Something happened years ago

"Think smart, work smarter. Achieve great results. Happy new week".

Unknown

This day was a big day I learnt a big lesson. Never share your issues at home with your friend, he or she might give you the wrong advice, and if you must talk to someone and need advice, listen to him or her talking, then give it thorough thinking to see if it is good advice or not and if you think it might destroy things, ignore it immediately, else, you might regret telling another person your problem.

I talked about my childhood friend yesterday and that made me remember an experience some years ago, that should be about 17 years ago while I was in Junior Secondary School. My friend's mom was a weak and gentle woman and her husband was a driver who drives a bus every day in Lagos. This parent was always seen quarrelling every day and this woman wouldn't do anything but keep mute while her husband would keep insulting and beating her every day in the presence of their children.

This woman went to report to her friend who also was living in the same compound as us. This same woman was the opposite of my friend's mother. She doesn't agree with her husband and would always talk back. She never allowed her husband to rest in the house. Let's say my friend's mom was woman A while the other woman B. Woman A went to explain her problem to B and that was the beginning of a big problem she would always regret in her life.

Woman B advised that next time the man is trying to beat her, she should drag his "big man" under his trouser and bite it hard. She said that was what she always do to her husband and told her to not be gentle again because the man will just be taking advantage of her.

On this day, the man decided not to go to work but to rest. This woman A already developed liver and has been advised, her eyes were opened and ever since then has always given this man trouble in the house. The man was surprised at the sudden change and wondered who taught his wife to change words with him. The woman refused and told the man he must go out to work because their last born couldn't go to school because of school fees. After much pressure on the man, he angrily left home and on his way, he was hit by a trailer and died instantly.

We were still in school when my mom rushed to call us home. My friend was confused and started asking my mom question but she didn't say anything until we got home and found people wailing and crying in my friend's room. It was there the woman started confessing and explaining how she was told to act to her husband and that if she had known, she wouldn't have pushed her husband out on that day. The man died because of his wife's trouble that day and that alone taught me a big lesson.

As young as I was then, I remembered this story and how my friend's dad died a brutal death. It was really painful but what has been done had been done and there is nothing to do to change the circumstances again.

I forgot the lesson in it, I was just sitting last night, trying to find something to write on and I remembered this incident and made me wonder if I had always had this story and lesson on my palm till today, perhaps I wouldn't have seen the other side of those I talked to about my personal life but one thing about me is that I would know if the advice given to me is a good one or not.

When you receive advice from people, it's not a must you act on all of them, scrutinize deeply and check the ones that are good for you because you can't go with every piece of advice else, you would fail on your path to success. This is why we are made to understand that we should follow our hearts because the heart will never disappoint us.

Learn to listen but think before acting on any words given to you.

Thanks for reading

Image by Trung on Unsplash

[May 29, 2022] (No 149 articles for the year)