A Series of Definitions (1)

A series of definitions, mostly a play around words and a window to my thoughts on what they might mean or portray when they come alive...


Inspiration. Fertile soil from which rich vegetation of ideas and creativity spring. The nutrition from which the roots of genius drink.

Prejudice. A coloured, often dirty window through which one views the world. Everything on the other side appears in less than perfect hues.

Motivation. We all need that 'vicious' shark to make us swim fast and hard for survival when we float about lazily in comfort zones.

Success. A mouth watering delicacy. An assortment of ingredients. Diligence, focus, etc. The unique taste? That's God's grace added.

Hatred. A raging bull in humanity's china shop. Senselessly and blindingly destroying everything in its path, beginning with its carrier.

Priorities. There will always be time for whatever you consider important. Availability of time is a function of importance and necessity.

The mind. A bit like an onion, wrapped in many layers. Unwrapping those layers sets one on a path of self discovery...

'Upendi'. A place where buds blossom into beautiful flowers. Where the whispers of two hearts, in unison, break out into a fine melody.

Life. A circus. Balancing acts of time and chance. Tight ropes of tough decisions. Juggling perspectives and paradigms. Never a dull moment.

Falsehood. A skillful painter. Practices his art by splashing brilliant colours of half-truths and deceit over the plain canvas of reality.

Trouble. The middle name of a young Squirrel that goes about cracking a nut on a sleeping Lion's forehead.

Courage. An intoxicating drug. Under its influence, armed with determination, many show up at the house where trouble and adversity live.

Patience. Planting a seed. Watering it, nurturing, protecting, never for once leaving it till it becomes tree. Then till it bears fruits.

Infinity. Imagine floating in outer space for a million years. You get to the edge only to find out you've been in a tiny drop in an ocean.

Doubt. Obscure goggles through which we view the world. Reduces the glare of everything colourful n sure to the dull grey known as 'Maybe'.

Victory. A distant land that men seek. Its streets are paved with their many battles, sweat and blood. Its inhabitants are called winners.

Death. The final resting place of dreams. The last stop on the route of time. The 'take off' point for a journey of memories.

Hope. A means of transportation that ferries the future into the now. Faith is oft times the driver.

Humility. The weight that holds one to the ground when one strts 2 float off in a balloon filld wt pride and achievemnt rathr than hot air.

Leadership. Another spelling for SACRIFICE. The description of an embodiment of 'expectation' from people called followers.

Age. An incremental set of digits that perpetually suggest that one continuously has fewer number of tomorrows than one has yesterdays.

Risk. Petty thief when young, armed marauder when fully grown. Robbing many of scarce and hard won opportunities to attain full potential.

Busy. A word that oft tends to describe one's intense preoccupation with nothing in particular.

Truth. The final layer of clothing that covers the soul's nakedness whn several layers of pretence, falsehood, fallacy, hve bn strippd away.

Fate. The scapegoat 'everyone' blames when the outcome of decisions or circumstances cannot be pre determined. Always guilty by default.

Greed. A hole in the soul that constantly requires filling. It is filled by materialism dug out from another hole that was filled by same.

Time. The finite continuum. The distance between life and death, day and night, young and old, wounds and healing, dreams and reality,...

Opportunity. The beautiful woman/ man we refuse to chase/ accept because all we see are her/ his flaws, and not the 'Beauty' beneath.

Tears. The waters that flow in the river called 'Emotion'. The 'aquatic' expression of fragility of the human 'Heart'.

Poverty. An arid place of drought, lack and insufficiency. It exists first in the mind where ideas are AWOL.

Friend. Another spelling of LOYALTY. Cannot be used for many. A word that describes the umbilical joining of two destinies.

Sex. A physical portal that opens up into extraterrestrial dimensions that can only be aptly defined by the soul.

Anger. A raging volcano that oft spews the molten magma that destroys whatever lies in its path.

Love. A timeless mystery still being unravelled with each passing day.

Dream. The precursor of reality. What keeps one wide awake at night and seeking new frontiers, uncharted territories of destiny in the day.

Beauty. The product of a well refined, disabused and sharpened mind.

Smile. A little piece of radiant sunshine humans wear on their faces.

Fear. A big bully that stops us from getting what is ours or yearn to have. It snatches away the very things we have in our grasps.

Pride. A colourful mask that impedes one's sound judgement and blinds one from seeing a gaping hole that one can fall through.

History. Humanity so oft does not learn from it, hence its repetition.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

Carpe Diem

He huffed and puffed like the 'Big bad Wolf' in the nursery story of the Three Little Pigs. Only this time, he wasn't trying to bring down a poorly constructed piggy house. He was running. Sweat breaking out on his forehead, every fibre and muscle of his body aching and begging him to stop, he ran.

He had to you see, because a lot depended on the sprint he had embarked upon. At the risk of appearing like a lunatic to the onlooker, he had to race up like one being chased by his greatest fear, all to catch the 7.03am train.

As he turned the corner and got on platform 2B, the last strand of hope he held on to snapped with an almost audible crack, as he watched the rear of the last coach on the train slowly-as if mockingly-ease off on the tracks. He could have sworn it was sticking out its tongue at him!

He had just missed the train. It was by mere seconds that he missed it.

The panic in his heart quickly turned from pandemonium to self retribution as he watched the train leave and as he looked at the information screen that displayed the obvious. Like the 'Harbinger of bad news', the screen told him the next train out to Limboford would be leaving at 9.03am. His job interview at the Giant Corporation was for 9.00am.

Listed as a FTSE 100 company and winner of the TIME 'Most Respected Company of the Year' for 3 years running, the Giant Corporation was the best place to work. He had dreamt about working for Giant Corp since when he was a kid and now that the window of opportunity had finally opened, he had blown it to smithereens, leaving only a wreckage of regret behind.

He might have been able to prove himself at the interview and get the job. After all, he was a brilliant young man, ambitious, with lofty dreams. Now he would have to wait another year to try to get into the prestigious 'Management Trainee Programme'

If only he had been a minute earlier.
If only he had run a little faster perhaps.
If only he had caught the early bus that morning.
If only he had gotten into the shared bathroom earlier, he wouldn't have had to wait for Scott, his housemate, who always took his time in there.
If only he had ironed his clothes the night before, he would have used the bathroom before Scott.
If only he had woken up earlier that morning and not snoozed the alarm three times.
If only he had gone to bed earlier the night before instead of staying up to do the ad hoc research and hurried preparation for the interview.
If only he hadn't spent the better part of the day watching his favorite t.v shows and the game on Channel 4
If only.....

'Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of' -Benjamin Franklin.

The crux of the whole matter is that from sunrise to sunset, dusk to dawn and in between, time quickly fades away.With every wink, every breath, every day that passes, every night we lay to rest, every new season, every holiday, every anniversary.

Every once in a while, I sit back and indulge myself in the reverie of memories. Memories of the immediate past, of growing up and of childhood and what never fails to get me thinking is the fact that so much time has passed so quickly in my lifetime, so much so that I can now count the years in multiples of 10. And all seem just like yesterday.

Who we are and what we become are more or less defined within the confines of how we appropriate our time.

Unfortunately, unlike the many fictional characters of the 'magic box' that have been created, we cannot bend time to create 'The Butterfly Effect'. We cannot hold it still and we cannot travel through it, whether 'Back to the Future' or in competition with 'Dr. Who'.

The most of what we can do for ourselves is make the best of the time that we have, to do the best of what we can. So cliche, but so true- Life is short and every minute counts.

So if there's a dream you have, if there's a task to accomplish, if there's a job to do, if there's a word to say, if there's a feeling to have, if there's a risk to take, an opportunity to grab, if there's some money to be made, if ever there's a life to live, the best time to set about it is NOW!

'Carpe Diem, pluck the day when it is ripe'- Horace.

And one other thing...

'The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.- Rick Warren.

Of Faucets and Sink holes

I stood staring blankly ahead of me, like one transfixed, lost in my own thoughts.

I like to clean, when I can afford the energy and time to do so. I like my things to be in order as much as possible. Yeah, I can be fussy about putting things in order when I'm in the mood. Guess 'little apple'-me didn't fall far from 'my tree'-mum, in that regard.

But there are some times when all I want to do is sit back, relax and just take in the scenery around me.

Such times as this moment, I do not particularly feel like cleaning and I wonder whatever I did to deserve the pile of dirty dishes hideously staring back at me. They appear like they would come together any moment, like some 'evil robot', jump out of the kitchen sink and give me the chase of my life, while shooting grease bubbles at me! (Sigh! There, my imagination running away with me again!).

I revel in such moments.

Rapturous moments in which I can allow my mind wander free, without the reins of duty, responsibility, task or the many issues that spring out from everyday living.

I revel in those 'Golden Moments' that never fail to point to me lessons from the simplest things in life.

As I stood there painstakingly reducing my mountain of dishes, one piece of greasy 'ceramic' after another, my wandering mind came to fix on the open faucet, soothingly splashing and sprinkling warm water on the dishes, making them clean and sparkle. And the sink hole that had nothing to offer, except to suck in whatever the faucet had to give.

The more the 'tap' sprayed and sprinkled, the more the sinkhole sucked and drained!

It didn't matter how much water the faucet sprayed and splashed and even gushed. The sinkhole always drained all.

Don't we meet people that are like faucets and sinkholes everyday?

Faucets:

'Faucets' always have something to give. Always filled with 'bubbly' life, they are that friend, parent, sibling, boss, sub-ordinate, co-worker, spouse, partner, teacher, neighbour that always seems to have a word of encouragement for you when the 'chips are down'. They always wear a smile, they still believe in you even when you make the silliest of mistakes. They comfort you when life hits you hard, they give you a shoulder when you cry. They push you on to reach your goals and live your dreams. They are the little bit of sunshine that shows up on your 'rainy day', people you can lean on. They are the people you can dare to trust with your darkest secrets and weaknesses without the fear of being judged.

History is littered with such people who have given without reservation, some up to the point of paying the ultimate sacrifice.

They make life beautiful.

Sinkholes:

'Sinkholes' consistently take everything that other people have to give or offer, they rarely have anything of substance to offer in return. And they never tire to ask for more!

My message?

Apply yourself to life. Give whatever you hold that could make a difference in someone else's life. It doesn't matter the magnitude of what it is, material or immaterial. A little touch goes a long way. Start from a smile. Work it up, from information, through trust, all the way to love.

Give without reservation, give to the society, give to your generation.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

P.S Californian girl, this one's for you. You're one of the 'sprinkliest' faucets I've met in recent times. So glad our paths crossed.

A Simple Note to You

Imagine a dawn without the sun
Imagine the night sky without the moon
Imagine the firmaments without those brilliant stars

Trees without flowers,
The soil without rain,
Birds without their chirpy songs and brilliant plummage
Rivers without water...

The world without you.

Imagine my world without you.

Thank you for being a part of my world.

Life is beautiful and so are you.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

My Curtina Shoes

I always had a beautiful pair
Mum always made sure
If they ever got worn out at the end of any school term
They always appeared high on the shopping list for the next one
No school day was complete without a pair
Rugged, Reliable, Comfortable
My Curtina Shoes were
It was grand to say: 'Back to school with Curtina!'

The days that I wore my beloved Curtina Shoes
Those were the days of my formation
Those were the days I had not a care in this world
Those were the days of Innocence
Those were the days of my Childhood

Today, Many years down the line, I reminisce
I look back and I remember
When my worries consisted of how to carry my full lunch box and my back pack
And how my favorite cartoon, 'Voltron' didn't start on time!
Or how my paper aeroplanes didn't fly in the direction I wanted them to
And the anxiety heightened by the longing to get yet another toy car on my birthday
And on the other hand how I wanted to be grown up and enjoy all that grown ups did
I couldn't wait to be grown up

I have long departed from my childhood
Many years I have put behind me
Each one taking away a little more of that dreamy childhood
Replacing with Adult life, its many complexities, responsibilities, anxieties and a clearer realization of life and living
Enter: 'The the underlying paradox'

When I was a child I longed to be grown up, now that I am of age, I desire the Innocence and freedom of Childhood.

I miss the days that I could play with reckless abandon
I miss the days that I could sleep without the thoughts of the next day
I miss the days that words like Politics, War, Climate Change, Recession, Redundancy, Discrimination, Deadlines, Budget, Expenses, Relationships,...( You're welcome to populate the list) and all such bore no meaning and held no place
I miss the days of my childhood
I miss my Curtina Shoes.

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

Warmth!

Yet again, got out and and was going my way
Pondering in my mind the events of the previous day
And how this new one would play
The cold wind biting, and threatening to make my clothes fray
I tell myself, 'Surely it must be warmer in May!'

As I sauntered along, my face splayed in grimace
Alas, I almost tripped on my undone shoe lace
Sigh, I did, and bent over to return it to its place
And as i made to get up, I encountered a blessing and miracle for our very human race
A warm burst of sunlight brushed my face!

And it changed everything

My heart raced with excitement
A wry smile spread across my face as I savoured the moment
And sweet memories and thoughts flooded my mind in a torrent
Basking in the sun's warmth as it came in currents

Hmm! I quipped, familiar feeling here!
One absolutely spell binding, like the one in the changed atmosphere
It was only a fraction of a moment before it was clear
The feeling that's had my heart in Cupid's snare

Slowly but surely, my mind wandered

Like the sun's bright light
Tha't how she makes me feel, day and night
Like the warmth of every golden ray
She makes my heart warm, the very same way

Now my day is filled with brightness
My heart beats her name with gladness
Wiping off the gloom, on my face, the sun sparked a smile
Same way she sparks up passion, deep and sure as the Nile

So I whisper to the sun
And in the same breath, to 'The One'

For the first, my body
For the other, my tender little heart

Please keep me warm!

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.

Quo Vadis?

I have often heard that what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

My simple understanding and interpretation of this is that in learning from one's mistakes and past experiences, one can follow a better path to success in life.

At the risk of sounding like a broken gramophone record that repeats/ replays the same ugly sounds from its damaged portion, I'll say it again; Key point to note here is: learning from one's past errors, mistakes and experiences so as not to repeat same and end up in the same quagmire or cul de sac.

But I have seen this evil under the sun!

A nation that refuses to learn from past mistakes, a nation that consistently courts the very devils that have been responsible for her stunted growth and retrogression.

Why am I surprised anyways? When we are still governerned by the same recycled fellows that have always been in the corridors of power. Having nothing new to offer but the same old warped values and distorted visions if any.

Forty nine years after and still counting, we are yet to rise from the ashes of corruption.

Our non existent road networks are still riddled with craters and potholes, never for once ceasing to be the death traps that they have always been. We still dream of steady power supply and other basic infrastructure. Our children learn under the most appaling conditions, when their teachers are not on strike for one reason or the other.

And presently the most annoying of all, we still have long fuel qeues everywhere! And we are an oil producing nation.

Nigeria we hail thee!

I grew up as a child learning up to the point of dexterity, the art of siphoning fuel. Many years after, the fuel scarcities that necessitated this skill are still here, biting just as hard, if not harder.

So when are we going to change?

When are we going to learn from past mistakes?

When are we going to do things differently?

When are our leaders going to brace up to the challenges of true leadership and resume the arduous task of nation building?

When are they going to learn that it is impossible to teach an old dog new tricks?

When will they tell us exactly in what direction we are headed?

When?

Nigeria: Quo Vadis?

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.