Be Intentional

Photo credit: twitter

I go out often not because I enjoy being out there a lot but because I understand the importance of socialising. On a good I would love to sit or lie on my bed, with the remote in my hands and watch a good movie. I wouldn't say I like action or thrillers and I no horror movies. I prefer feel-good movies and it doesn't matter how old the movie is or how many times I have watched it. As much as I would love to be cuddled up in bed, I still get up, get dressed, get my makeup done, pack my hair, and honor that invitation. Sometimes, it gets too much, and I just stay home especially when my body is speaking to me. 

Socializing gets your mind off a lot of things that may be living rent-free in your head, causing you a lot of worry, anxiety, and ultimately sickness. Life gets tough sometimes and there is always one issue needing our attention. Many times, the solution is not in thinking and worrying about them, the answer may come by ignoring that issue and going out there and having a good time no matter what the situation may be. Another thing is that you may never know what may come out of an outing just like the experience I had this weekend.

I have a sister who would hardly go anywhere, she is the opposite of me, she only goes out if she desperately needs to be there, if it is not family, very very close friend, or in return for a favor, she will never leave her home. So you can imagine my shock when she said she would go with me to a party this weekend, I did not believe her till we actually got to the party.

When we got to the party, I walked up to the celebrant to say congratulations with my sister by my side. While we exchanged pleasantries, the celebrant pointed to a picture that was conspicuously placed somewhere on the stage. She told me that that was the reason she did not return my last call to her. The handsome young man was her sister's husband who traveled all the way to the United States to attend the birthday party with his wife and children but passed out in the airport on their way to get cleared by United States Immigration. He did not make it, leaving his beautiful young wife and children. 

My sister recognized the face and started to ask questions, in the end, we all realized that my sister was where she was meant to be at that time. She knew the celebrant's family even more than I knew them. They had a very strong connection and bond and she became like a guest of honor at the event. The mood went from joy when we arrived and saw the celebrant to sadness upon hearing about the tragedy and joy again at the realization that these people were more than friends, they were family. The connection is a bit complicated so I will skip that part.

My sister spent the rest of the evening trying to fathom what pushed her to do what she ordinarily would not do, maybe God wanted her to reconnect with this family, I had a mild panic attack because I do not handle bad news that well anymore and couldn't stop thinking about the poor lady in front of me who suddenly became a widow in the strangest way and how she would start to navigate life alone with her little children.

Life is unpredictable, it may throw you a good surprise or a bad one. The world is also a really small place, what were the chances that my introverted sister would meet her son's wife's extended family in the US? It did not make sense that her non-Igbo daughter-in-law had an extended Igbo family that she did not even know. She started to look at pictures and this family whose sister's 50th birthday we attended, were all at my nephew's wedding in Lagos and participated actively.

See how small the world is and why we need to be good at all times because we never know who we will cross paths with. We must try at all times to make a positive impact in the lives of the people we know or come across. Leave anyone who comes your way with something good to remember about you. Like Maya Angelou said, 

            "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" 

Another lesson is, 

            "You only get one chance at life so, live each day to your fullest, learn to dance the most, laugh the loudest, sing your heart out even if you sound like a frog, praise like you have it all together, make new acquaintances, tell jokes, laugh at other people's jokes, and trust that everything is fine."

Lastly, I got this from Pastor Uma Ukpai, 

                    "Nobody is big/important enough to be your enemy."

So this week, be intentional, forgive everybody and move on, and do not forget to take care of your health. Cheers to a beautiful new week!