It doesn’t matter how skilled you are, how good or gifted, how fine you are, how rich or ‘dorsted’, some days are yours and some just aren’t! Living with reality and making the best of it is a gift, if you weren’t born with it, no worries, its on sale at the shop right upstairs (wink). I intend to give you the coins to make the purchase, I hope you do, I hope I do too.

If you’re reading this, and you’ve never felt jealous or envious, if you’ve never wished you looked a certain way, or had that guy or drove home in that car, or got that compliment, or got posted to that prestigious company, then turn around and lemme see the wings behind you, because apparently all angels are supposed to have a pair.

I remember one time I was darn broke i.e, i didn’t have fokko!! And I was walking down this road, and there was this random guy behind me, most likely not as broke as I was, but he spotted that GHC 1 I just passed by and went for it, and didn’t even have the decency to just shut up…he had to shout for joy! Daaammmnn!! E go me pass, the guy get the cash, chheeaapp. Never desired a 1 cedi more in my life! That’s just one of the many times i-like all regular humans- have had an experience that’s made me a bit (understatement) covetous. The most recent time was when I wasn’t 1 of the few guys who got the 1st class-Econs Major (& I could’ve gotten it, but 4 that 1 darn course!! ). E go me, but I chanced upon a certain mindset that helps waa;

Sometimes good things happen to you, some times they don’t. Some girls you get, some aren’t meant to be yours. Sometimes it’s good news, other times its bad. Sometimes you are smarter, other times you get swindled. Some times you get game, other times you’re lame. Sometimes you beat traffic, other times your ass’ whooped! Sometimes the world stops to peek at you, other times it just doesn’t notice that you’re the afro guy in the bright orange shirt sitting by the glass window on the 6th floor of that bright purple building on the Oxford street! Sometimes you pull the trigger, other times you are the victim…so what? ei sorry I meant SOO darn WHAATTTT??!! Shit happens…live with it, or better still, turn it into electricity (you know it can be done right?)

I read the most profound line some time back; “if they say you can’t go any further, tell them to look how far you’ve come already.” You see, the world we live in is dynamic, it’s the God we serve who’s still the same. Last year by this time, even guys were using lip gloss to save their lips from the harsh skin-tearing harmattan, this year the fogs aren’t thick even over the Aburi hills. Bad doesn’t stay, unless we detain it with the ‘please-don’t-go’ attitude. It’s quite easy to forget that the misfortune that befell you today had been passing you by for twenty something years…or less, but don’t turn the tickle into a rash.

Anticipate the good times; think how much better you’ll treat the good times because of all you’ve learnt in this bad time. Anticipate the good boss, think how much more you’ll appreciate him because of this mean one you have, just look forward to the better days, because when it gets so bad, it can only get better.

When something happens and I’m just 2 milliseconds away from the F and S words, I just go like “ooo, so this’ how it feels like to be broke, or sad, or disgusted, or browned, or overlooked, or….you name it” then I remember some time in the immediate past when it wasn’t like that, and look at the present in the future’s eye. I think how insignificant today’s ‘yawa’ will be in tomorrow’s eyes. And you don’t have to have it all figured out, a modest dose of self-confidence helps a lot.

Thing is, you can only do this if you have a reliable source of strength, and hope. If it’s in a green bottle then you’re in major trouble if Accra breweries decide to close down. If its in anything finite, very limited and destructible, then your hope is just that also. But if it’s in something more permanent and infinite…like God, now that’s a whole new ball game, it’s like having the referee on your team and in your jersey…imagine that!!