ONE DAY AT A TIME

ONE DAY AT A TIME

I was toiling to make a living and feed my small belly in one of the many semi-arid areas in this vast earth. Every day I would wake up and appreciate the rays of the morning sun as they made me realize that it was the dawn of a new day. The rays also served as a good reminder of my misery as they made me see the many flaws of the rented iron sheet house. That house had no window but it was well lit by the many spaces between the sheets. Birds had occupied one corner of the roof from the inside. It amazed me that they whistled every morning from their humble abode as if they co-owned the house. I got tired of chasing them away and instead resigned to tidying my bed after they dropped some dry grasses that they used to repair their house. When their noises got to my nerves especially at the height of the sweet morning sleep I would scare them away.

Having had no salary for the last two months I really needed something to give me the strength to go on. Every time I looked at the birds a positive thought crossed my mind and I felt that needed to do better that wallow in lamentations and self- pity. The jobless birds never lacked food and they build houses for their young ones yet they owned no land. They seemed to be always on the lookout for the good things that nature had in store for them. It was then that a consoling thought came to me and lifted my spirits. That was the thought of the Maker of the birds being my Maker and most importantly being the one who controls nature. That gave me peace of mind.

Then the two houses directly opposite mine got tenants who made me see life from a very different perspective. They were a man, his wife, his daughter and his grandson. The man was not always present but the other three were always at home. They depended on casual jobs to place a meal on their table. The jobs would earn them USD 2 every day whenever they were available. They would make do with it hoping that they would get a job the following day. The small boy of about two years would always smile at me whenever he saw me and I would play with him from the safety of my house by opening the door and smiling at him then closing a little and peeping at him with one eye. The boy’s laughter tickled my emotions in a manner that is beyond words. This made me miss the innocence and oblivion of a two year-old; living without a single worry.

Of all those experiences, there is one that inspires me to always remain optimistic no matter the circumstances. That is the optimism of these neighbors especially the lady and her daughter who always had hope that all shall be well. If any day passed without the sign of wages coming forth, they would have hope that God had not forgotten them. Thus they would bid the day at hand fare thee well and sleep anticipating waking up to a new and better day. Those are neighbor I shall never forget for they taught me what my lecturers never even hinted; living one day at a time and always daring to eagerly wait for tomorrow with nothing but hope that our Maker never forgets us.