STROLLING STORM

I was discussing with a friend recently, and the conversation was centered on the relativity of storms and how often issues stroll into our lives absolutely uninvited. I mean, problems walk to our refrigerator and nibble on everything available, bringing with him or them (one could never tell its gender) the different shades of drama and palava (a well-known Nigerian slang).

A storm is commonly seen as raging, havoc-causing, and plans crippling; this in itself is relative as people react differently to the issues of life. Some people have been dealt with a lot, and they could not be the least bothered when something happens to them out of the blue. While for some, especially those who have been shielded from the issues and do not have the natural capacity to handle problems, will be broken by something little.

Problems could be unexpected. It could be intentionally caused or be a way for life to remind you that it is still here and needs your attention. But just like other things in life, there are advantages and disadvantages.

Today, the focus is on the positives and not the negatives. I am sure you are already wondering how any positive could come from an experience that carries the traits of hurt, pain, sorrow, or even depression; one way or the other, all of us have experienced a storm, either chaotic or crippling.

Though storms have different ways of happening, some spring up from the blues while some stroll in like they own the place, well today, we are going to be focused on strolling storms.

Ever been at that point in your life where Nigerians will typically say "the shege (problems be it financial, marital, etc.) I was currently experiencing did not finish before another one showed up. Yeah! I thought as much. It feels like everything is happening in your life at once. For some, it could begin with losing their jobs or their houses, spouses, children, and investments, and the list is endless. At this point, seeing any light at the end of hope's tunnel is almost impossible one would be lost for options or solutions or the clue even to know where to begin.

Having flogged the effects of storms enough, I think it is time to find a shock absorber my friend calls "a bulletproof vest for life's storms," a life jacket will suffice.

Pastor Joyce Meyer, in her book "the battlefield of the mind," explicitly explained that the arena where the most magic or battles, as she puts it, happens is in our minds, hence the title of her book. I somewhat agree with her that the human mind is powerful, and from them, we give life to the issues we have come to experience. We can also see evidence of this stipulation in the bible in proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life."

Before certain things take a course and have a drastic effect, our mind ought to have accommodated it, acknowledged it, and interpreted it in such a way that it takes shape and direction. I say this; to say that our financial issues may have emanated from a point in which we agreed within ourselves that spending on that shoe was a wise decision or that the investment deal could not have gotten any better. The same goes for every other area of our lives, whether it concerns our health, family, career choice, etc.

We need to work on our minds as we have come to establish them as the genesis of most of our problems. We need to feed our minds with good knowledge, which could be broken down into songs, books, articles, conversations, etc. These bits and pieces of facts gathered in the time of peace enable us to have a wealth of knowledge to pick from when faced with the issues of life. Others may have walked the same path as us. They have been kind enough to document their experience and solutions in a book, film, or documentary. If curious enough, we would most likely not have to make the same mistakes they made in their own time, saving us resources and the energy to do what has already been done.

But if you belong to the category of people who say no one has walked your path before and there is no document or information to help you. Your daily interactions with strolling storms will prepare you for great things to come. So how about you turn your view towards the little happenings or issues in your life and begin to see them as training. You can also see it as a temporal thing. You can also see those issues as things that do not last forever.

With this mindset, life could cause you a lot. It could even attempt to sway you from your goal but! because you are always prepared for it, you will always come out smiling.

I think I have said too much in today's episode until I come your way again, for now, it is goodbye.