It Matters, II.

... continued...

This is the continuation of the post I shared earlier and you can catch up with it here: "It Matters."

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There was this story of a young lady I read on the internet many years ago and she was filled with regrets because she ignored that little prompting in her heart to reach out to her friend. They were not at loggerheads, far from it but she just kept saying she would call him later until the inevitable happened. The day she decided she would call the guy, was when a mutual friend called her to tell her the guy died. She was sad, moody, angry and filled with regrets.

It doesn't mean she would have prevented his death, and who knows maybe she would have been timely to know something was wrong or at least for the sake of her conscience, she would have satisfied her mind, knowing she called at the right time to hear his voice even if it would be for the last time. Now, she was filled with regrets and a desire to do it better once again. So many little things that we take for granted and sometimes it comes from the fact that we don't even know ourselves that well.

I know a lot of people go for the big things and that's fine but I love doing the little things - those little things that most people would naturally overlook and not count. Little things count for me and when you have done something so minute for someone who appreciates it so much, only then can you understand the depth of what you just did. It's not so much about the weight of what was done but about the timing.

It's as little as noticing the tone in someone's voice, noticing something was off about their dressing, their countenance and even their text! A lot of people know I am always all over the place...maybe not physically though but I purposely get into people's faces because I just want to be able to do the little things.

Some people don't even need your money but we live in a world where everyone wants to throw money at every problem. Some people only need you to listen to them - hear them out, talk to them, give them a voice of reasoning, give them a different perspective to what they have been used to or even a hug. It's very funny but a hug is what some people need so they won't throw in the towel.

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I've had to pay for cab fares of different people in the cab and they looked at me with so much emotions and I could see how much it means to them. A lady I paid for her bike fare (because we shared one) stood on the same spot and watched me as the bike zoomed off after I told the bike man to leave that I would pay. Another one was a lady who dressed a bit indecently so it was a struggle for her on the bike and to make it worse, we shared a bike. I clearly heard her when she said "Ah! It finally happened." It means she must have been praying that the bike man wouldn't pick another passenger due to how short and tight her dress was. The moment I dropped, I paid for two and asked the bike man not to pick anyone else. The relief in her voice touched my heart. It's little but it meant something to her and it was timely.

The thing is, these little things somehow come back to help us too when we need them. I can remember how we had too many people and to enter the cab was a struggle. I managed to get into a cab that year with so many people lining up and if you are familiar with Nigeria, especially Ibadan in Oyo State, you would know that they can insult your life at the slightest thing. I entered that cab and it was only then the driver started shouting "Come in with your change." I thought I had but I didn't. As I was trying to reluctantly bring out my high denomination, a guy at the front seat reached out and paid for me without even knowing him. You needed to see the relief in my expression and even my voice.

I hugged someone and after we departed, I got a message telling me that she had never felt a hug so much in that instance. It was reassuring for her and I couldn't be happier. Same with a friend of mine in Church. I hardly use my phone during service but this day, it was heavy on me to text her in Church. I texted her and said, "Ochanya, I want to buy you lunch after service.". It was after service she walked up to me and told me that the text came in just when she asked God for a sign to know that God still cares about her. I managed to hold back my tears that day.

The little things we do for others, we might not understand how deep it runs but we don't have to ignore them...do them anyway. Don't see them as little or inconsequential, follow your heart and just do them even if it makes no sense to you at all. It might mean the world to someone because we all have our secret battles and you can sit next to someone who is broken and yet you wouldn't know it.

A guy was heading to a forest to commit suicide. He dressed at his best and on the way, someone complimented how amazing he looked. He smiled and went back home. He aborted the mission to commit suicide. He said "For the first time, someone complimented me. The world is not such a bad place after all." He knew a bad page doesn't mean a bad life nor the end of the book and he made sure henceforth, he surrounded himself with people of worth. Every little bit helps...

Thank you for your time.

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