[b][/b]

I was glad that I met Tunde at the gym. I had been waiting to meet him so that he could give me first-hand information of what happened the previous week. I was told he almost lost his life. Tunde started this way, “O boy, I would have been a dead man by now. I was driving down Road 16 trying to locate the nearest eatery. It was just about 10 a.m on a Friday morning but I had carried out lots of activities already. l went online to look at the orders we had for the week and also analyze if we had enough stock to hold the coming orders until the next supplies. I squeezed out time to speak with some family and friends after going through a 30 minutes workout. Looking at my time, I realized that I needed a quick breakfast before the day got busier as usual.”


Tunde wiped his face with a towel hung around his neck. “As I rolled into the premises, I navigated my car towards the parking lot provided for customers. I tried to jam the door when I alighted from the car but it didn't lap well with the door frame. I pulled it back and tried a second time but it wouldn't jam. I kept doing this until I became sapped of the little energy I had left in my tank that morning. It was a frustrating experience because I was close to food but I could not reach any, even with the longest spoon, because I was afraid of leaving my car unlocked- I read somewhere that carjacking had been on the increase of late. I was so impatient and in a hurry to quench my hunger that I jammed it back in a bid to force the lock, yet it didn't work. I reached for my phone and started looking for help. The panel beater that I knew was out of town. I started talking to everyone I could reach on my contact list to see who could get one to help me out of my situation.”

Tunde continued, "Finally, one was referred to me and we spoke on the phone to help him with the direction on how to get to me. By this time, I had wasted about one hour searching for answers. That was when I heard the gunshots- sporadic but consistent. And some screams followed. Everyone outside scampered for help with our hands shielding our heads as if they were bulletproof- our legs rolled frantically like skaters gliding on ice. Honestly, I didn't care if the door was locked or left ajar at this moment. My safety mode was activated and I ran for my dear life. Suddenly, the door of the eatery burst open and five masked armed men appeared from inside. They were dragging a pot-bellied man out of the eatery. By now, they were shooting aimlessly resulting in the sound of bullets ricocheting against hard surfaces. I had a full taste of blood in my mouth- my heart was definitely in my mouth pounding. This experience was completely alien to me. While those of us outside were running for safety, the masked men dragged the man into a white Hilux van and whisked him away."

He concluded, "After they left, people started emerging from different corners with shock on their faces. One woman actually jumped out of the refuse bin in front of the eatery. She was messed up, with leftovers in the waste bin all over her- on a different day, it would have been fun to watch. I knew she wouldn't care. In a situation like this, only life matters. I walked briskly to my car while jerking my head from one corner to another trying to analyse if there was danger lurking around. When I pulled open the car door, my wallet dropped off the door and landed on the floor. It became obvious to me why the door wouldn't close properly. The door had given me the signs all day but I was too occupied and indifferent to notice it. I had some valuables in the wallet that my life would have been in a mess if I had lost it. The wallet equally stopped me from going inside the eatery where I might have met my demise. Three people lost their lives in the incident and they were from the contingent inside. This experience became an eye-opener for me. I picked up the wallet, got into my car and rolled out of the parking lot. I completely forgot that I invited a panel beater until he called me later in the day. That wallet would have given me more lifelines; I starved and was stressed up but I can't forget that favour in a hurry."



REFLECTION
This is just one out of the legion of examples that underlines the message that the hard times we face could be a way of keeping us away from going through a bad experience. And again, challenging times are meant to help us look inward and discover who we really are. It could be the catalyst that we need to say that enough is enough and then take the critical decision that has the tendency of setting us on the path of success or happiness.

Unfortunately, we are in too much haste to pay attention to the inherent messages embedded in our hard moments. From the biblical angle, we were admonished to give thanks and praises in both our good and bad times. Those assumed bad moments could be the turning point for something remarkable in our lives, just like it happened with Tunde.

If not for the wallet that frustrated his morning schedule, he might have been one of the dead that morning. And again, if not for the door, he might have lost the wallet with the valuables inside. Yes, you are going through hard times now. Relax, take a deep breath and search for the inherent benefit.

Visit us for more motivational stories;
https://anekearinzeblog.com