THE DOCTOR EVERYONE WANTED ME TO BE

 

I was thinking this morning.... I woke up this morning, a day after my birthday, thinking about how far I have come in my journey of life. In my reflection, I saw myself in the dark blue uniform of Mowoe Primary school Warri, clutching my school bag as I walked from our compound at 6 Ogboru Street. I meandered through 15B Father Healy Street, into Ometan Street, Ginuwa Road and finally into Robert Road where I branched into the gate of my beloved Mowoe Primary school. I recalled how my dad and uncles called me small doctor. I never understood why but that birthed my dream of becoming a doctor.

I then saw myself in the white shirt on sky blue shorts of Hussey college Warri. I was a day student and walked north from 6 Ogboru Street towards Obahor and into Upper Erejuwa where the sprawling compound of Hussey college is located. From Class 3 to Class 5, I was in the Sciences studying my way to becoming the doctor everyone wanted me to be. When my JAMB results were released, it fell short of the cutt-off mark to study medicine, marking the first setback in my journey to becoming the doctor everyone wanted me to be.

I was later admitted to the University of Benin to study Microbiology but was determined to switch to Medicine the following year. With good grades, the switch happened but was short-lived, as the interdepartmental transfer was cancelled after just 4 weeks, ending my dream of becoming the medical doctor everyone wanted me to be.

As I graduated with a B.Sc, I did not despair about my inability to become a medical doctor. I however took a slight detour and started studying to become an academic doctor. Afterall, doctor na doctor. Within a short period, I completed my M.Sc and started my PhD but 6 months later, I suspended the program to focus on building a career. It's been 28 years and my dream of becoming the doctor everyone wanted me to be, is still on hold.

In all my years on earth, many dreams have come to pass and many others fell through, but in all, I am on course with destiny. Along the way, I have learnt that not all dreams come to pass but that every sincere prayer and genuine effort you put into fulfilling that dream eventually leads you to destiny. Stay focused on life and not on dreams because it is the steps you take in life that fulfil dreams. I may not be the doctor everyone wanted me to be, but I am thankful that I am who God wants me to be (Romans 8:29).

Thanks to everyone that celebrated me yesterday.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

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