Hello, everyone.
Welcome to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learners' featured post. Sometimes we feel the sail will be all smooth until we come into contact with the tides and storms. That's when we realize things don't always go as planned. How we react to the storm determines how strong we come out of it, or if we don't come out of it at all. Hard times are believed to make us strong, but it all depends on how we react and handle the situation. Sometimes hard times break an individual, and after it, they become someone else and never go back to who they used to be.
designed in canva.
We should always be prepared for what's coming. If you are prepared, you stand a better chance of coming out strong in the end, but if you are taken unaware, then tough times might break you. Motivational speakers say tough times don't last, but some of us have been through the longest, and we thought it was never going to end because there was no sign of light at the end of the tunnel. We all have at some point experienced tough times; it's not a pleasant experience, but the lessons we are taught help us navigate through life.
I have experienced a lot of tough times, and all left me with a lesson, some with my entire family and some alone while in school, but in all, we came out strong. How we handle and react to tough times determines how we come out of them, either broken by them or toughened by them. A friend of mine will always say, Don't give tough times the room to get you broken; once broken, you can't heal from it, and even if you manage to, you won't feel like yourself.
That one tough time happened in 2017, when my dad, who is a salary earner, decided to start up a business since he was convinced that the only way to attain financial stability was by having multiple streams of income. We were all happy that he finally accepted to start a business. At least that way he can help the family since the little salary was not enough and mom had to shut down her own business because we moved from Yobe State to Cross River State.
So we all depended on the salary for everything, so we decided to cut down on spending and all so he could participate in a contribution, and when it was his turn, he would use it to start up the business. Everything went smoothly, and he got quite a lot of money. But the business he had in mind was to bring down perishable goods from the north, but a friend told him the losses in the business he might not be able to bear, and confusion stepped in. Now we have the money but are confused about which business to start.
He shared his problem with a pastor, and the pastor introduced him to a church member who promised to help him start up the importation of electronics, as the money he had at hand was huge enough to start that kind of business. The guy said he has been in the business for a long time; once church or a pastor is involved, African parents are easily convinced, and my dad handed this brother the money. That was the last time we heard from the brother; he disappeared, and weeks later it was discovered he auctioned his property and left town.
This is how tough time came knocking. My elder sister in the university needed her school fee and accommodation fee to be paid, as well as feeding. We back home needed money to feed and pay the school fees of those still in high school. I just sat for my jamb exams and waiting for admission, needs here and there. Salary came, and everything was sent to my sister at the university, leaving us back home with nothing. Even feeding as an entire family became a problem. My mom owns a cassava farm, and we went in and processed garri for a whole week. All we ate was garri.
It wasn't a funny experience, but lessons were learned. We reached out for help from both uncles and aunties, but none came through for us. Some even raise your hopes by asking for an account number but send you nothing at the end of the day. This is when I learned that no one is coming for you; you just have to keep struggling until you find your way.
The period also taught me that an uncle or aunty owes you nothing; if they decide to help, fine, and if they don't, it's their choice and their money. Don't feel entitled to help from anybody because you are related.
Thanks for reading my post.