Take a look

“O boy, You’ve grown, I carried you when you were two months old”. “Young man are you eating fertilizer? The last time I came here you were like this (gesturing their estimation of your previous height with their hands, most of them overexaggerations though) now you’re taller than me”. If you’re Nigerian you must know what being spoken to with these exact words or something close to these by a relative and family friend feels alike.

Growing up I always thought they were lieing, Some actually were but the majority weren’t. Truth is we’re always in our bodies so asides photographs we don’t know what our previous statures looked like, we actually are the last persons to give ourselves credit for growing in stature, Adding weight, etc.

So it was one beautiful Saturday morning, I didn’t feel like spending my day indoors and dad offered that we went together to a friend’s mum’s burial so i obliged him, Upon ariving there we met quite a number of his friends, introducing me to them made me feel like a baby as everyone reminded me of how they carried me when I was a baby or were there at my naming ceremony and I felt really good about it, And they were really happy when he told them I had a first degree, It was a much needed ego boost at the time, I think it was just what i wanted. I realise that generally we judge ourselves by very high standards and usually don’t give ourselves much credit for progress we make.

As the painter is most likely the last person to actually take a good look at the entire building, we are many times the last people to admire and fully appreciate the beautiful picture we’re making out of the jigsaw puzzle life can seem to be. In this Social media world where people are quick to share and actually over-emphasize succeses and promotions, Milestones, etc. I just want to remind those of us who are yet to see the full picture we had in mind when we started that you that you’re doing a good job, you’re on your way there.

If you come out of the Canvas you’ll see it, If it were possible for, I would recommend you can take a break from being you for two minutes, You’ll see it. The painting isn’t complete but you’ve got the background in place already. Drop the brush, take a look at your progress, Smile and continue. In life there is something I’ve learnt, “The destination can be boring, the journey is the main attraction”.

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