EPISODE 7: Keeping Up With The Lost Episodes 1

It feels like it’s been ages since I last updated this journal. Actually, it’s been quite a while. A lot has been going on for me, as usual. The push and pull; of Life, passion, vision, dreams, love, family, academics, career, spirituality etc. 

Well, here I am again, to keep up with the lost episodes, I hope I can do justice to that in this episode, besides, my fingers have been itching me; they miss pouring out these wandering thoughts of my mind. I’ll love to start from sometime around March, when I applied for a poetry competition, I’d already forgotten I applied when I received a mail that my poem was shortlisted among the top 10 poems in over 400 entries. Well, I was glad, and I was more happy when I got to know I was actually among the top 3 poets to be awarded. This took me to Abuja, my very first travel outside south-west actually, where I was awarded the 1st Runner-up for the Korean Cultural  Center Poetry Fiesta, on 21st of March, celebrating world poetry day on the same date. In March was also when I represented the National Association of Muslim Law Students(Unilag chapter) for a debate in Lead City University, my first ever debate really, it was a success for we won the debate but lost the competition (our marks got reduced after someone raised an objection that my co-debater had multicolored socks on), although we didn’t come home with the trophy; we did with victory. 

Well, that’s about March and the awards. In April, we had our first semester exams and around the beginning of the exams, I was not sure of myself and the demands of my choice of study, the demands were becoming overwhelming. But I forged ahead nevertheless. I’d had to drop a few of the things I used to engage in upon resumption this session, so I can have ample time for studying and my family. Still, it felt like I still had a lot on my plate. An instance was an advert I saw for a poetry competition, it was before the exams though, but I applied during the exam period. I couldn’t let it go, this is one of my most ignited passion after all; I applied and took my mind off it, while I continued with preparation for my next papers. After the first paper, I felt a little relaxed and certain that I could do this after all. I made sure however to go home during the breaks between one paper to the next; There were times when we even had upto 5 days break between 2 papers. I would go home, and draw inspiration from the sight of and being around my kids. My little man is now very familiar with me, never wanting to leave my side as soon as I’m home. And I ensure never to forget to take home goodies, because my handbag is his first point of exploration as soon as I drop him back on his feet. And my girl, she’s also grown into a young thoughtful girl, that she sometimes asks, “mommy when next are you going to school? Mo ma miss yin ti  e ba  ti lo – I’ll miss you after you leave.”  

Now, May came, and along with it a short break of about 10 days, which of course a lot of us expanded into 2 weeks and more. Then came resumption. I spent as much time as I could with my kids, took them home to their dad. He was so happy to have them around. They were also on holiday and theirs was also a short one. It was a nice time with the whole family together, their dad took his Leave from work also, and it was fun running to mom this moment and to dad the next moment. That was all I could ever have asked for, but I’ve come to realize that life does not really give you all you ask for, you have to make do with what you have and be content with whatever you can find however or wherever you find yourself. I then told my daughter they have to go back to their grandma soon, and I have to resume school in a few days time and dad would also resume work. And with the promise that they would come back home soon enough, for another break or holiday, she was satisfied, I’m sure by now she also knows that life can not always be fair to give you everything you want, the way you want it. 

To be continued in the next episode here… 

Thanks for reading this episode and  the journal. 

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