I am slim. Well, some people think I am thin, but I vehemently
disagree. Despite my disagreement, I have made it a point to jog for about 30
minutes at least 3 days of a week. I decided to do this because I developed a
habit of eating very late in the night. As result of that poor eating habit, I
think I saw a little bulge develop below my chest and above my abdomen. Others
thought otherwise but I wasn’t ready to be that slim guy with a pot belly.
Imagine how awkward and awful I’d look. In this era of the packs; 2, 4, 6 or 8,
and with all my faculties working effectively, why would I want one big pack
preceding my every movement?
My alarm clock woke me at 5:00 am today for me to hit the road and burn
those accumulated calories. After snoozing for 20 more minutes, I rose from my
bed, changed into my jogging kit, and stepped out for the jog. Something didn’t
seem right today. It was the weather. I looked up and saw the clouds had
gathered and was showing off the pale orange colour it usually does when God
decides to bless us with early morning rain.
I was just about to break into a jog when two drops hit my forehead in
quick succession. I looked up, shook my head and went back indoors. I didn’t
realize it at first, but after performing my ablutions and dressing up to face
the day’s hustles, I stepped out and noticed that it didn’t rain! The sky
showed not the slightest of semblances of what it threatened earlier; it was as
bright as a smile from a damsel. I looked at my tummy and could only manage a
head shake. “My goodness!! and I didn’t burn those calories?”
On my way to work, my mind drifted widely – results of my folly. I
allowed it to drift much as it wanted without trying to stop it. It wandered
till it settled on one thing; placing premium on our surroundings.
More often than not, after engaging in that painstaking and torturous
experience of taking a very bold decision to start up a company, marry that
individual God brought your way, pursue that academic course etc… we shelve it
when something ‘trivial’ rears its head just before embarking on the
journey.
Ghana is currently a strong participant in the economic meltdown that
seems to have embraced us again. The cedi has taken a nosedive, prices of goods
and services are hitting the roofs, unemployment rates are spiraling upwards,
demonstrations hitting a crescendo etc… To quote a friend, “the future of this
country looks bleak”.
Interestingly, if one were to visit the Registrar General’s Department,
one would be amazed at the number of companies that are being registered every
day. A quick stop over at the DVLA offices will reveal a bizarre sight; fresh
‘tear rubber’ vehicles waiting to be registered. Some businessmen are also
making the most out of our current national crises, and being rewarded
handsomely. What do these people know that seem to have eluded the rest of the
working class? I don’t, for a second, believe that it is called ‘luck’. These
are men who have planned thoroughly what they intend to do, acquired the
requisite training or knowledge, faced some serious obstacles, probably failed
a lot of times, picked up and dusted themselves off, kept walking, and viola!
They are making it big time, even in the face of these challenges.
Well, we call them challenges, they call them opportunities! They pay
no attention to their surroundings. They’d never move if they did. They’d be
stuck waiting for the clouds to disperse, and the rays from the sun piercing through
to illuminate their paths, which may take forever to happen. My former boss
made a very profound statement one day. He said, “to be sure in life, you are
late”. If you are waiting for the coasts to be clear before making a move, you
better not make that move, for you might regret it.
If I’d not looked at the weather, nor paid any mind to those two drops,
I’d have been fitter than I was when I wrote this piece. I’d have had a flatter
tummy, and the packs wouldn’t take a longer time to appear. The light is green,
JUST GO….don’t look in the rear view or side mirrors. You may be discouraged by
what you see if you did. Daddy Lumba’s latest tune ‘Yentiee Obiaa’ will come in
handy during the drive.
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