The Serendipitist

One who finds valuable or agreeable things not sought for, that’s me, a voyager at heart!

Hello, amazing readers! Thank you for opening my blog post every month and leaving comments too. I appreciate all the love and support. I wish you an amazing August ahead!

The truth is, this is not the blog post I planned for today. Hence, the title. I just looked through the synonyms for ‘unplanned’ and walked away with ‘serendipity’ which became serendipitist. I worked on something else a week ago but at dawn today, I just couldn’t post it. It felt like I was trying to meet another target rather than do what I truly wanted. So I decided to put that one on hold and post this instead. I will still drop the latter within the month so do not forget to check the box below the comment that reads ‘notify me of new posts’! Now back to this unplanned post of mine.

I think ‘or’ should be ‘and’. Scream and enjoy the ride! 😊

This month has been an emotional roller coaster. I have been frustrated, plans changed, and targets weren’t met. I said yes when ‘no’ blared in my head. I said ‘no’ when all my heart whispered was ‘yes’. I stumbled, I got up, I cried, I laughed. I am human, just like everyone else. 

Then I thought to myself, what do you really want to post? As I said, something else was already prepared to fly today but it just did not feel right. At some point I thought, maybe I should allow this month pass but I couldn’t. I have posted monthly this year and I did not want to break that streak. And that thought begat this post. Truly, July did not go the way I thought it would. But the fact is, it turned out well.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on strike, it has been hell for so many students. Races have been paused and fragile dreams have been cracked. The state of Nigeria is tear-worthy and the Naira is not something you want to think about. The security is “so good” that everyone looks behind their backs expecting an attack at any time. Everything just spells out depression and gloom, but somehow we still have that ray of hope that we run with every day. It is easy to get stuck in counting your losses, what did not go right, how the month ended and many things were left undone. It is easy to dwell on complaints and “let the loss get to your heart” but I chose something different.

I choose to be grateful for what went right, for the things I did not plan for but happened for my good anyway. 

For the deadlines I met and the falls I missed by an inch. For the milestones and the steps I have climbed. I choose to walk in gratitude.

On the other hand, the month might have been fantastic for someone else. Maybe you checked off almost everything on your to-do list. You got new deals, connected to amazing people, finished courses, graduated, found stability and so much more. Everything seems gloomy around you, yet somehow, your high spirits did not suffer a scratch. That’s amazing! July was that season for you and you took it by the reins. Cheers to much more wins! However, do not stand still. Celebrate but like the saying goes, “do not let a win get to your head” and I add, “else you will forget to grow”.

What are you thankful for? 

I am thankful for the little children that run to hug me and almost throw me off my heels in church. They have taught me not to get lost in my head while walking because they could be lurking anywhere waiting to jump. 

I am thankful for the people that surrounded me, physically and virtually. The genuine concern and love make me want to be a better version of myself. Someone they would be glad they are acquainted with.

I am thankful for my mentors, the ones that know and the ones that have no idea that I pay close attention to what they do (dear brethren, this is not called stalking. It is ‘learning from a distance’ ; ) I am super glad to have such practical examples, it makes the assignment easier to understand.

I am thankful for this rain that falls every day though I wonder what it is trying to wash away. I’m just kidding! 

Certaines personnes se plaignent que les roses ont des épines ; Je suis reconnaissant que les épines aient des roses (“Some people complain that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses)»

Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

It is difficult to find rays when the gloomy cloud covers, it is difficult but not impossible. Practice it, when you feel the strings of complaints and curses about to flow, pause, and think, in all this wrong, what went right? I’ll tell you the first one, whatever agitated you did not take your life. Sounds too deep? You would wonder how your subcontractor’s delayed response could possibly lead to that right? Well, I have no idea either but stranger things have happened on this earth. I imagine the worse and use that to remind myself that ‘it could have been worse but it was not.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the part we often try to ignore; including all things in your gratitude. What kind of thanks are we supposed to give for that nosy neighbour that seems to be all over the place in everybody’s business? Or those people that called you names before they even knew your name? Or that dog that bit you for no reason? (It has been about 11 years now but I still don’t understand why I was bitten. It is a really funny story but not today!) The point is, you can put down an endless list of scenarios that do not seem to carry thanks in them. However, the truth remains that 

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. .

Romans 8:28

All things. So the ones we call bad are working together for our good. I hope this post reminds you to count your blessings and carry a grateful heart through every storm and on every stage. Hang in there!

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