Once a year, the calendar indicates that the eleventh month has entered its twenty-seventh day. 27th November!!! Yeah! Yesterday was that day, and it was my birthday.
For persons who usually pick days to take stock of their lives, birthdays and New Year days likely rank higher than other days. Yesterday, I looked back at the past years, and all I could think of, is the continuous learning process that has spanned more than two decades.
An adage says that change is constant. How else can a person’s life change without learning, unlearning and relearning? Without learning, decay sets in as life becomes static.
In my few days, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from a lot of persons. My parents and my family provided the base, then teachers and lecturers in various educational levels, peers, mentors, and strangers. Being inquisitive has kept me constantly seeking information about new things, and trying to know more about the things I already know.
I look back at the non-talking antisocial kid who has now learnt to effectively utilize personal communication to learn from people and to influence people. The kid who didn’t have the patience to teach his younger brother now finds teaching enjoyable. The quick flaring kid now remains calm in the face of provocation. The boy who never wanted to communicate with girls, now faces the incorrect charge of flirting.
It’s easy to smile for the cameras and take all the accolades. After all, to the average person, I’m the one they see changing. However, others behind the scene really deserve much of the credit. Chief among whom is God Almighty. In case you don’t know him, or think he’s a myth, he is my loving Father who has made all I need available to me. Behind him stands all the persons who have counselled me; who have stood by me in different phases of my life. People who have seen me messing up, but still believed that good could come out of me. People who told me bitter truths when I wasn’t ready to listen.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed positively to my life. I’m eternally grateful. The learning process continues. Every day, I know that I become a better me.
Jilomes 