LIVE in the moment
I had scheduled my mind to come up with a feature story on COVID-19 pandemic and its impact but I figured out by now you may be suffering from information overload. So let’s talk about something else.
How happy are you?
One of my great memories of growing up with my grandmother was being sent to a neighbor’s kitchen to borrow fire in the morning (It may be familiar to some).
As I got a few embers into a metal plate or tin, I had to run back quickly and deliver my hot contents before the fire holder got too hot or the few embers burnt off. It was an amazing sight to see the ‘transfer’ of these fiery embers bring in new life and pleasure in our hearth. A fire brought life and happiness to all. Hold onto that thought about the fire – we will revisit it later.
But for now, that same happiness is elusive in our daily lives. We have our own definition of happiness and further, we take what we have for granted.
The following events may look unrelated but they are. Look closely.
But wait.
Disclaimer! Have you washed and sanitized your hands? Good. Put on your face mask now. Great. Let’s continue.
Just follow the time frame.
Friday. 0727hrs
As I was headed to work, several events along the 42km Thika Super Highway made me reflect about how happy and contented I was, with life.
Thika Road minibuses are synonymous with playing loud music in the morning. I don’t know who advises them or which mass communication book they borrowed this idea from. The music is way too loud to even concentrate on anything. The only thing you are left to do is staring outside the window. The lady who sat next to me had just received a call from her friend from the hospital. It was a baby boy. Zealous is an understatement to describe her excitement from the other end. She was clearly shouting on phone so I didn’t struggle to eavesdrop.
A new soul had just arrived. The world population had increased by one.
By now, the minibus was cruising at a speed of about 70kilometres per hour. Hawkers inside the bus had already ‘opened shop’ and business was on full throttle; water bottles, sweets, chewing gum, ID card holders – anything.
0749hrs.
As we approached Kenyatta University Funeral Home, still along the Thika Super Highway, I couldn’t help notice a family in agony by the morgue entrance. A group of about four women were comforting a middle-aged woman – whose face was inscribed with pain and her midnight black blouse was soaked with tears. She was wailing in local dialect. “… God, why did you have to take him so suddenly…” she lamented.
The family had come to take their kin for the last sendoff. Someone had passed on. The world population had decreased by one.
0821hrs
Safari Park Hotel along Thika Super Highway is the ideal wedding destination for most people, including me. The 5 star hotel has successfully branded itself as one of the most sought-after destinations for couples seeking to experience a garden wedding. Beautiful, well-manicured lawns and traditional cuisines – I mean! By the hotel’s main gate, there was a fleet of well decorated high end cars making their way into the facility. Red ribbons matched with aqua blue balloons. It must have been an affluent wedding, judging by the vehicles.
But yes. This was a wedding. Someone was getting married.
0845hrs
Our minibus makes its first stop to alight a passenger around the KCA University, still along the Thika Super Highway. Traffic snarl up had already started building up. When the minibus comes to a complete stop, the tout quickly alights to help a lady put her luggage onboard. She looks disgruntled. Hey eyes brimming with tears and angry to the core. I looked at her face and my-oh my – she was beyond livid. The matatu tout tries to engage her in a light conversation but he is met with defiance. The lady in red later responded to the tout and revealed that she was going back to her parents’ home.
I couldn’t help but wonder what her husband had done to her. Someone had terminated her marriage.
You see someone wants that job you always complain about. When someone is born another one is fading. When you sign that marriage certificate someone else is wishing they never got married.
Remember the borrowed fire?
Everyone was generous to share their fire. Be a helping hand in this season. You lose nothing by sharing with others. A neighbor’s fire did not lose its potency for sharing it out – Sometimes it would even burn brighter after being shared out. The fire lender today may be the fire borrower tomorrow. We need each other – everyday. As we go through these uncertain days, may I urge each of us to take some moment to consider how to ‘start’ one another’s fire.
Such is life. Live in the moment, and while at it, say a prayer – it surely helps.
Feature story by: Steve Maina (Rtr) | Rotaract Club of Nairobi Central
