Hello, Happy Sunday to you. I trust that you are fine. This blog turned two years old within the past week and I am indeed grateful to God for the journey so far.
I shared *one , a post I wrote when this blog clocked one with my friend Tammy and he asked, why didn’t you write another one for this anniversary?
It hadn’t occur to me to do so, in fact, reading that post I wrote a year ago made me quite emotional, those rare moments.
I said to myself why not.
So, this is ‘two’.
Tonight, I’m lying face up on my bed in a dark room with the only source of light coming from my phone(I’m the light of the world, I know). My knees are propped against my body and I am typing with my phone at 12:19 am.
This is it. Nothing overly glamorous like you might have imagined, you know, laptop, glasses, bottle of water, light, pen, deep look, all those things that come to mind when the word ‘writer’ pops up like a google ad in your mind. This is me, Victory Osarumwense(Osas) writing.
This has almost always been how it happened, using the little I have in sometimes, very uncomfortable positions, but I’m so glad, I’m super glad about the lives that are being transformed; one word at a time, one line, one sequence, one insecure hand pushing publish behind a phone screen.
See, it doesn’t happen like the loud rushing of water against glass windows. It creeps in slowly, pint by pint, the change, the impact, the inspiration, don’t let them deceive you, this, is how it happens.
I have spent money on data, time on writing, pride on sharing and popping up in people’s faces, insecurities on ‘what if they don’t like it?’, fears on what if I lose that magic?…i have spent all these, but not gained a single naira yet… I am rich. I say this, not only as a faith declaration with feet rising sharply following the swift command of knees jerking toward the voice from the pulpit. This is me, naked soul spelling the truth out to you, bare.
Many well meaning people have asked me to ‘monetize this thing’, get a proper website and get paid for views, the suggestions were coming in like rapid rain falls following each other and I wanted to do it. Find a way to make some money from this stuff. It kept me up at night, trying to figure out the nooks and crannies of building a proper site, the cost implication etc. but my dear, I had to sit still because life is in seasons and i wasn’t going to push this one too hard.
I would not even lie, it hasn’t been easy staying committed. On some days, I don’t ‘feel’ like putting up a blog post, I simply felt tired of doing the same thing, staying committed, phone battery running down, not designing a flier, being on the move.
Although there were many moments of excitement when I just couldn’t wait to share a new write up with you, these ‘unexcited days’ when i just wasn’t feeling it were worth it. I know this because of the joy in my heart when one person testifies that…”this post blessed me” or ‘I’m inspired’…or anything of that sort.
Did i forget to mention how I noticed I wasn’t writing short stories as often as before and began to worry a little…and how I looked back and noticed growth but didn’t know when exactly the shoot sprouted from the ground.
Did I tell you that because I didn’t hear an earthquake, you know, that shaking that leads to a running over, i thought nothing was happening? Did I tell you about the random people that have looked at me and said to themselves, I need to find purpose, Veekhy, I think this and this is my passion?
Did I tell you about every post being an opportunity to grow, sow and blow(forgive me, that’s for rhyme effect)? Did I tell you about Breathe spoken word collection(Ep) released on my birthday and the shadows I had to run from? Did i tell you about waiting, praying, losing my folder of unpublished write-ups?
Did I tell you that the wealth, I’m talking about is not quantifiable?
That my gifting is not mine alone, so I’ll keep on keeping on? That when dark clouds gather and darkness clothes the environment, I eagerly anticipate the rain.
Yes, I sometimes feel tired, but I’m gonna keep on walking.
So Tammy, Blessing, Sam, Amara, Maro, Gbolahan, you…a tear just fell from my eye and I’m not even crying.
This is two. Nothing fancy.
*yawns, drops knee and rolls over to fall asleep.
Ps: You are such a huge part of this journey. I ❤ you and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Look around you. Have you noticed that ‘ordinary’ people are doing extraordinary things. What are you waiting for? Perfection, a platform or a huge audience applauding you?
Take #BoldSteps and change the world with one unsure foot in front of another.
#BoldSteps segment on this blog would on a monthly basis help you meet young people who are changing the world in their own little way. Last month’s episode where we met Emeka was indeed exciting, but watch out for this month’s episode. #BoldSteps; one foot in front of another.
