and direction. Exactly what I need to reduce the pressure and give my body room to balance and function optionally. In the end, I know everything will be alright
Lead Image Source: **Unsplash free images**
Weird things you should think about
Well, the first on the list would be to ****write about "weird things to think about"****. Who would just sit down and come up with such topics? weird right but pretty cool (***that is right, weird is the new cool, accept it***).
*When I'm bored, I just find a comfortable spot to relax before traveling to my world, I could be here for hours. If you were close to me at the time, you would observe I would want to be alone and wouldn't engage in conversations for what could go on for hours. Welcome to my head people.*
*****Get paid for showing kindness*****
A friend and I once brainstormed the **solution to world peace** and this was the best solution I could come up with. Imagine **a world where you get paid every time you do something good by showing kindness to another living thing**, I don't see how that could go wrong. Many people would be broke but at least the world be fair to an extent.
*Imagine being in your hostel in school and then a hungry mosquito decides to drop by to have a drink or two with his family and you let it, then suddenly you receive a credit alert in BCH for this act of kindness.*
***What do you think about this? Is it practicable?***
Well, I say let's not be quick to shut that door just yet, things that were thought impossible 100 years ago suddenly are real, ***Yes great grandfather, humans can fly now.***
*****Man vs Machine*****
I know there has been a lot of fictional movies about this happening and the possibility of this ever happening has been ruled out as just pure fiction, but **I still believe that it could be possible.**
How far do you think Scientists are willing to go to play God? What happens when we reach the limits of scientific discoveries? **What happens when machines start to develop a mind of their own** If there are programs that are capable to adapt to human behaviors and are capable of learning, think about it.
*****A world where Humans were the size of small ants*****
Let's imagine a world where a scientific experiment went wrong and we all reduced in size. How long do you think we would survive under those conditions?
*****A life where we all grow younger until we are babies again.*****
I saw a movie last year about something similar and I started thinking to myself, it's not such a bad idea. Come to think of it, you get to know just how long you get to live as you get younger. The younger you grow the healthier you are, it actually sounds nice.
*****A world where we remember everything about our past life and can actually talk.*****
I just imagine a scenario where I was born in a different tune and then I stare at my new birth mother and be like - ***Hey ma, can you call my daughter to come and get me, I have been away for a long time, at least I hid my 12 wallet phrases safely to by BCH wallet. Do you have any idea how much is BCH worth now? $20,000?***
I don't know about you but that would seem cool. Some religions don't believe in reincarnation which I find really weird because if one earth life is all we got, then we are "the f word".
*****What if we don't actually die?*****
What if when we drop this earthly cloak we call body, we only get birthed in another world and when our time there is done, our journey only continues. It would explain the quote that goes thus - "***the end of the road is only the beginning of another***"
*****A world where we could read one another mind*****
Okay, a lot of scriptwriters have already thought about this but it is also something I think about. I don't know if it would make the world a dangerous place to live in or better than it is now.
***Does knowing your enemies solves anything? Does being able to read another person's thought solves the trust issue. I really think the world would be simple yet complicated.***
Imagine walking up to a pretty girl and then she's able to read all your "thoughts" about her. I don't know if she will feel creeped out or not. At least you won't have to confess your feelings since that would be made obvious, you won't even have to talk. Just stare at each other's eyes for long hours, oh so romantic!!!
**Okay, I won't bore you any further, let us end the journey here, but do think about these things. Remember, everything that exists in your mind is a possibility yet to happen.**
**I have been busy lately, trying to balance my personal life and my social life with my academic life, there is an article about that in my draft, I'll share it with you tomorrow, have a wonderful evening my friends.**
Lead image source: **Unsplash free images**
The day I saved a life
***How often does anyone get to say this? While reviewing some of the best things I had done, a memory flashback came to me, it reminded me of the day I saved a friend's life. It also reminded me of the day I said I would never be a doctor, I was young and dumb then but if given the decision now my answers would remain the same. A big thanks go out to all the professionals in medicine, I don't know how you do it but continue saving lives, may God also save yours in the process.***
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**This story dates back to High School**, my junior year (JS2), I had just been elected the new **class captain**, this position had its benefits because it made me friends who wouldn't want their name to be written as one of the "**class noise makers**" which attracted punishment from the class teacher, it's the type of position that makes you feel powerful like you're the boss. I used the power for evil most times especially when I want to get back at someone who had offended me, I'm not sorry though, they deserved it. I was loved by some and hated by others but I guess that is what having power is about, you can't be loved by everyone.
**The school lacked emergency services at the time** and when the case was serious, the student would be rushed to a clinic that was at least 35 to 45 minutes away from school. It was not uncommon to hear a student die on their way to the clinic which was very sad. This case could have just been one of them if I hadn't interfered.
**I am not going to point fingers at anyone because no matter how hard I look at it, everyone had a part to play in the blame** (Everyone except me because I'm a Saint ha!). Being in the boarding house means you need to try and keep up with the school timetable, sometimes you might end up oversleeping and getting to the dining hall late only to see that the gate had been locked, this would mean starvation till lunchtime.
****Timothy**** was one of such students who fell prey to this disciplinary system one day and had to go to class on an empty stomach. It started as a stomach ache which was easily diagnosed with hunger. We had no idea it was about to get serious. Lunchtime came and everyone all went out to get snacks to eat but Timothy remained seated. He couldn't move from his seat, but as it would appear, everyone had their problem to take care of to care about another student.
**The bell was rung and it was time for the afternoon classes**, that was when I observed he wasn't breathing right (imagine, I would have been a great doctor). Of course, I questioned him to find out what was wrong, he was able to answer by saying it was just slight chest pain.
**I reported this to the class teacher**, who came to give him a quick check-up but didn't observe anything wrong according to him and the class continued. Later, the hiccups began, I took an excuse to go get him a cup of water hoping it would stop the hiccups but it didn't work.
**Alas, the teacher instructed me to take him to the school clinic** which was a long hike from the class, I wondered why he didn't do it himself since he had a car and would have made life better for everyone, I didn't argue though, I agreed to follow Timothy to the clinic.
**We were not even close to halfway to our destination when the breathing became worse**. He couldn't walk again, I looked around to call for help but there was no one in sight, everyone was in their various classes. He tried speaking **begging me to just leave him to die,** saying he couldn't walk again.
**At that point, I got so scared and didn't even notice where the strength came from for me to carry him on my back and staring jogging towards the clinic**. The fear of having a friend die as a result of me not getting to the clinic brought fear to me. I kept on praying for some sort of miracle to occur before I got to the clinic.
**On my journey, a senior student (a girl) saw this and ran to my aid**, she was much bigger and stronger, I was so happy to have met her, I can't remember her face or her name but if not for her, maybe Timothy would have died. We exchanged the load along the way, during this period, Timothy was almost out of breathe and was barely breathing.
**I remember begging him not to die**, I'm not sure if I said it out loud or it was just in my head but we hurried along until we got to the clinic. Thankfully, the head nurse was around and knew exactly what to do. They told us to stay outside while they took care of him so I waited with the Senior. As soon as they were done, we came to check on him and there was a notable difference in his breathing, he was getting better.
**He was diagnosed with Asthma**, and no one was aware of this (including his parents), he claimed he had noticed signs of an attack but kept it to himself. The attack came as a result of dust inhalation from that morning because his name was included in the class roaster for sweeping for the day.
**It was a close one but everything worked out well for him**. He's alive and well today, at least he was the last time we chatted on Facebook. That day I wondered what it must feel like for doctors who practically hold the lives of their patients in their hands knowing fully well that the patient might not walk out of the hospital alive if they don't do a good job.
***There you go, that was how I saved someone's life and it felt really good***
Lead image Source: **Unsplash free images**
Review of the 30-day Challenge
*I didn't post any article yesterday, I thought I needed to dedicate the day to pray and make plans for the new year. Today also happens to be the first Sunday of the year, but I wouldn't be going, I will make my prayers at home.*
To all my new sponsors thank you for all the support
@Jehoshaphat @Abubakar450 @Zain-Bhatti. Thanks for the new sponsorships.
I came across this 30-day writing challenge on a friend's Whatsapp status and I decided to join in.
****Day 1-**** ****about feelings**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-feelings-f45e19be
I reviewed my experience this year, the heartbreak I went through, I never knew I would recover after that but surprisingly I did, sometimes I wish things didn't have to end but it did but life must go on, we learn from the past and forge ahead.
****Day 2-**** ****about life**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/day-2-about-life-d9ecdf69
In this article, I took a look at myself and how I lived, I was so uptight and hardly let anyone in, rarely went for parties, and spent a major amount of time just being alone. I also decided on how I would like to live my life. I need to relax and let down those high walls and give some things a chance.
****Day 3-**** ****about friendship**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-friends-02e14234
I reviewed my introverted nature in this article, I have only a handful of friends despite knowing a lot of people. I also gave my opinions about what I think good friends should look like. It's a crazy world we live in today, you have to choose your friends wisely.
****Day 4-**** ****about loneliness**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-loneliness-d129ac12
I had suffered a lot from this in the past so it was a bit personal writing about it. I know we must learn to be independent but I can't imagine a world where every single one I love is gone, this gave rise to the question - "if you had the power to live forever, would you take it?"
****Day 5-**** ****about love**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-love-28378fcc
I wrote poetry about love hahaha, it felt a bit mushy lovey-dubey but inspired anyway. The article points out how love can be a source of light in the dark and the greatest force of all. There were three riddles about love attached.
****Day 6-**** ****about abandonment**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/abandonment-21ccb495
In this article, I made use of a story that showed how abandonment produced somewhat of a positive result. Everything has its good and bad I guess, it was a lesson for me as well.
****Day 7-**** ****about a loved one**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-a-loved-one-58febb1b
This was one of my articles, I dedicated it to my mother and all mothers out there for their unconditional love and support for thief kids even when they are going through tough times and we don't make it any easier for them. A true gift of nature. Even if they are no longer with us physically, they will always be in our hearts. I witnessed childbirth once and then I realized just how much pain and sacrifice it requires to produce life. On behalf of everyone in the world I say this, We love you.
****Day 8-**** ****about nature**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-nature-62fd2e09
Every day that passes, I'm convinced that we are the ones responsible for the slow but rapidly increasing destruction of our home, Earth. Everything we do has its consequences, even when we don't know it's harmless, the effect of our activities have been building over centuries and now we are left to face the tune of the music, the most predominant of which Is the depletion of the Ozone layer. We need to save the planet, I outlined some of the precautions we care enough to read them.
****Day 9-**** ****about the skies**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/about-the-skies-4564375e
As a kid, I had a lot of beliefs about the sky, I shared some of them here, you might find some of them ridiculous but to me, they were my way of passing lonely times.
****Day 10-**** ****about an object**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/the-pen-is-a-great-weapon-86a8e3f3
It took me a while to figure out the object to write about it and I chose the most deadly of all when put in the hands of someone skilled enough - A pen. Yes, you read it right, I'm not referring to how John Wick uses it even though it helps me prove my point by how powerful it can be in the hands of a writer.
****Day 11-**** ****about new years eve**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/new-years-eve-3ac982cc
Heyyyyyy, by the way, I was able to recreate some of those memories again, at the time I wrote this article, I didn't know how New year's eve would turn out, happy new year friends.
****Day 12-**** ****about pain**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/pain-633e62ba
"Pain" is synonymous to me as that teacher who is actually very strict but teaches you very well. My Physics tutor was just like that, there was a day I packed my books and said "go to hell", long story short, I was punished, and to be honest, I wouldn't be where I am today if not for the effort that man put into teaching, the pain is now a thing of the past but the lesson lives on. Of course, I didn't mention this in my article but it's worth mentioning here.
****Day 13-**** ****about happiness**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/happiness-ba1e1513
I unlocked the secret to happiness in this article, something worth knowing as we proceed into this new year.
****Day 14-**** ****about mistakes**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/my-letter-to-mrs-mistake-70455597
This was part of my first publications here on read.cash so I didn't republish it during the challenge, I wrote a letter to "Mistake"
****Day 15-**** ****about opportunities**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/opportunities-344275c3
When opportunity presents itself, what do you do? A very easy question to do yet very difficult to carry out. This is influenced by fear and doubt, I wrote about how much blessing it is for anyone to be here today.
****Day 16-**** ****about old times**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/throwback-to-childhood-ebb90862
What I wouldn't give to go back and experience the joy of childhood again.
****Day 17-**** ****about loss**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/harmony-is-gone-2505aae1
The day my dog died, I published this article with tears still flowing from my eyes.
****Day 18-**** ****about a song**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/the-man-in-the-mirror-c650c415
Man in the Mirror by Micheal Jackson was the subject of this article. I referred to the lyrics of the song, change begins with you.
****Day 19-**** ****about passion**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/im-a-boy-of-many-passions-853fe79f
I wrote about some of the things I'm passionate about and how you can also find yours and pursue them.
****Day 20-**** ****about dreams**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/i-was-lost-but-now-im-found-a1fca7f4
This was kind of Grimm, I wrote about the night I almost died in my sleep
****Day 21-**** ****about desire**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/my-heart-desires-002b43a8
What do you desire the most? I wrote about mine
****Day 22-**** ****about a book/movie**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/the-books-i-read-and-the-movie-i-never-saw-series-1f618471
There are some books you read and it's just perfect until someone makes a movie about it and it doesn't meet the expectations you had already set. I wrote of such
****Day 23-**** ****about coziness**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/no-place-like-home-2613ddc5
The days I came home from school for the holidays after experiencing hardships in the school hostel, I'll be returning sometime this week, the endurance continues.
****Day 24-**** ****about calmness**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/a-need-to-meditate-and-reflect-unlocking-your-chakras-c022fbb3
This was inspired by the cartoon Avatar - the last air bender, it shows some of the techniques you can perform to attain physical, mental, and spiritual calmness.
****Day 25-**** ****about differences********/Day 26 -**** ****about similarities**** ****/ Day 27-**** ****about me**** ****/ Day 28-**** ****about you********/Day 29 -**** ****about us**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/similarities-and-difference-between-me-and-you-fc0364c1
I went further to kill 5 birds with one stone when I analyzed each of the prompts in a single article comparing what has changed in me over the years and what would change in the future.
****Day 30-**** ****about anything**** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/the-god-complex-288ade43
I ended the writing challenge on the 30th of December 2021 with "The God Complex", citing some top professions that would make anyone feel like a god.
I had a nice time writing these prompts but now I have to move on to other articles. 2022 is going to be a great year, I can already feel it.
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2021 - Confessions, Good vs Worst
***This should be interesting***
After spending days trying to figure out why I didn't get a visit from Santa, I discovered I had been looking at it from a different angle, I haven't done anything much that should be deserving of a gift.
I've been a bad boy, it's time I make this confession in hopes that I will be entering the new year on a clean slate, so here goes.
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@bmjc98 thanks for the sponsorship renewal, I really appreciate it.
The false break-up letter
It was April, the guys and I decided to prank a friend as a joke but it didn't go the way we had imagined. I was the chief mastermind behind it I guess that's why I feel guilty.
I can be really evil when pointed in the right direction. The plan was simple, break them up and bring them back later but little did we know that things were about to go horribly wrong, how could we have known?
**We forged a fake love letter and put it in my friend's bag** knowing fully well his very clingy girlfriend would search the bag since they practically shared everything. The plan was to incite a breakup between these two before telling them it was a prank.
**We watched closely**, as soon as she opened the bag, she saw the letter and read it, the look on her face when she made that evil laugh (like she was going to break somebody's head). This made us laugh our hearts out from the corner where we hid.
**The oblivious boyfriend approached his sweetheart only to be met with insult** without even knowing why, he tried to defend himself saying he had no idea what she was talking about...
Now, this is the part we were supposed to come out and shout "**April fool**"
Before we ended the prank the girl confessed that she had other guys she liked and he shouldn't get over himself, she confessed to cheating on him with another guy and we were all witnesses to this confession.
It was too awkward to even shout "April Fool" because it wasn't funny anymore, I wasn't sure if we had done a good deed or bad but what happened had happened and couldn't be undone. We kept the secret to ourselves - until now.
Okay, that's enough Confessions
**The Good of 2021**
There were a lot of good things but I'm going to mention only one, I have done justice to this in my past articles.
**Getting Acquainted with read.cash and noise.cash**
I sometimes wonder what I would be doing if I wasn't writing here, this platform has grown to be a big part of my life, a true gift.
I admit when I first heard about it I didn't take it seriously but thank God I gave it a chance. I remember my first article, it started as a joke to me writing about some of my ridiculous past relationships. As time went by, I started making even more friends, **Jane**, **Mr. Marc**, **Pantera**, **Farmgirl** among other wonderful writers who were already my friends like **King_Gozie**, **HappyBoy**, **Gaftekloriginal**, **Jumper_22**, and others. Through these awesome people, I started improving on my writings as I also learned from them.
The most important part of my journey was earning Bitcoin Cash, and getting acquainted with Smart BCH. The opportunities BCH allows are just endless, with the low transaction fee, it's no surprise the number of users multiplied really fast.
I hope 2022 would be another amazing year to get to new heights on this platform, I finally found a place where I'm free to just be myself, I finally made more virtual friends hopefully one day we get to meet in person.
**The Worst of 2021**
This was a tough time for me but most people won't be able to relate. **My friend's father was murdered** in his own home. He was forced to drink poison (Sniper). It was like a movie unraveling before our eyes and it felt like we were getting to wake up, it was truly horrible.
**I lost my dog**, you might not get it but when you raise a pet from infancy to adulthood, all the memories we made over the years, we were very close, I didn't need to say a word for this dog to understand how I felt and he was always quick to defend me when he felt I was in danger. I cried for days and to this day, the void in my heart still hasn't been filled. We spent many New year's together, it's sad he will be missing this one.
***It's already a New Year in the Philippines, I can already see some of their posts, it's still 7 pm here, 5 hours to go.***
***I'll soon be on my way to church to pray as we crossover into the new year.*** @Theblackdoll ***suggested this prompt this morning and I decided to join in***
***#GoodvsWorst***
***Feel free to join in***
This is my last entry for 2021...ohhhh, I'm so excited
***Happy New year to everyone***
Leaf image Source - **Unsplash.com**
The God Complex
What happens when humans try to be like God?
Most people suffer from this, I tried to narrow it down to the following professions. Don't take this article offensive, it's just for fun.
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Judges
[Image source] https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-gavel-6077422/
It must be very hard to be a Judge and not feel like God, you are the one who gives the final say if someone is innocent or guilty. It must be very hard trying to decide who is innocent and who is guilty, holding the power to make someone suffer and also responsible for giving second chances.
I sometimes wonder how they sleep at night knowing that someone who might have been innocent may be spending a hard time in prison by being wrongfully convicted or framed, the law system can be manipulated if needed to win cases, we all know that.
This is why I think being a Judge and not having the God complex can be a really tough scale to balance, yet it's a job someone must do
Scientists
[Image source] https://www.pexels.com/photo/scientist-in-laboratory-3912372/
Science has developed massively over the years, with a lot of inventions and discoveries going on each day, some of them are made aware to the public while others are placed under confidential supervision.
There are a lot of inventions I could point out as some of the major discoveries that make this set of people closer to having the God Complex but I only need one - **Cloning**
The ability to create another living thing feels like crossing a line but it is what it is, the limits of scientific discoveries seem to be endless with that discovery.
Doctor
[Image Source] https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-blue-scrub-suit-and-mask-sitting-on-bench-3279197/
When bestowed with the gift to save a life, to heal wounds, and of course take life, why wouldn't you have the tendency to feel like God?
The pandemic showed the world how important Doctors are, Nurses do the most though, I saw this first hand, in fact, every single personnel in Medicine has our respect.
They risk their lives every day for people they don't even know, that's selfless, they cut into our bodies to save us from dying - do you know someone with all of these characteristics? Yep, you do
I have always said that if Doctors decide to go rogue, they would make excellent serial killers because "he that knows how to save lives and can also take them"
I think Doctors are the ones most likely to suffer from the God Complex because they can affect our lives- literally.
Builders
[Image Source] https://www.pexels.com/photo/2-man-on-construction-site-during-daytime-159306/
Most people think building a house is as easy as just getting an architect and it would be done but the truth is that there are a lot of aspects involved.
The **Architect** merely transforms the Clients intention into drawings and designs, the **Masons and other building professionals** try to transfer this information into a physical structure, the **Engineers** also play a big role in determining the structural stability of the building as well as the building services (Mechanical and Electrical Services), but all of this is surrounded around one single professional, the **Quantity Surveyor**, he is the one that controls cost, without this branch, a lot of errors would occur and the project might be left uncompleted or faulty with the Client suffering the major loss.
Together, this team is capable of transforming an empty land into some of the most fascinating structures you will ever see. Without them, you will be living on the street, homeless, and that's a fact (you could leave in caves though, that is always an option).
The ability to create something out of practically nothing is a gift from God, and this knowledge has been bestowed upon these professionals in the building industry, tell me how they won't suffer from the God complex when they are exceptionally good at what they do.
Teachers
[Image Source] https://www.pexels.com/photo/girl-in-white-crew-neck-t-shirt-writing-on-white-paper-4778664/
You don't need to be a professional to teach. If you know how to do something very well and you are capable of teaching it to someone who is capable of learning then your job as a teacher is done.
Teachers form the basis of society itself, everything you know, you learned it somewhere or from someone.
Without teachers, there is no Judge, or doctor, or Builder. That is how crucial they are, and if there is anyone that should suffer more from the God complex, it's the Teachers.
The interesting part about this is that everyone can be one and it's the noblest of all professions. Too bad the Educational Formal sector isn't as impressive as it used to be in my Country but still the results can't be ignored.
***I could go on and on, there would be a very long list but the major point is this, you can't suffer from this complex if you aren't good at what you do.***
***Be the best at what you do, put in the extra effort to stand out among others, create value for yourself by investing in yourself.***
***The God Complex isn't a bad thing if helps people by placing a smile on their faces, it becomes bad when you start to lose sight of who you are and let pride cloud your judgment. Go out there and change the world people.***
***It's a few more days to a new year, I'm not going to write any new year resolution, I plan to just wing it, let's just see how it goes. If there is anything I've learned about 2021 is that things don't always go according to plan. We can only stay hopeful for the best whilst expecting the worst.***
[Lead Image Source] https://www.pexels.com/photo/three-people-sitting-beside-table-416405/
BCH-Nigerian-Forum Xmas Writing Challenge - Results
There was a writing challenge sponsored by my Nigerian BCH promoters as a way of celebrating the Christmas holiday, behold the result.
To eliminate all forms of bias, certain guidelines were set as a way of grading each article as fairly as possible and an external judge with no affiliate to read.cash was given permission to mark each of them. (besides, if I were to be the judge, I will pull up some lines that will make even the great Simon Cowell shiver, just kidding)
I had to pleasure of re-accessing each article to ensure their authenticity and they all checked out, each writer had something amazing to tell, and the scores were really close. I think we have some ties.
`A big thank you goes out to the sponsors of this challenge and all the participants, thank you for supporting this initiative, this wouldn't be complete without any of you.`
*Let's go through what each writer had to present, shall we?*
****An unforgettable Christmas**** ****by**** @Abhay https://read.cash/@Abhay/an-unforgettable-christmas-f4f73e15
A 10 10-year-oldy wakes up one Christmas morning to discover everyone was gone, both of his parents had gone out, a fact he was aware of, but still, none of his siblings were around.
Trying to find solace in his loneliness, he goes to put on the TV to probably watch Superman kick Captain America ass but then the power went off (What the fudge is this - he must have wondered).
Suddenly, biscuit started to fall from the ceiling, the shocked and confused little boy thought it was manna from heaven, anyway, his siblings revealed to him that he just got pranked and they were responsible for the said "manna from heaven", they all shared a big laugh even as his parents walked in, an unforgettable Christmas indeed.
****Best Christmas Ever**** ****by**** @Talon https://read.cash/@Talon/best-christmas-ever-bchnigerianforumxmaschallenge-ee290f13
This one had a little dark twist to it, somewhere in Nigeria, in a village, there is a thick forest no hunter or farmer dares venture into, only a few ever live to tell the tale of their experience.
It was the holidays so Talon and his family traveled to the village, Dad didn't believe in such superstitions so he went into the forest to get a good Christmas tree (Dad is so brave). Talon wanted to show he was a big boy so he tagged along only for him to back out later, at least he waited in front of the forest alone for almost 6 hours (hats off).
Wait, 6 hours, and dad wasn't back yet, he panicked and ran back home to inform the whole neighborhood (Ara adugbo, e bo si ta, nkan ti sele- a cry for help in my native language). His mother was scared and the whole villagers chickened out (get it? it's Christmas and they were Chicken, if you don't laugh at my joke, Santa won't visit you with gifts next year).
Lost in confusion, the hero arrives and the whole family was happy to see him and he was back with more than a tree, Talon now had a pet Rabbit for Christmas and he had also caught an antelope, meat for everyone people.
**A Holy night** by @Queen001 https://read.cash/@Queen001/a-holy-night-bchnigerianforumxmaschallenge-513f5b68
A very interesting read simply because I could relate to it. Back in the days the elderly women were revered and respected by the little ones simply because they told amazing stories.
At night, the little kids would gather in front of her hut, a small bonfire would get going as we all lay our mat to listen to their stories, but it so happened that Grandma passed on breaking our hearts (may her gentle soul rest in peace)
In this article, the Queen wrote of such stories Grandma told her about the holy night Jesus was born, I won't rob you of the opportunity, check it out for yourself.
****A Christmas Miracle in Disguise**** ****by**** @Aimure https://read.cash/@Aimure/a-christmas-miracle-in-disguise-878f99f2
I won't deny that I loved this article the most, I think you should definitely check it out.
It passes along a message that we need to take with us even as we enter into the new year, "The importance of Family".
As little kids we would always expect mom and dad to provide us with clothes and shoes for the Christmas celebrations but have you ever wondered the sacrifices they make just to make that a possibility?
What if a time comes and they are no longer there to celebrate it with you? This was what a little child had to deal with in the article. Fear of loss has a way of improving maturity even in small minds.
**Shadow in the dark** **by** @The.Ada https://read.cash/@The.Ada/shadow-in-the-dark-18f7c16c
If you want to make the world a better place then change has to begin with you.
This was a beautiful work of fiction that spoke about a little girl and the visit she got from Santa. The little woke up to discover she was all alone when Santa came to visit, a semi-conscious dream.
Santa passed along a message to her through a story, again, I would recommend you read it yourself.
Christmas is about giving and showing love, let's all try to do that in our way (however little), it's the thought that counts.
****Santa Claus is Home from Rome**** ****by**** @Semaj2k21 https://read.cash/@Semaj2k21/santa-claus-is-home-from-rome-bchnigerianforumxmaschallenge-3964c996
I had a very good laugh reading this.
Do you remember when you were little and your school would organize Christmas carol and they would have to fly all the way from Rome to Nigeria just to make that happen? Yeah, we were tricked.
James had to learn this the hard way when he discovered Santa Claus was his uncle in a mask all along. I still believe in Santa though.
****This is my entry for the @greatwolfman's Christmas challenge**** ****by**** @Manjudeck https://read.cash/@Manjudeck/this-is-my-entry-for-at-thegreatwolfmans-christmas-challenge-7b10927b
This article was filled with amazing Christmas pictures in a very peaceful environment (I love the one with the beautiful dog).
She really did the most to make this celebration wonderful for everyone around her, I wish I was there, I would have a plate or two.
She defined why Christmas meant to her by giving, Christmas is time to show love and there is love in sharing and giving. A clear message to everyone out there.
****Under a Christmas tree - a Christmas story**** by @Jumper-01 https://read.cash/@Jumper-01/under-a-christmas-tree-a-christmas-story-642c2004
This young man had lost his Christmas spirit (as have we), he wasn't even sure this Christmas would leave any fond memories until he went for a Christmas Carol and watched the little kids just having fun. That was enough push to awaken the Christmas spirit.
I was a little bit upset I wasn't invited but after watching the you-tube video clip and seeing those pictures, I couldn't stay angry again, I miss loving Christmas, I miss being a little kid.
****Christmas as a child or an adult**** ****by**** @Esthery97 https://read.cash/@Esthery97/christmas-as-a-child-or-an-adult-10078a0c
It would appear Esther and I both shared a love for food (especially the chicken legs), note the use of the paste tense -Shared.
Raise hands if Mom and Dad still buy you Christmas clothes - you can signify in the comment section.
As we grow into adults, we start to acquire more responsibilities and soon we start to lose interest in certain things. Sometimes it could be our Christmas spirit, other times it could be our love for Chicken legs.
****Christmas gave birth to love**** ****by**** @George_Dee https://read.cash/@George_Dee/christmas-gave-birth-to-love-d5c7de9e
I will come clean here, I used to be one of those guys who believed that Christmas time was the best time to fall in love (to be fair, just get a mistletoe and get a kiss from your crush, the rest would be history).
Pearl, a girl from a rich family was forced to get into a relationship with her father's business partner, but she disagreed.
To be fair, arranged marriages aren't really the best, it may have worked in the past but it's slowly fading out.
Anyway, Pearl and her gym instructor decided to fake being in a relationship to get Dad to shut up after he had threatened his daughter to get into a relationship before Christmas (Where are my feminist at?).
Long story short, Pearl fell in love with her gym instructor and they lived happily ever after. There are bits to this story that haven't been published yet so I'm hoping for a continuation to fill the holes.
****My Christmas Story**** by @Deeepensiverse https://read.cash/@Deeepensiverse/my-christmas-story-bchnigerianforumxmaschallenge-b041c187
In this article, she shared her Christmas experiences with us starting with getting new clothes and gifts and the wonderful memories she spent with her family. Those are the things that need to be cherished.
Of course, it soon got busy as soon as she listed out the chores she would have to carry out before, during, and after the celebration this year, more grease to your elbow sister, I can relate. I hope it turned out better than expected.
****Celebrating together is always the best**** ****by**** @Oikawa https://read.cash/@Oikawa/bchnigerianforumxmaschallengecelebrating-together-is-always-best-44e42a57
I used to think he was of Japanese descent with that username.
Before I summarise this article, ***if you had to choose between 100000 BCH and family, which would you choose?*** I will definitely choose family. I can hear Dom (From fast and furious) saying to me right now - "the most important thing in life is Family"
A young naive boy who thought having a Christmas gift was more important than family so out of anger he made a wish to have infinite Christmas presents in exchange for his family and the wish came through.
At first he was very happy but soon he realized having all the gifts in the world with no one to share it with is just so lonely, he cried and cried, fortunately for him, it wasn't real, he ran towards his family full of joy. Charles became a changed person.
**Alright, I think I have done enough justice to each of the articles.**
**The winners are....(drum rolls)**
**1 -** @Oikawa **scored a high score of 18/20**
**2-** @Aimure**, the first runner up with a score of 17/20**
**3-** @The.Ada **with a score of 16/20**
**Really close scores.**
**Drop a comment below to get your reward, same applies to everyone tagged in this article, you all get something for participating.**
**Happy New year in Advance my friends.**
Lead Image Source - BCH Nigerian Forum Banner
How did your Christmas go, and of course Boxing day?
The results of the BCHNigerianForumXmas Writing challenge have been marked and graded by an external party, I've reviewed every single article, I left a comment and a tip to confirm that I've seen their submission.
I will be publishing the results today, it's definitely article-worthy because each article is as unique as the next.
Let's see who wins the prizes
Similarities and difference between "Me" and "You"
Comparing 2020, 2021 to 2022
***Hey man, I know how much you hate comparisons, but bear with me, it will only take a moment, okay?***
***It's been a very long year, it's only right that I leave a message for you, I apologize if I might be a little judgmental but I can assure you that it's for our good. I'm also hoping that next year, around this time, you come back to read this article and see if we've made any progress or not.***
***This is a written message from me to you***
****To "You" 1 year ago****
I remember how much we looked forward to Christmas, we ate to our heart's content, I had just completed a job contract and the pay was good so the bills were on me, the smile on mom's face when I gave her the news was just satisfying.
I remember the conversations Harmony (my late Dog) and I had as he watched me kill the meat, he could tell it was that time of the year where he got to eat all the meat he wanted. He kept on wagging his tail throughout the process as I told him he was going to have enough food.
People don't usually believe this but dogs are very intelligent, they might not be able to speak (with certain exceptions, I'm not sure if you saw that audition on America Got's Talent where a dog spoke), but they listen and they do understand.
We were happy, very happy in fact, we believed in love then, maybe that contributed to the excitement. We had a lot to be grateful for, especially being alive having survived the pandemic as there was already news about the vaccine.
Remember that pretty girl you saw but you didn't make any move even though you knew she liked you back, I bet you would give anything just to go back and make your move huh? Looking back at you, the growth is evident.
The number of nights you went to bed angry and upset and sad when things didn't go your way, the weeks of disappearing just because you wanted to be alone, remember that lady we insulted the night she crossed the line when we were in a mood? Oh, those were the worst nights
Let's see how you did this year
**To "Me" now**
Well, this is weird, writing to me right now. Let's talk about the things we miss right now, I will be honest, I didn't quite enjoy Christmas with Harmony and Pip gone (my dogs), Pip died recently, and I still haven't been able to process losing 2 of my close pets in a single year's she was either killed or kidnapped because we never found her body, we searched the whole neighborhood for days (according to mom since I was in school when this happened), I couldn't even give her a proper burial, now I'm left with two puppies to take care off.
There was a lot of leftover from yesterday but we had to give it to our neighbor's dogs who were very happy, I was a bit jealous but you can't blame me.
I think this is the year we went through multiple near-death experiences, it's only by God's grace that we are still alive right now, I hope I still will be by this time next year but that's a message for the future us, we can only be hopeful.
We gave love a chance this year again and was open to a lot of opportunities which I'm glad I seized. I became a BCH hodler this year, the most promising coin I'm currently hodling.
There was a big improvement when it came to relating to other people and controlling emotions, I learned not to allow other people to control how I feel, one of my biggest achievements this year.
Look how much we have grown mate.
**To "You" 1 year in the future**
Hey, are you still alive? If you are, congrats, you made it through another year, we just survived our 6 months internship training and are In our final year in college getting ready for graduation. Big ups man
Okay, on a completely unrelated note, do you have more beards now or we are still counting the 47 strands on our chin?
So, how did 2022 go, did you finally make 6 figures in US dollars worth of BCH? If yes, then I'm very proud of you, if not, I'm still proud of you man because I know you won't stop working towards it.
Are you married? Oops, too soon? Just checking because as you know, anything can happen at this point. What about the puppies, have you been taking on them out on strolls to carry out some mischiefs, I bet they are older now.
I have a good feeling 2022 will be a great year for all of us, I expect to see much growth, also, please try and take your spiritual life more seriously, I still don't know what happens after we die but we will need to amend our ways and prepare for the inevitable.
****Live well "You"****
The Grinch ruined Christmas - did he?
I'm sure many of us are familiar with "How the Grinch ruined Christmas" by Dr. Suess. It was a very popular children's Christmas classic. Well, here is my story on how it happened.
[Image Source] https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2016/4/14/11433200/benedict-cumberbatch-voice-new-grinch-movie
Once upon a time...
It was December 24, Santa Claus and his team of elves were preparing the gifts which would be distributed to every house all over the world. Children from all over the world were getting ready for this beautiful day, they spent the day trying to do a good deed to warrant a good gift from Santa Claus.
They helped mother in the kitchen, wash Dad's car, take their neighbor's dog for a walk, even enlisted in the army to fight for world peace. Yes, it was that serious, kids back in the days did the most, ask grandma or grandpa.
In exchange for each good deed, they would get wonderful Christmas presents from Santa. Each matching the heart and thought put into each task in magnitude.
There was an Elve charged with distributing these gifts who felt sad for kids who don't get anything for Christmas, the name of this Elve was ****Grinch****.
His intentions were pure, he felt it was unfair that so many children (like myself) were not getting present and so decided to balance the scale.
[Image Source] https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/article_be7ae189-668b-5090-a541-a6e82b56a301.amp.html
Hold on guys, stay with me,
it's about to get interesting
Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus gets so much power and gets to live for so long? Well, the answer lies in the heart of a rock, a blue crystal. This was the source of his strength but soon will become his greatest weakness.
[Image Source] https://www.123rf.com/photo_64720841_realistic-shining-blue-amethyst-jewel-isolated-on-white-background-colorful-gemstone-that-can-be-use.html
`Time 12:00 pm, 24th of December in an anonymous year`
Grinch carefully times Santa Claus, as he sneaks into the private chamber to steal the blue Jewel Crystal, but this task won't be easy as he would have to solve a riddle to get in.
Written on the wall was
"***What is in seasons, seconds, centuries, and minutes but not in decades, years, or days?***"
[Image Source] https://theconversation.com/amp/can-your-heart-grow-three-sizes-a-doctor-reads-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-108381
*"Ha, Typical, the old man is so full of himself, I bet the answer can also be found in his name - N"*
As soon as he said that, the door opened. Think of all the fancy things you would love to use to decorate your room, this man has it in his chamber with what I would consider overuse of the color red and white.
[Image Source] https://www.pinterest.com/pin/416512665509378965/
(Speaking of which, I still don't have a Christmas-themed clothe, is this what growing up feels like?)
Well, as I was saying, right there at the center of the room was the blue shining Jewel. The moment Grinch moved the Jewel, Santa Clause lost his magic, the Christmas spirit was gone.
Grinch had finally settled the inequality issue but the world still wasn't any better. He was convinced that by carrying out this act, everyone could be on the same page but without the Christmas spirit, they can be no Christmas.
`Time: 2 pm, 24th of December same year`
Santa Claus rushed down to his chambers trying to catch the Grinch but he was gone, there was no longer hope for Christmas, the Grinch had ruined Christmas.
[Image Source] https://www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/sad_santa.html?sti=o34fu05c4kbeqvtn2j|
"Oh oh oh oh no, what do we do now? Christmas is ruined" - Santa Claus cried out.
With only 10 hours to go, he knew he had to do something to set the course of history straight
`So what did he do?`
He sent out a challenge to the Grinch knowing fully well that he wouldn't be able to turn down a challenge, very predictable that one.
[Image Source] https://videohive.net/item/busy-santa-writing-letter/34105705
"***Hey Grinch, what do you think about a Faceoff, 3 challenges, the loser promises to leave the Earth and never return"***
When the Grinch got the message, of course, he couldn't back down, who could? He had just been presented with an opportunity to get rid of Santa Claus forever, there was no way he would turn it down, he knew that without the Jewel in the possession of the old man, he would definitely win.
He considered not going for a while but Santa Claus gave his word that no harm would come to him, and when he gives his word, he would never break it. (Unlike my friends who immediately go around to stab me in the back).
Challenge No 1 - The eating competition
The rule was simple, finish the food before the time was up. Santa Claus was an Oldie with a big belly and appetite, imagine all the cookies he had eaten each night he went from house to house dropping gifts. He had to be a speedster to be able to complete all of these tasks in one night right? That means a lot of calories to be burnt so he could stay fit.
All the beings gathered at the big hall just to watch how this would go down. The bell soon rang and all the competition was on.
[Image Source] https://tenor.com/view/grinch-hungry-eating-stressed-sad-gif-12782058
You have never seen an Elve eat fast without taking a break as Grinch did (I mean it literally, you haven't), Santa tried to keep up but without his magic, he wasn't fast enough, and believe me this, he WAS going really fast.
Grinch won the first round (without cheating)
He looked up at the mumbling crowd and said - "Hey, have you ever had a Grinchmas" - without a big smirk on his face.
Challenge No 2 - Solve the riddles
This round would about solving riddles, a very tricky one, in fact, the first to solve it wins the round. Grinch was pretty smart, but so was the old man, it was very hard to predict which way this would go, bear it in my mind that if the Grinch wins this round, Santa Claus would have to leave Earth for good.
"***I give you a group of three. One is sitting down and will never get up. The second eats as much as is given to him yet is always hungry. The third goes away and never returns. What are they?***"
This was tricky, they had to get the answer to all three members of the group correctly.
The Grinch thought long and hard but couldn't quite place it, it was indeed a tough one. (Do you have the answer?).
That was when it struck Santa Claus, a man skillful with breaking and entering mostly through the Chimney yet never charged to the court of law.
[Image Source] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2009/12/your_brain_on_santa_claus_the.html
"*A stove, Fire and Smoke, the three of them work together with the stove just sitting there and the fire burning according to the amount of fuel that is fed to him and the smoke always running away, never returning*"
Santa Claus wins this round, perhaps there is hope yet. There was a big cheer as everyone was rooting for Santa Claus to win.
Challenge No 3 - I was invited
It was a really long year for me, so when I got the invite to drop a tie-breaking question to settle this little conflict, I couldn't turn it down.
The challenge yet simple was difficult
`Tell the other person "I love you" and mean it`
"I love you" is a really powerful word, it shows a person's true intentions when said properly.
I I....I...I"- stuttered the Grinch unable to make those words fall out
"I love you" - said Santa Claus with tears of emotions forming in his eyes, I'm sorry if I have ever hurt you in any way, I just wanted to give the kids something to look forward to, I hope you can forgive me.
After hearing this, I broke down in tears unable to deal with my emotions, it was true love and I wasn't a believer of such.
[Image Source] https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/598064025485822178/
Grinch returned the blue jewel as promised and turned to leave, but the big man himself called him back and said:
"Should you ever feel the need to return....come back for some ass-whooping oh oh oh"
We all shared a laugh, including the Grinch
12 am, 25th of December, still in that anonymous year
We cheered on and on as we celebrated a wonderful Christmas holiday, the kids who went to war to fight for world peace were also back in time to celebrate Christmas. Christmas was saved again
...The end
Christmas is all about showing love to one another, let us all try to do that in every little way we can, it might not be much but the thoughts go a very long way.
Merry Christmas friends
References
[Riddle Source] - you didn't really think I thought that all on my own, did ya? Haq, it's always good to give credit when due. https://www.greetingcardpoet.com/best-riddles-with-answers/
[Lead Image Source] - iStock https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/santa-claus-drawing-gm1278907356-377684892
No place like home
Date:Thursday,23rd of December, 2021
Day 23 prompt: about "coziness"
Published by: Greatwolfman
Cozy can be defined according to **Collins Dictionary** as: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cozy
"**warm** and **comfortable**; snug"
If I were to guess where the one place I feel so much warmth and comfortability is, it would have to be my home. To understand why, let me give you a brief story on how much I've had to suffer in the past week since I resumed for the new semester.
My journey home
I haven't been active all day because I had to travel home for the holidays. The trip was a stressful one mainly due to the heavy traffic, apparently, I'm not the only one who wants to travel home, this led to the public transport drivers increasing their fee, as the popular saying goes - "a man must eat". Anyway, we thank God for a safe journey.
The noisy room
A new semester has just begun, so it was mandatory to get settled in. My new roommates are not that bad, I just wish they didn't have to engage in unnecessary arguments all the time generating so much noise. The mattress with which I slept on is nearing its end, I'm thinking of getting a new one next year when I settle in completely, so when it comes to comfort in the hostel, not quite there yet.
Despite the heat, the fan in the room stopped working
The power in school is always on throughout the night for security purposes and also comfort, I know we are in Harmattan season but all of that flies out the window once you enter my hostel. So we were managing the fan which brought us that little bit of comfort until it decided to go on a break, we arranged for the electrician in the hostel to come to check it out but he kept on postponing forcing us to sleep through such unfavorable conditions.
Mosquitoes showed that no one tells them what to do
The heat was the least of our worries, we had to also face the vampires of the insect world - Mosquitoes. These insects could even bite through thick layers of socks which is really weird. It was so uncomfortable that most nights I just stay awake to something, anything to keep me distracted, and I would sleep during the day once I get the chance to. This, I had to endure for about three days straight (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).
Can you blame for running back home?
I knew deep down that I wouldn't want to go through such an experience one more day so I packed my things early to start my journey back home. Who knew I could miss the comfort of a good bed? I even miss mom's nagging and my sibling's rivalries.
As soon as I stepped out of school, I started to feel the cool weather of harmattan, as we appear nightfall, the temperature will begin to drop steadily, just the way I like it. It feels good to be home.
What is a home?
Before I proceed any further, there is a need to define what I mean by "Home", it's not just a building with four walls, it's *any place* where your loved ones can be found.
Great, use your time wisely
It's going to be a challenge trying not to get carried by the Christmas and New year's celebration I'm not on holiday, my initial plan is to use this period to cover more grounds on my project and also give my attention to other courses.
Tomorrow, the cooking will begin, a very stressful yet delicious experience especially when I'm the one frying the meat, I would eat enough of it knowing full well I would be scolded later for it, but nothing else matters as long as the food is dancing in my belly.
Ugh, I hate social interactions
As usual, we always have a lot of visitors which would mean a very busy day at home, and I will have to force myself into uncomfortable situations trying to stick to the normal social conditions. Sighs.
***I'm exhausted right now, so I'll be off to bed as soon as I publish this article but before I go, I need to drop a reminder that BCH Nigerian Forum is currently organizing a Christmas writing challenge, the deadline for submission is tomorrow, any entry submitted any later might be argued, details on how the submissions will be made is*** ***here******. Merry Christmas in advance friends, let's all try to be on our best behavior so that Santa would visit us with amazing gifts, I have a long list from all the past years and I'm waiting patiently to get them all.*** https://read.cash/@Greatwolfman/its-the-christmas-season-bch-nigerian-forum-b797174b
[Lead image Source-**Unsplash.com**]
The books I read and the movie I never saw series
Date:Wednesday,22nd of December,2021
Day 22 prompt: about "a movie/book"
Published by: Greatwolfman
I spent most of my childhood reading books and a better half seeing movies but hardly ever do you see the movie to a book you had read.
The big question is this
"Would you prefer reading a novel or seeing the movie to that novel?"
Personally, I prefer the latter, when I read a novel, I'm able to create a mental image of each movie scene where each actor plays their parts perfectly. I could spend hours, days even weeks reading and I won't be bothered about what happens around me for that moment (except when I take breaks to eat).
Anyway, I created a list of books/movies that fit into this list, here are a few books I would recommend you read. I won't drop any spoiler, just enough info that will spur you to want to read the books.
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The Mediator
[Image Source] https://www.amazon.com/Mediator-5-Books-Set/dp/B0045PTD6S
This is still my No.1 novel, I still go back to it every time, I can't seem to tire of reading it. I came across this book in High School, a friend brought the series to school, I accidentally stumbled upon a part of it, after reading chapter 1, I just knew I had to continue.
It is a series written and published by Meg Cabot. The series is built upon a character, Suze Simon who has the supernatural ability to see and talk to ghosts, a gift that was passed down from a grandmother.
This would have been just like any other story until she moved to California to stay with her stepfather and brothers only to discover her room once belonged to Jesse (a ghost who inhabited the room), this ghost must have had all the perfect requirements because Suze ended up falling deeply in love with this ghost, what will happen next? Read it to find out.
The movie isn't out yet but I know I won't even think of seeing the movie, I have a perfect image of each scene from the book in my head, why would I want to ruin it?
You
[Image Source] https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Caroline-Kepnes/dp/1471174026
This book was referred by the president of our book club years back, long before the movie was produced. I remember reading it back then and watching it progress slowly from normal to creepy and I just knew I had to finish this book.
The book was written by Caroline Kepnes, a beautiful work of art I must add, writers should be respected for their ability to produce precise thoughts that could fuel our imaginations.
"You" is a story about a young man -Joe- and his obsessions over a particular lady, they often say it takes a genius to be a serial killer but you need to be even better to be a stalker like Joe, he was a real genius, he just didn't channel this gift towards the right direction. Will he get the girl? Find out on your own
After
[Image Source] https://after.fandom.com/wiki/After_(novel_series)
I hate that I saw the movie, it didn't quite do justice to the story, the book had so many details, and I can imagine how hard it would be to transfer those details to the screen. The producers tried to keep to the scripts but not quite.
The book is a perfect description of what a Toxic relationship looks like, I didn't really approve of some of the decisions the characters made but then again I kept on anticipating what would happen next even though I knew exactly what would happen.
The book was written by Anna Todd originally on Wattpad. When I read the book on Wattpad, the original characters were "One Direction" boy band, Harry, Zayn, Niall, Liam, and Louis, so I read it using their faces as the images of my characters.
Tessa ends up falling in love with the most broken person in school Harry/Hardin, well, you all know how that goes right? Wrong, read it to find out.
Harry Potter
[Image Source] https://www.muycomputer.com/2021/01/25/harry-potter-serie/amp/
It was many years since the movie was produced that I saw it, and I must say it is the only book I've read so far whose movie didn't disappoint. I was a little kid and was still going through my "abracadabra" phase.
Harry Potter was written by J.K. Bowling but I'm willing to bet you all knew that, it tells the story of how a young gifted boy and his friends went up against the greatest forces of darkness.
I believed in magic as a kid, I even had a magic wand. There was a day I had an argument with my mom and I packed my bag saying I wasn't going to come back home as I was planning to go to Hogwarts. I didn't mind if I would be classified as a muggle-born. It was a long magic phase.
You can imagine my excitement when I finally saw the movie, it was simply my thoughts brought to life, completely magical.
I will stop here for today, I'm a bit exhausted and I still have quite the journey tomorrow back home for the holidays, I plan to be really productive during this break.
Feel free to add more books/movies to the list, I will definitely check it out
[Lead Image Source - **Unsplash.com**]
My heart desires
Date:Tuesday,21st of December, 2021
Date 21 prompt: about "my desires"
Published by: Greatwolfman
***It's only a few days to Christmas, I have no real plans yet aside from eating and relaxing in my room, I'm not one who enjoys social interactions but if I do get visitors, I will have to see that they are a part of the celebration and well settled in.***
***Before I write any further, I would like to thank*** @Mictorrani ***for the sponsorship renewal, thank you very much for the support.***
To all my amazing sponsors,
thank you so much
for all the support
Having a lovely Christmas
As I was saying, at this point, you should already my first desire, my mothers Christmas food, rice is a pretty common food but there is something special about the one mom makes for Xmas, no matter how hard I try to replicate, I can't quite get that taste. I can already see myself seeing a nice movie with close friends and family, having a nice time as I bite into my first plate of Chicken or Turkey (not yet decided, could be both)
Earning more BCH
I want to earn a lot of BCH, I can't put a number to it, I just know I want to have enough of it, it's the most promising coin I'm currently hodling, thanks to read.cash and noise.cash for creating this opportunity. *Having 1000 BCH isn't too much for starters, a boy can dream after all.*
Getting a good firm to do my internship
I was able to process my internship slip today, the next phase is to submit it to a good firm and hope they get back as soon as possible hopefully with the benefits of a salary or bonus during the time I will be working there. Choosing the best place to practice your internship is a key decision that must be taken carefully because it could determine if you would still want to practice Quantity Surveying after graduation, oh, did I fail to mention the impact it would have on my GP if I fail it. I already have a few firms in mind, I will just try to submit my internship request form and hope for the best.
I want to travel to different parts of the world.
The first place I would like to go would be the Philippines and have a taste of the infamous **Biryani**. I've read about this food on noise.cash multiple times and sometimes it's mentioned on read.cash, anyway being the foodie I am, I just want to have a taste of the meal. I would visit Cebu to see a certain someone and if by chance I meet other read.cash writers there, it would be lovely.
Paris is also on the list, there is a separate article I wrote specifically on this so I won't write too much about it to avoid repetition.
I want read.cash and noise.cash to continue to grow.
It's my biggest desire that this platform runs for years eventually changing the world through this initiative increases the number of people who have accepted BCH as a means of payment.
As this platform continues to grow, it will start to attract a lot of people to join our community, this will drive the market forces of BCH on a long bullish run to break more highs. It's my desire that many years from now, I would look back and tell a lot of people, "I was there when read.cash was less than 2 years old"
I desire a world where we all live in harmony
These days, when you turn on the news, hardly ever do you hear something good and pleasant. There is too much death already, and more every day. We live in a world where man is man's greatest enemy, with no sense of love among brothers, everyone is just trying to protect their heads in fear as they try to live through another day.
There are certain parts of the world where tomorrow is not certain, you never know when and where a shootout would occur, if you would or wouldn't be a victim of the violence, living every day as if it were you last, literally. We shouldn't have to live that way.
I desire to leave a legacy on my passing
"There lies Great, he lived", no big ceremony, I just want to leave a mark that would be passed on to future generations, I want to be a role model, and when they read my articles, it would bring them even closer to me. They will probably learn a thing or two from their old man.
What do you desire the most?
[Lead image Source - Unsplash free images]
I was lost, but now I'm found
Date:Monday, 20th of December, 2021
Day 20 prompt: about "a dream"
Published by: Greatwolfman
***What you are about to read is based on my personal experience, it tells the tale of the night I almost died. This was recent, it made me wonder if I was ever going to see the much anticipated new year. Do I have your attention now? I haven't been able to derive a satisfactory meaning from it all except for the fact that I'm still alive.***
***This isn't the first time I had suffered from such nightmares but this time was more intense, you are about to find out why.***
**It was just like any other night**, I had gone to bed early because I had a really busy day, so after a quick shower and warm meal, I turned in for bed. I never knew that it would mark the day I wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.
**I woke up in the living room, wondering how I got there**, did I sleepwalk again? I noticed no one was at home, so I went out to find out what was going on. As soon as I opened the door, I found myself in a strange place, covered with sand like a desert, the sand spanned for miles and there was no one in sight.
**All this while I didn't know I was dreaming**, so I wanted to return home to inform everyone of this weird phenomenon but my house was gone. I couldn't find the door through which I exited to find myself in this land.
**At that moment, I became conscious that I was dreaming**, now I may have mentioned this earlier, it's not the first time I've been conscious in my dream, oftentimes I easily find my way back when I want but this time, I was lost.
**I had this consciousness that if I could find my house, I would wake up**. There was no one to ask for help as I trudged the sandy soil looking for a way back. I walked for hours, the longest I have even been in my conscious state until I came across a hill with a gate.
**I knew this was my mind creating images to serve as a guide but it freaked me out**, I tried to open the gate but I still couldn't. I managed to climb the hill and decided to jump down hoping the shock and pain with send me back to my body but it didn't work. At a time, I started to wonder how many hours must have gone in the real world as I broke down in tears for fear that my parents would have found my lifeless body and properly weeping.
**I wondered if there was still hope of getting back to my body before I actually passed on**, I closed my eyes to try and regain composure, but as soon as I opened it, I was no longer in the desert, I found myself in a church gathering, the pastor was calling out names of people who had graduated from an exam, I was a part of the soon-to-be graduates because we were all wearing graduation gowns, but when my name was called out to come and dance as others did after hearing their names, I discovered I wasn't dressed well, I was still wearing my black boxers and T-shirt that I had worn to sleep, I didn't have any suit and tie worn like others or a shoe, I was barefooted, so I didn't come out, I was too shy that I didn't quite fit in so I left the gathering shamefully.
**As I took to the exit, I found myself back at home**, It was night again and I thought I was finally awake, except I wasn't, I went to my parent's room, there were still asleep. I went to my room to find my body, but I couldn't find it, I paced all over the house looking for my body. After much trial, I closed my eyes again and tried to wake up from this nightmare but I was so tired and I felt very weak, but I kept on until I slowly drifted off to my body.
**I gasped from the bed as I finally woke up, I was having an attack**, I was literally choking to death. I don't know how long I was dead for but I was certainly glad to be alive. I rushed down to the kitchen to drink some water as I tried to catch my breath. It took me a moment before the whole dream started coming back to me. I knelt and thank God for giving me another chance. I don't know why he saved me but it definitely means my purpose in the world hasn't been completed yet.
**Most people don't make it back**, it's not uncommon to hear of people sleeping and not waking up. I'm glad I wasn't one of them. I have been trying to process this thought for days now, but today, I finally had the courage to share this story. What are your thoughts on this? I would love to read them.
***Treat every passing day as if it were your last because death can come anytime and most times without a warning which is not necessarily a bad thing, how else do you go back to Paradise?***
Lead image Source: [**Unsplash free images**]
I'm a boy of many passions
Date: Sunday,19th of December,2021
Day 19 prompt: about "Passion"
Published by: Greatwolfman
***Today's prompt was supposed to be about my passion but I couldn't decide on any, so I decided to take you through them perhaps we both share one or two together.***
Passion is a major driving force to success, it simply shows that your heart is in there. **When you have a passion towards something, the interest will drive you to do better, to BE better.**
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Passion 1: Playing mobile/computer games
This has to be one of my first passions, I was a little boy then and technology wasn't as advanced as it is today in my country when it came down to telecommunication, **Nokia and Motorola** were the ones dominating the mobile industry here and that was when my mom bought her first mobile phone. My dad also had "**Sagem**"-another old model phone but he wouldn't let me near it, same applied to my mum but who can stop a passionate boy from playing his game.
Nokia had only 3 games - ***Soccer, Snake Xenzia, and Bounce***, and I would time my mother perfectly until she sleeps just to take her phone to play games all night long, it became too much that she decided to put a passcode to prevent my access, of course, this was an issue, I had to spend more time monitoring her movement and keeping a close watch, it took me only a day to figure out the code, so that bought be more time until she realized I had figured it out and changed it once more but I didn't know.
The following day, as usual, I tried to unlock the phone but it wouldn't work, I repeated the passcode multiple times until it showed "**SIM card blocked**", that was when I knew I was in trouble. To cut the story short, I received some lashes on my buttocks and the SIM card later got recovered and I decided never to let that happen again, but did I stop? No, I just got a lot smarter about it. To this day I still love games, I have played a lot of computer games by favorite being "**Call of Duty"**, now I'm looking to have a feel of how it is to play **AxieBCH** so I'm trying to gain a scholarship, but if I'm unable too, I wouldn't mind using my BCH hodlings to buy some Axies and play the game, ***what's better than having fun and making money while doing it?***
Passion 2 : Artist
This is a part of me no one really knows about anymore because I stopped painting years ago, back in high school, I had a lot of drawing books where I would sketch out comics and showing people a peek into my mind. ***It became customary for me to carry along with me a red, blue, and black pen, I still do that subconsciously till this day.***
I had to let go of that passion after a really weird experience, my Villian-y characters started to feature in my dreams, I knew they were a bi-product of my imaginations so I had to destroy it, thus bringing an end to comics
Passion 3: Music
This passion of mine was inspired by **Micheal Jackson** when I was just a little boy, I would watch clips of "**Jackson 5**" doing their magic entertaining the audience and I would marvel at such a talent, while I am an "**OK**" with singing, not so much with dancing, simply put "**I can't dance**", the spur died down until then came my musical idol - "**Ed Sheeran**", a really weird individual, I remember he was sort of shy at the early stage of his career, his skill with songwriting and playing the guitar inspired me to follow my passion once more. Since we had some things in common, he is not an excellent dancer, a little bit anti-social, yet he comes out and impresses everyone just doing his thing, It's no surprise he became an icon for me to look up to.
Passion 4: Building Designs
After my passion for drawing comics died, a new one was born, and it still lives to this day. This passion inspired me to do "**Technical Drawing**" in high school, and I fell in love with it. The first day I spent in the studio, I just kneww this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
It was a tedious experience, always with my big sketch pad, Technical Drawing Board, Set Square, Tee Square, and Maths Set marching to the studio and back, sometimes running just to get a good spot by the window. The classes paid off in the end. At the time all I had in mind was to study **Architecture**, I went into the University with that mindset but as fate would have it, I found one even better, "**Quantity Surveying**", it's a more challenging course since it ***deals with the professional familiarising himself with every single profession in the Construction Industry since they are responsible for all Cost Management throughout the lifespan of a building project***.
You need to find your passion
It could be dancing, singing, writing, cooking, teaching, programming, whatever makes you happy, find it and pursue it. It's sad sometimes when most people still wonder about not knowing what they really want to do, just blowing with the wind. If you look deep within yourself, you will discover that "thing" you find pleasure in doing, pursue it and be really good at it, you will enjoy it even when it gets tough because to be fair, no job is easy, but it's always best to do something you love, that way you fill fulfilled.
Lead Image Source: **Unsplash free images**
The man in the mirror
Date:Saturday,18th of December,2021
Day 18 prompt: "About a song"
Published by: Greatwolfman
I'm sure you are already familiar with the title of the song, who wouldn't? It was written and sung by the King of Pop himself, Micheal Jackson, he's late now but his songs live on, speaking of legacy.
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[Image Source] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_and_appearance_of_Michael_Jackson
I remember the evening as it was announced on TV that "Micheal Jackson, The King of Pop is dead", it came as a shock because we were expecting the new album to be released. I remember how many people called him out for hating his own race so much that he had to do plastic surgery, not many people knew he had a skin disease so he had no choice. People can be quick to point fingers, why are people so judgemental?
Well, today, I will be writing about one of his songs, except this time I would ask that you relate each lyric to yourself as a human being.
***"I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life"***
Change, easier said than done yet one of the most used words. Politicians come and go using that same word "Change" only to leave the seat of power and the nation worse than the previous leader, in their defense, they didn't say the change would be positive.
We all want change but are we ready to do what is needed to ensure that the change is a positive one? The first step in making a change is to first make up your mind.
*"I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat, who am I, to be blind pretending not to see their needs?"*
You are probably waking up on your bed right now, or at least somewhere warm and cozy, but there are children out there with no place to go so they live under bridges or abandoned buildings just to survive, as soon as the sun begins to rise, they are up and about begging for what they can eat.
How long do we have to turn a blind eye to their plight? Are we just going to pretend they don't exist? Is there any hope for them?
*"I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love"*
The reason why most people disregard such sufferings around them is probably that they have been through worse and survived or they haven't even gone through a tiny bit of what the kids go through, either way, it's selfish.
To do more we have to be more, show some compassion, put a smile on someone's face, it doesn't have to be millions, even a little tip here on read.cash to new writers is enough encouragement, I remember how excited I was over my first tip.
*"It's time that I realize that there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan, could it be really me pretending that they're not alone?"*
Enough pretending, we can't continue to hide in the dark when the truth is so obvious, there are so many people out there with the will to help but no money, and as I mentioned earlier, living on the street, the result of a failed society.
Have you ever wondered what it must feel like to be in their shoes? With no place to call home? It's so sad really
*"I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways"*
To make the world a better place, to make serious change, it has to begin with me (you), the man in the mirror is merely a reflection of you, it will only do as you have done, so why don't you start initiating that positive change and soon after, people will start to imitate you but it has to start with you.
*"If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change"*
If you really want to make a change, it has to begin with you, the mirror doesn't just show your reflection but gives you a better view of how others see you and how you look. Use that chance to look deeply into your flaws, reflect on them and finally make a difference to the world. So, I'm talking to the man in the mirror, it's time to make a change.
Micheal Jackson really did a lot when it came to giving back to the world especially to little children, he said in an interview how he never got to experience a good childhood (he wrote a song about that too), but by giving back to the world, he felt fulfilled. He will always be remembered in our hearts, this is my Tribute to the King of Pop.
***References***
[Lyric Source] - google search
[Lead Image Source] - Starsunfold.com https://starsunfolded.com/michael-jackson/
I'm sorry if I haven't been active here for a while, I've been I'll, still in recovery, I should be back soon as soon as I have enough strength, I plan to make use of this weekend to recuperate before the new week begins.
For those who called or sent a message to check up on me, thanks guys, I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much @ErdoV for the sponsorship, it is much appreciated, I'll do well to keep up with improving my writing skill as a way of appreciating the support you have given me
It's the Christmas Season - BCH Nigerian Forum
*I'm trying to be on my best behavior so I will get a visit from Santa this year, I've been very naughty in the past few years, so what about a difference for a change eh.*
**Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year**, it's the one time in the whole year everyone is actually at home annoying the hell out of one another, my younger brother stealing my clothes one by one just before he goes back to school, my younger sister entering into a heated argument with my brother every single day like clockwork and sometimes I try to settle it before it escalates, other times, I let them fight it out before having to settle the issue.
**My mother would scream my name one million times for tasks she could just do on her own**. One time, she called me from the room just to bring her the remote that was just right there in the living room on the table. You can relate, right?
**My father, despite his busy schedule, will have to be at home, and then we would have the talk about how I should not have a girlfriend** until I have graduated from the university and probably have my masters and a job before I settle down, if only he knew, oops, I trust you all to keep the secret.
**The most annoying part is the wait**, ha, why do we have to be subjected to such inhuman treatment, Mother, we do not deserve to be punished this way. After spending long hours in the kitchen assisting with the cooking, the night before Christmas, we won't be allowed to touch any of the dishes prepared until the following day. She would lock the kitchen door because she knew better. When dawn finally arrived, we will not be given food until after a very long prayer from my dad. I'm talking hours, I would be going out of my mind as I made a prayer for time to fly quickly. At last, after sharing the grace, we still wouldn't be allowed to eat until the food had been delivered to all our neighbors since part of the Christmas period is giving, and we would have to do it with a smile.
**The street would be filled with little kids wearing their red and white Christmas hats and fresh new clothes** hopping up and down with new toys I suppose they must have gotten from Santa. You would even see some holding flowers in place of mistletoe trying to get their crush to kiss them.
`By the way, don't try it, it has a probability of success of only 3 out of 10 trials, most time you will end up with a slap, the odds of it working depends on how much she loves you back, free advice.`
*The Santa Claus costume freaked me out as a child, I was going through the "Clown Phase", I reckon that contributed to the reason Santa stopped visiting me, just a hypothesis.*
**BCH Nigerian Forum Christmas Writing Challenge**
One remarkable aspect of the Christmas season that fascinated me was the influx of new **Christmas Themed shows**, each having a unique message to pass along, I always look forward to seeing what they have to present next, if you grew up as a **Nickelodeon** fan or a **Romantic Comedies** Fanatic, you will be able to relate to this.
*That was where the idea behind the topic of this article was born. In the spirit of giving, we would be organizing an easy writing competition.*
Your articles will be graded based on the following
**Christmas Themed article**
It's the Christmas season, so write something relating to Christmas, I'm not going to limit what you can write on, I enjoy Christmas Fairy Tales, but surprise me.
Be creative, writing is about creativity if you wish to attract even more attention, everyone can write something down but not everyone can go the extra mile to put down something really creative, do the extra to earn this point. Pictures might be of help here.
**Captivating**
Write something that is enough to capture the reader's attention, it will benefit you greatly as it would increase the number of readers visits you get and of course earn you a good point on this challenge.
**Passing along a Christmas information**
Every article is meant to pass along a piece of information, if the information you are trying to pass along isn't discernable from your article, it would ruin the whole purpose.
**Meet up with the standard requirement of 600 words or 4 minutes read time.**
This will help you personally more than it would us when you submit your article, that is the minimum requirement, you can't make yours longer if you wish but please not 10 mins read.
**Once you are done with your article, add the topic** -
#**BCHNigerianForumXmasChallenge**, also paste it on your article to spread the word, this will make it easy for me to track what you have submitted, failure to do this would mean you haven't participated.
Lastly, submit your article to **Naija Wazobia** community for assessment https://read.cash/c/naija-wazobia-9ea9
****Rewards****
For now, the rewards are as follows
**First place - $10**
**Second place - $5**
**Third place - $3**
***This is not fixed as it is bound to increase as time goes on, every participant will get something regardless.***
***This competition is valid till Christmas Eve, 24th of December.***
***Have fun my friends, I look forward to reading your amazing write-ups.***
**Lead Image Source** **- Unsplash free images**
Opportunities
Date:Sunday,12th of December, 2021
Day 15 prompt: "about Opportunities"
Published by: Greatwolfman
The world is filled with a lot of opportunities just waiting for you to seize them, but do you have what it takes to do that?
To borrow a quote from who I consider to be one of the greatest rappers of our time, **Eminem**
***If you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?***
[Source - Lose yourself]
I spent hours pondering on this trying to figure out what to do with my invaluable time. I hope this article inspires you to seize opportunities when they present themselves to you.
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`Thank you` @Officialrosh1 `for the new sponsorship`
Opportunities come but once, False!
This is a statement created by people to prevent lazy people like myself from procrastinating, but the truth is that if you look closer, you will discover that there are a lot of opportunities staring right at you in the face but you fail to notice them. The lucky ones who have this opportunity fail to appreciate it until it is gone.
Earning BCH through noise.cash and read.cash
To this day, a lot of people still pass on this opportunity, which is funny because this is probably the best blogging site I have ever come across. You only need to know how to write and communicate with other readers. As a student, I've observed that writing helps to improve vocabulary as well as improved cognitive abilities.
Yet, people still give a pass on it without even realizing the opportunity they are turning down, at a time I got demotivated from telling people about it unless I sensed the willingness to actually take it seriously but after the meet-up, we had here in school to discuss on the path forward to build our BCH community here in Nigeria, I have decided to give it one more shot.
Writing is a self-developing skill that could be helpful even during a job search, some people fail job interviews just because they are unable to write an attractive application letter, it happens believe me.
Creating opportunities
A few days ago, I was in class taking a newly introduced course that is supposed to prepare us for life after graduation as we go on to look for Jobs and how we can develop our personal and professional skills to help us in the ever-competitive Construction Industry.
If you check the news, you will notice that the rate of unemployment all over the world has been on an increase for a long time and it continues to trend even higher, ever wonder why is that when there are jobs littered all over?
The truth is that even though there are jobs, there is a required level of skill required to grab the opportunity, the real question you should ask should be
*"****What can you do that others can't?****"*
By finding an answer to that question, you haven't only created value for yourself but also created an opportunity for yourself, the world is constantly evolving, you just have to try and keep up with the changes to remain relevant.
I attended a webinar yesterday and a professor from Australia demonstrated using a well-written presentation showing just how much technology can make working in the construction industry more efficient and someone asked a very important question.
"***Will schools have to change their current curriculum to adapt to the new changes?***"
The answer was straightforward, not everything you need to survive outside the school will be thought in the classroom, other skills you will have to learn them on your own. After giving that a lot of thought I discovered he was right, almost everyone taking the same course in schools does the same thing, hence the reason why we have to learn other skills applicable to the industry is to stand out. Opportunity is knocking, are you going to answer?
My closing thoughts
*The world is filled with a lot of problems, a good way of creating opportunities is to find solutions to those problems. Don't feel relaxed, push yourself to do more to be better and stay relevant. This is how great entrepreneurs are born, the journey isn't always easy it won't, there will be several records of failures but the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory so ride on, in the end, you will look back on the effort you have put into getting to where you are right now and smile.*
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Happiness
Date:Saturday,11th of December,2021
Day 13 prompt: "About Happiness"
Published by: Greatwolfman
My previous article was on "**Pain**", but the year also came with a lot of things to be happy about, shutting my eyes I can think of a couple.
**I'm happy I got acquainted with read.cash when I did**, I sometimes wonder what I would be doing right now if I was writing an article or reading one (aside from the normal school work), not to even mention to continuous streams of successful transaction notifications from my wallet, it really lifts my spirit. We will be having the first-ever meet-up here in school to decide on how we can build the community, I'm really looking forward to how it will go.
**I'm happy that I was able to let go of some of the pain that held me back,** something I had difficulty even admitting, I felt free after that. I have always grown up to the understanding that showing pain is a sign of weakness to a boy child, we some cry, we don't show any sign, we keep it in until it disappears. It was against the rule to even let anyone see your tears, tough life eh. I didn't come out of this mindset on my own, of course, I had myself to lead the way but I also had help from friends which made me realize that being able to show what you feel inside is not a sign of weakness but of strength, not many people have the courage to do that. This is what I choose to believe.
**I'm happy that Christmas is around the corner and I'm alive once again to experience the season**. Many people started the journey with me but not all of them are here today, may their souls rest in peace. I thank God for keeping every member of my family alive and together even though there were indeed trying times, we overcame them together. I'm looking forward to eating as many plates as my stomach can handle just because. I mean, who doesn't like food?
I'm happy for the support I get from my amazing sponsors
I can go on and on but that would only lead me to spend an awfully long time writing this article but I think these ones would be enough.
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Contentment = Happiness
Happiness according to **Cambridge Dictionary** https://dictionary-cambridge-org.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/dictionary.cambridge.org/amp/english/happiness?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16391702420926&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.cambridge.org%2Fdictionary%2Fenglish%2Fhappiness
**the feeling of being pleased or happy**
In other words, happiness comes with contentment or satisfaction. I was having a discussion with @Deeepensiverse the other day and she mentioned something which I will be adding to this article, "you can't be unhappy or disappointed if you do not expect anything from anyone". That statement is what I think is the key to happiness.
Always find a reason to smile.
There are so many things going on in the world when you switch on the news, hardly ever do they broadcast good news, a lot of death and depressive things going about but always trying to focus on the good, no matter how small it is. About 2 months ago, a man was murdered in his own home, he was forced to drink a toxic chemical till he died, an effort by the assailants to try and make it look like a suicide, recently, a student was also bullied to death, among other bad things, hence why it is understandable why it is difficult to find that one reason to be happy. It almost feels selfish to be happy when these people are grieving the loss of their loved ones, in such scenarios I just keep the faith because I know God knows better and probably it was their time to return to the father in heaven, I always do my best to focus on good.
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Happiness promotes good health
People who are happy often live longer than people who are always sad and depressed. As you focus on your physical health, try not to ignore your mental health as well. Why do you think people who have so much money still end up committing suicide, they can afford the good life but with little or nothing to be happy for, I guess they just figured out there is nothing left to live for, this is just my opinion. Scientifically, when we are happy, the body secretes hormones that improve our body's physical condition
Smile, transfer the infection to others
One of the best communicable diseases is smiling. Have you ever found yourself amongst a group and suddenly everyone is laughing, you don't know why but soon after you find yourself doing the same? Share this good feeling with as many people as you can.
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Here is my advice to you
No matter how things gets don't forget two things, to breathe and to smile. Smile more often, happiness is all about finding the good among the bad.
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Pain
Date:Thursday,9th of December, 2021
Day 12 prompt: About Pain
Published by: Greatwolfman
A never-ending cycle of torment, we have all felt it at some point in our lives, I know I have, several times this year I've had to go through this experience over and over, I learned a lot of things through the experience.
Check out my amazing sponsors
Pain is the first teacher
Every little kid learns this the hard way, how did you know that fire hurts? You don't have to tell a little child this twice after they experience it for themselves.
Before you learn to crawl, you first learn what pain is. You fear it, respect it even but you learn about its existence and you do your best to about feeling it with all your might.
Pain makes you stronger
There is a popular quote that says "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". That which makes you strong is pain.
In the military, prospective soldiers are put through rigorous training exercises to test just how tough they can be when exposed to certain conditions without breaking. True, not everyone comes out of this training in one piece, some quit, but the others who survive to the end are usually stronger than they were before getting into the program.
Some people say Pain is just a state of mind
Some people have managed to silence that part of the brain that make them feel pain, others have found other ways to control the pain by simply controlling their thoughts
Love is pain
Can you truly love someone without experiencing pain? This is the question I've been trying to answer for the longest time and I think I have found the answer, love and pain are a packaged deal, you can't expect one and not the other, the real question should be "is he/she worth feeling pain over?"
Pain became my best friend
I learned to embrace pain as a part of my life and a good friend, being able to feel pain is one of the most honest feelings we experience, and often time difficult to bury or hide in the closet, it always finds a way to escape.
We have different ways of dealing with pain
Some prefer to write songs about it, some prefer to write articles about it, some have a bad habit of keeping it hidden for as long as they can, some even handle it so badly that they lash out at everyone and anyone close to them without even realizing it.
It's never a good idea to keep pain buried in, the longer it stays hidden, the more poisonous and dark it gets, and often people get hurt in the process
This year alone...
I suffered from heartbreak, lost people close to me, lost my dog among other emotional pain and some physical pain. Some I tried to hide them hoping they go away but they don't, some of them I couldn't keep it in so I let them all out and I felt better.
If there is one thing I've learned, it doesn't always last forever once you decide to let it out, pain itself is part of the healing process, IT IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS HEALING.
Hard as you might try, it always finds its way out, it's only a matter of time.
Imagine a life where we couldn't feel pain though
It would feel really weird, we could be dying from poison and we wouldn't be able to tell, imagine how many people would have died without even realizing it.
Pain is a gift, a warning, a punishment, and more importantly, it is what makes us human, it is the proof that we are alive.
Some of my favorite motivational songs are about pain
"Believer" by *Imagine Dragons* [**Source link**]
***"Pain!***
***You made me a, you made me a believer"***
The lyrics of the song tell a story of a man who has embraced the true power of pain. The pain made him a believer.
You might also find this interesting
"Let's hurt tonight" by *OneRepublic* [**Source link**]
***"If this love is pain, well darling, let's hurt, oh tonight"***
*Just a few recommendations I think you might like.*
`I was absent yesterday but I'm back now, hopefully I won't have a reason to be offline again due to busy class schedules. It is a new semester and the stress is on, God help us all. Merry Christmas in advance.`
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@Greatwolfman
