I REMEMBER

I remember those days vividly, the memories of them are as clear as the light that shines in the sky. They were days of blissful ignorance. I knew very little about life and was unmotivated to seek for more, maybe because I was just a boy of five, but I doubt it.

I was born in the days when food was aplenty and we all head to bed with a bellyful, there was no scarcity nor was there inflation in the economic sector. I remember the trees that glistened green at night, and the apple trees that never fail to bloom everyday with pocket of red apples hanging off its branches. Yes! I was a good climber, higher heights was no intimidation, probably because I didn’t know I could die.

I was wise enough to know the feeling of pain, but glory to the creator, I never experienced physical death, so I bask in the oblivion of my childhood and wished things could be that simple, but it never is.

Do you remember your childhood escapade? I am sure you remember because I do. We cherish those memories because of the innocence and beauty that comes with such age that life has not been able to strip away. The joy of playing hide-and-seek or tug-of-war, and for those of us that spent our childhood in villages, it was a time of childish adventure smeared with endless laughter.

We caper from neighborhood to neighborhood, visiting houses of our friends and as we leave, our numbers increased, and our bellies are contented. We exhaust the energy of a sumptuous meal on our way to another house or village. We empty our bowels in bushes. Laughs! We sing songs that reminds us of our heritage. I can still remember some, their lyrics are not far from my lips. What a far-gone days when our lives were unsullied by the cankerworms that has eaten to the very civilization of the world.

I remember the midnight stories when the sun was down, and the moon that sits loftily in the sky. It was such a beautiful time. The breeze was cool, wrapping us in its airy embrace. The stories we listened to then instilled in us the determination to make our family and people proud. I can still remember the story of Moremi and her legendary prowess. What about you? Who did you remember? I will like to know.

What am I trying to say?

Every moment in life is precious. We might not see it now, but we will see it when we leave that junction of our life and move to the next. So, as much as we want to be mature in every situation. Like a little child, let us enjoy every moment of life. We owe ourselves that much.

In God’s Love,

Okunola Peace.