PLEASE STOP EATING AND SHARE

 

I was thinking this morning.... After about two weeks out of Nigeria and eating a blend of Nigeria and oyibo food, my Warri friend from Hussey college invited my family over for lunch. What's on the menu? Starch and banga soup. Apparently, it was a china packaged starch but very much same taste like what I am used to back home.

I was primed to eat and continue eating but not long after the first swallow, I was tired. I looked at what was left and wondered why I couldn’t continue enjoying this scrumptious meal.

Then I recalled watching a movie on Netflix days earlier titled 'To Catch a Killer.' It was about a sniper that killed 29 persons on New Year eve. When the investigative FBI officer asked a female police officer that responded to the incident what she thought about killer stopping at 29 rather than continue to kill more. She responded 'I think he got his fill. No matter how good the food taste, you stop eating when you've had enough. Till you get hungry again.'

I thought about the many good things we enjoy in life and how we get tired after we've had our fill. For example, I always look forward to travelling abroad on vacation but often wondered why after only a few weeks, I get tired and want to come back home. Now I understand why. 'No matter how good a food taste, you stop eating when you've had enough. Till you get hungry again.'

It is common saying that 'too much of everything is bad.' When you are privileged to have a banquet set before you, eat but not compulsively like Nigeria politicians. Remember, there are many who are praying for just a bite. The normal order is, no matter how good a food taste, you stop eating when you've had enough. When you can't stop eating, it is a disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome (a malfunction of the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that normally controls feelings of fullness or hunger).

Whatever God has blessed you with, enjoy but remember to stop eating at some point and share, else you will be guilty of debauchery (Galatians 5:19).

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

MAKE SENSE OF LIFE

 

I was thinking this morning..... Recently, the security guard of my apartment in Port-Harcourt was relieved of his job because he was disrespectful of the caretaker. His hitherto N30k minimum wage was ridiculous, but his life literally fell apart after the sack. He is always sick and could hardly care for himself. Every so often, he will text me asking for N2k for drugs or food. I kept supporting until his text two days ago asking for support to buy drugs as he was sick. I felt he was wearying me out and wanted to ignore him but then I recalled a message sent to me the day before that says 'Life makes more sense when we become the reason why others smile.'

The truth is, in the world today, people are not smiling at all. Many of the smiles you see are fake. Did you know there are 19 different types of smile, out of which only 6 are for happiness? The remaining 13 smiles are the embarrassed, miserable and fake smile (popularly known as wayo smile in Warri).

You will meet people with challenges daily. Don't build a fence around you nor squeeze your face to put them off. No one is asking you to cure world hunger, but to simply do something that will put a smile on the face of your neighbour. Be the conveyor of good news or good deeds because life makes more sense when we become the reason why others smile.

I am not talking about wayo smile or a smile of embarrassment. There is a lot you can do to put one of the 6 smiles of happiness on the faces of people. Invite a family over for dinner, buy small gift for someone or simply just smile at a random person. You know why? Life makes more sense when we become the reason why others smile.

A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day (Prov 15:13). I am smiling because I just want to make sense of life.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

GIVE THEM THEIR ZOBO

 

I was thinking this morning.... As an African, there are many foreign practices I struggle to understand. One of such is the giving of flowers. Flowers are often seen as a symbol of love and affection, and when someone is given a bouquet, it's a sign that they are loved and appreciated.

Nevertheless, as youths, we did try out giving of flowers in our apprentice days of 'toasting' a girl in Warri by plucking an hibiscus flower on our way to visiting a babe. The bright red showy flowers of the hibiscus 🌺 was our symbol of love.

From experience, we soon learnt that rather than flowers that withers within hours, Africans appreciated gifts that add value such as money, food or even a souvenir that is long lasting.

Fast forward 25 years. When I first realised that the popular Nigerian drink Zobo was made from dry hibiscus flower, I was immediately put off, despite the drink being rich in antioxidants and aids detoxification. It took me a while to summon up courage to drink the juice made from our love flower, but I finally did years later. The taste? Not bad, I will say, particularly when prepared with ginger.

Acquiring a taste for Zobo gave me a whole new view of the practice of giving of flowers. Why should you give out flowers that can't be eaten when you can process the flower and give out as Zobo? No dulling!

Early last week, the Nigeria Women Football team were narrowly edged out of the Women's World Cup by England after a hard fought match. The ladies did Nigeria proud just like their basketball counterparts, D'Tigress that won their fourth consecutive FIBA Women's Afrobasket title, with mostly local players and first ever female coach. While many were saying, give them their flowers, I said they deserved more than flowers. Give them every dollar due and rather than flowers, give them their Zobo.

If you have achieved anything remarkable, and want to ginger yourself up, you need not wait for anyone to give you your flowers. Do one better, give yourself a chilled Zobo with a tint of ginger. Self appreciation is not pride (Ephesians 5:29).

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

Let Nigerians Breathe

 

I was thinking this morning....  Last week Tuesday, the Nigeria Senate, after debating a motion against the proposed hike of electricity tariff by DISCOs, passed a resolution that will go down as one of the strangest in the annals of the hallowed Red Chamber. Amidst laughter, the Senators adopted a resolution tagged ‘Let the poor breathe.' Most people got angry with the joke being made of the plight of ordinary Nigerians.

It wasn't therefore surprising when 'Let the poor breathe' became the central theme of the NLC general protest last Wednesday. The message never really hit home until I received a mail from my Pension Fund Managers, IBTC. The mail started thus; Hello Esteemed Client, Put your hand on your chest and repeat after me: “My salary and income will breathe; bills will not suffocate them."

I thought it was funny, until I drove my SUV to the petrol station. The fuel gauge was at quarter tank. I asked them to fill the tank. When the pump stopped, I checked and it was reading N38,800. In my shock, I remembered the IBTC instructions, placed my hand on my chest and said "My salary and income will breathe; bills will not suffocate them."

Days later, I took my young wife shopping. I stood by while she negotiated with the 'Aboki' for five tubers of yam. When I heard the aboki say "walahi madam, the last price na N41,000," I quickly put my hand on my chest and said "My salary and income will breathe; bills will not suffocate them."

I was still wondering how Nigerians were surviving the economic suffocation when I saw the headline of President Bola Tinubu asking the Nigerian Senate to approve military action against the Niger Republic coupists. While thanking God that the Senate rejected the request, I wondered why a country that don't have enough money to run our economy is planning on fighting a proxy war in our own backyard.

2nd Timothy 3:1 had warned us, 'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.' At times like this, I enjoin you to put your hand on your chest and repeat after me "My family and I will breathe; Nigeria will not suffocate us."

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey