Hope was in the last class of her junior secondary school when she made the quiet decision to keep to herself and maintain a false bravado for the outside world.
She was the girl who had the spare pens and pencils and who always had an unused exercise book to lend out. In her properly washed and well-ironed pinafore uniform, she was the model of an ideal student.
Her caramel coloured face easily broke into a warm smile, showing off her babyish dentition; she was friendly with all and always had a sarcastic remark for the reticent fellows.
This was Hope. Standing lanky at 4ft5″ with short hair cropping her round face, she was a beacon of light to most of her peers.
It wasn’t her book smartness that attracted them, it was the way she seemed to know the exact words to soothe their worries.
She was the relationship counselor to some, academic adviser to others and more dubbed her, life coach.
She had it all going for her… till the reality of life hit.
It was the seemingly little things: classmates borrowing her books and never returning, the snide remarks…
It wasn’t as if the whole class turned against her, it was just the few she thought were close friends who started behaving funny.
This rankled her gentle frame greatly till she decided to just be her own cheerleader—to be on her own.
On the outside, she was still the helpful Hope but the spark couldn’t stretch the distance her heart created, her smile waned.
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Hope’s story cuts me deeply because somehow I can relate. I am a young woman who has had to shut down on the expression of a whole lot of emotions due to past experiences.
The way young people respond to the sinusoidal flow of friendships go a long way in framing how they approach relationships later in life.
Even as older people, it takes a whole lot of grit to ensure you don’t fall into that trap of hardening yourself because of past sourly encounters.
Don’t lose your smile.
Through the course of life, you’ll have to go through countless experiences and they won’t be altogether favourable but make a conscious decision today, not to let any tilt you the wrong side.
Choose to respond to every situation with wisdom; don’t react. This will prove to be harder than the basic act of reading these words but may God enable you to stay true and love, despite all.
This brings us to the conclusion of this series. Did you enjoy them? I trust you enjoyed July, happy new month in advance😘
Remember that I love you and don’t forget to let your light house beam!
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