You really have no mates!

We are all running our own races.

When we were younger and as we grew older, we had somewhere hidden in the quarters of our hearts, the kind of lives we wanted to live.The excellent grades we wanted to graduate with,The beautiful wedding ceremony we wanted to have,marrying the love of our lives,the awesome kids we wanted to bear ,the great jobs we wanted to have, the splendid vacationing we wanted to experience as often as we could, the clean cars we wanted to ride and live in exquisite homes. Everyone had a colorful picture of what he/she wanted out of life.

Then as life happened it seemed as though the exam we failed set us a step behind and trust our African mothers,they would scream--> your mates have left you!

Then we went through the rigors of schooling and after which some of our friends got jobs immediately and got married to their dream spouses or got a scholarship to school abroad or just got something nice that we didn't quite get and somewhere in our hearts we feel like---> our mates have left us.

Then as we grapple with the challenges of being grown, some of our friends have kids immediately after marrying and seeing their kids grow up while you haven't got yours yet,the creepy feeling steals your gladness intermittently and while you try to be happy with those getting things going well for them,you retire to a shell feeling like----> your mates have left you.

Finally we get old and have some friends checking out to the other side of life gradually and while we contemplate about life and the lives we've lived,you are somewhat happy that you are still around while---> your mates have left you.

But the truth is that in the real world, you have no mates and you are not in competition with anybody.We all have different types of races,We all started our races at different times, we have different hurdles to cross along the way,different batons to pass on,different crowds cheering us and very different finishing lines.

Find joy in your life and always find something to celebrate and be grateful for because you wear your shoe only and have no idea what the other man wears. That you didn't graduate from college in time,get a job in time,get married in time,bear kids in time and ofcourse pass on "in time" simply doesn't matter because at the end of the day, you were fighting your own battle all along. Never get bitter or resentful at the progress or seeming achievements of those you call your mates,Never try to compete or outdo them to feel good simply because you are about the same age,age has got absolutely nothing to do with it at the ends of the day. Just focus on your race and run it the best way you can because ultimately, your only concern should be how well you ran,how good you fought your fights,how well you finished your course and how well you've kept your faith.

Trust God!
Celebrate your life!
You've got just one!
Just one buddy!
Please enjoy it.



I will not fail to acknowledge my Source & Mentor, Ifaluyi Ogbeide.