The new bag... It is YOURS

 


On Monday, I sat in a tricycle with a secondary school student. 

It was the first day of resumption, new class, new experiences. I noticed how prim and perfect she looked, but what caught my eye was the tag on her school bag.

The tag that indicated that the bag was new. I smiled. The tag could have been cut out, and you would still know that the bag was new. How? Because it was obvious, and because of the smell that new bags have. 

People would believe it's a new bag even without the tag on it. So who exactly is the reassurance and/or bragging rights for 

Ourselves

For a minute I allowed my mind to wonder, back to over a decade ago, when I too would resume a new session wirh new socks, sometimes new shoes, a new bag, new pack of notebooks, and how excited I felt, ready to show off and get started. 

The Joy would fill my heart, so much that I would wake up really early on that first day...

When I returned to the present, I thought about how we---like that girl in the keke, would leave the tags on ourselves, new acquisition or on a new habit. Not just so that we can prove that it is new, but so that we can assure ourselves that it really is new, and it is ours. 

I also thought about how we lose the very little things that give us joy as we become adults. 

Everything is trivialized and before we celebrate something new, we are on the quest to get another thing.

 We no longer bask in excitement and appreciation. 

Do not silence the voice of your inner child.

Do not turn your life into an unending procurement list.

Take the time to breathe when you tick one off. 

To enjoy the feeling of a new bag. 

And when you do that, make sure to take the tag off. Because it is yours..and you don't need to prove that to anyone. 

See you soon


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rain is my therapy

Image
  The Rain Means Different Things The downpour of rain means a lot to different people. To some, it's a promise of swamps and floods, of tears and fears. To others, it's a sign of fruitful harvests and bountiful prospects. And for some, it's the perfect excuse to be cozy and curled up indoors. But to me… Rain is my therapy. The feel of the cold breeze that precedes the rain sends happy chills through my body. The sound of raindrops on my roof is rhythmic to my ears—like the joyful drums of victory after a long, hard battle. So I step out into the blissful showers. Each drop reminds me that I am present, grounded in the now, becoming who I am meant to be. The rain washes away my pain and quiets my thoughts. It fills me with hope—that no matter how dry or barren life may seem, there is always a promise of rain... Of showers... Of cool. What does rain signify for you?
Read more

I WANT A COOKIE 🍪

Image
  Nothing prepared me for the screech sound that snapped me out of my daydreaming.  I realized that I was walking straight into an oncoming car and the driver had to screech to a halt to avoid crushing me to dust.  “Watch where you are going! You are lucky I wasn't on full speed, these young people”, she grunted as she drove off before she heard my muttered thanks.  I found a place to sit and breathe before continuing my routine daily walk. However this evening was different, I wasn't myself, it felt as though something had yanked out my soul, tied it around my neck and asked me if I wanted a cookie..  Ouu I could really use a cookie right now… arghh..   I shook my head and it brought me back to the present. I had gotten another rejection mail earlier today. It was getting really tiring and with each passing day I think I am slowly inching closer to fading away, because how was I to continue coping with the bills piling up and a stack of rejection emails?...
Read more

You Gotta Be Hungry

Image
  You Gotta Be Hungry.  I've always been minimalistic.  No, let me rephrase that. I grew up believing that spending money on certain things were unnecessary, that money should be saved for important occasions or emergency, that expensive things were unnecessary luxury.  It shaped me into believing that I only deserved the bare minimum and that the urge to get something bigger was born out of discontent and greed.  Until recently I re-learned.  I re-learned that I am deserving of good things, even if they are expensive. I've always operated from a place of lack..  Saying that I couldn't get something because it was too expensive or i could do without it, and it came to pass, I never got them.  But now, I've learned to operate from a place of abundance. To speak what I want into existence. Declaring that I'm deserving of it, I want it, and work towards it.  Your mouth is the key to life and death. To lack and abundance. And when we stay in a pl...
Read more