As I returned home today after the day's work, I didn't drive so I took the public bus(black-striped yellow Lagos buses).
I found myself in an interesting vehicle. Every other person seemed to be highly irritated or pissed at the pounding bass drums, blaring guitars, piercing violins that blasted out of the drivers rather old speakers. The more they complained, the louder he sang in his falsetto voice with deep emotion. He would sing a line and the next second, he is shouting at another driver "commot for road joh! Mumu!" (Excuse me moron! in Nigerian pidgin) and the next second, he has forgotten that and is falsetting on along with the record.
Something that caught me was when his passengers yelled out "reduce that thing now!" he just muttered "go down oh, don't disturb me" and increased it a little more.
Trust, I picked something from that; This guy had finally found how to keep himself happy on the busily mad streets of Lagos and his passengers simply didn't understand that. If they did, they wouldn't complain.
He showed so much love for his job when the music played. And when it didn't,...
That guy found something to help him love his job, let's learn from the "bus driver" let's find something to help us love that job and the bossy boss, something to help us love that nagging or flirting spouse, something to help us love and accept ourselves regardless of how much of a mess we have been in the past, something to help us love our neighbours as ourselves.
Bless y'all!
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
The "Normal"Things
Just saw something that really touched me.
As I stepped out the gates of my house, I saw an old man; I see him around and I know he picks stuff from bins. Never really thought he picked meals too from bins.
Its so farfetched when we hear and read (and even see them) about people like this. I don't know this man, have no idea if he's alright and just extremely poor or if he's under a curse, but I felt deep within, something about what I had seen.
So I went back in thinking "I just had a perfect breakfast", and then I rushed back to the fridge for the remaining of a loaf of bread from which I ate last night; picked it, then stopped and thought "so what will he eat it with? The stuff he had already picked?" Moved and then hesitated and wondered again "why does he pick from bins?" and then finally went out. This man was gone.
It hurt me deeply, but also taught me:
"We take for granted the "normal" things of life. We eat when we want, eat less cos we're on a diet, miss meals cos we're busy at work and complain that we're eating less than we should, eat more to put on some weight. And this man and some others eat "if" they get the chance, they have decided they would eat three times a day and so they go to bins to satisfy that decision. We are not these people, we have worked and are working to earn a living, but do we thank God sincerely (and not as a ritual or routine) for that cup of coffee and biscuits at work? For that plate of rice and salad for lunch? For the 3 course meal when we're out with our spouses for dinner?"
Lets not take for granted the little things. They would change our lives forever if taken away.
Bless y'all!
As I stepped out the gates of my house, I saw an old man; I see him around and I know he picks stuff from bins. Never really thought he picked meals too from bins.
Its so farfetched when we hear and read (and even see them) about people like this. I don't know this man, have no idea if he's alright and just extremely poor or if he's under a curse, but I felt deep within, something about what I had seen.
So I went back in thinking "I just had a perfect breakfast", and then I rushed back to the fridge for the remaining of a loaf of bread from which I ate last night; picked it, then stopped and thought "so what will he eat it with? The stuff he had already picked?" Moved and then hesitated and wondered again "why does he pick from bins?" and then finally went out. This man was gone.
It hurt me deeply, but also taught me:
"We take for granted the "normal" things of life. We eat when we want, eat less cos we're on a diet, miss meals cos we're busy at work and complain that we're eating less than we should, eat more to put on some weight. And this man and some others eat "if" they get the chance, they have decided they would eat three times a day and so they go to bins to satisfy that decision. We are not these people, we have worked and are working to earn a living, but do we thank God sincerely (and not as a ritual or routine) for that cup of coffee and biscuits at work? For that plate of rice and salad for lunch? For the 3 course meal when we're out with our spouses for dinner?"
Lets not take for granted the little things. They would change our lives forever if taken away.
Bless y'all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)