MOVE AWAY AND MOVE FORWARD

We do not chose a lot of things, where we are born, how we are born, our parents, city of birth, our siblings and even, our upbringing. But in the midst of all these, we have choice of friends, work places, careers and dreams. If we are very honest, we have the power to make a lot of choices although it may seem like we don’t.

Simply put, our seemingly narrow array of choices is borne out of past choices we have made. Not a hard and fast rule but certainly true. A lot of the things that have happened in my life are a product of the places I have chosen to stand or leave. This morning, I made a choice to stand with someone and got to the office late.

I woke up tired. The ‘I have rested well’ tired as I had slept all through yesterday (my lazy day). But I woke up tired, arms stretching, eyes itching and back aching from too much rest. 

With the knowledge that my staff bus, which usually arrives by 7:50am, was not available, I dressed up quickly to get to combat the unpredictable public transport system. 7:30am and I was at the park.

While approaching the park, I sighted an older colleague (whose name I don’t know) who was also seeking alternative ways to get to the office. I decided to stick with him since we were going to the same office. Sigh. Gist started while the hustle for a vehicle went on. It was as though all the cab men were told not to go our way or so I thought.

My feet were already itching as I checked the time intermittently. 8:00am! I started to get impatient and told the man that I would take a cab that was going the longer route, after all, na still two moto I go come enter. He did not say anything but gave me the ‘wait small’ look. I dey wait.

Meanwhile, I had heard two cabs calling my direction while we were waiting but let them go because they had one space left. I reasoned that I could not leave an older colleague behind. It would have been unfair. Sigh.

We kept waiting and I was growing impatient, he did not look like he cared but I thought he was just been the older person. Sigh again. My mind kept speaking to me. Anita, leave this man and get to the office. You both are in different departments. Well, I finally obeyed my mind at about 9:20am and began to walk towards the cabs that will take the longer route.

He let me go with a noncommittal ‘ok’. First cab I saw was going my way and I even got the majestic front seat. As soon as I sat, I saw an empty cab going the way I originally wanted to take. You needed to see the way I rushed to enter it. Eh! This God is good o.

The cab needed two more passengers and I beckoned to my colleague but he shrugged his shoulders and refused to enter because the fair was N50 higher. Please, leave me and the N50, I said to myself as the cab zoomed off.

As the journey progressed, I began to reflect on the times I had been stuck in life and how somehow, things progressed when I moved away from a particular place or person. Until today, it had never made much sense. God wanted something as practical as this to happen so I can realise that it is necessary to move as soon as possible when you smell redundancy. 

Movement is as much a choice as staying. That man got to the office pretty late today and I can bet he paid the same fare as myself. Well, I moved away and moved forward to my destination. You too can.