Congo (Photo credit: robynejay)
I left work quiet late and rushed to pick my kids from school, when we got home, I quickly rustled some food together and we had a hearty lunch. I decided to take a nap before going back to my home office and get some work done but I couldn’t sleep so I came back to the living room.
6.30 pm:
Reclining on my favourite sofa while surfing through different television channels and suddenly the unexpected happened, we were plunged into darkness. My children looked confused because it’s never happened before and I was too.
I was not ready for that so for the first ten minutes or so I just sat in that darkness completely nonplussed and indecisive. My kids were firing fusillade of questions at me but I had no answer for what had happened.
By the time I sprang into action, my kids were getting used to it and after a series of phone calls, I was able to find out a few facts. We weren’t alone in that situation, our whole street was in darkness so it was a major problem and it would take a while before the problem could be rectified. Though we slept in the cold without heating, at least we were safe. By the next morning everything was back to normal but the experience stayed with me and brought a lot of scenario to the fore.
Life is very unpredictable and that is a predictable fact. Sometimes, what we don’t plan for could derail our lives in unimaginable ways. My electricity going off was a minor issue you might say but sleeping in the cold and not been able to cook for my kids wasn’t a pleasant experience but what about people in war-torn countries? How would they survive living in fears for their lives knowing the next moment could be their very last? How do they survive living in such inhumane and brutal condition?
In the Democratic Republic Of Congo, rebels are instigating another round of fighting and people are fleeing their homes, it was totally unexpected, lives are ruined because people have been forcefully ejected from their homes, livelihood would be none existence, it was like survival of the fittest and none of them signed up for it, just a few bigoted fools who believed they can plunge their country to war at will are responsible for such atrocities. I can go on and on but we should just be thankful for little mercies we have, many people aren’t so lucky and many of these innocent people did not ask for war but it came to them unexpectedly.
How do they cope? I have no idea but it breaks my heart knowing right now as I write this post a little girl might be living in fear for her life!
When life throws something totally unexpected at you, how would you react?
Thank you all for reading this post!
Seyi Sandra David 
I am also amazed when I hear the horror stories and I’m upset because my lattee isn’t the right temperature , I’m so blessed and I need stories like this to remind me of how great my life is!!
Thanks for your comment Fred, one should always be thankful.
Isn’t that what life is? A perpetual series of unanticipated events? Some great some small. I suppose it is all relative to how we live and how much we value continuity. One thing is for sure, I count myself grateful to have never experienced those types of events you described in the Congo. I am unsure how I would respond.
You are right, I don’t know how I would have responded too which made me more tolerant to the little hiccups life might throw at me when I least expected. Thank you for reading my post and your insightful comments!
Cheers-:)
I’ve nominated you for The Blog of the Year 2012 Award! Have a look at my post for information about it. http://wp.me/p2DnTA-uw
Thank you for the honour, I am grateful, thanks again!
You’re welcome!
You have given me some things to think about. I am guilty of taking the smallest things for granted and not thinking about how others my react to what I feel is nothing. Enjoyed the post.
That’s good Katrina, I am pleased you enjoyed reading the post and thanks for your comment, it is appreciated!
I did my youth service in an Advertising agency where I earned 20,000 Naira apart from my allowance and I was told I was lucky to be earning that amount. My replay was “don’t call me lucky” while I was being called lucky because I was earning 20,000 Naira, I knew of my colleagues who were earning 150,000 but I was also not blind to the fact that some others where earning nothing.
My point is, life would always have the unfortunate, the privileged and the just living. These stages are not permanent. it is the duty of those in the category of the privileged and the just living to always think of the unfortunate and help them out.
Your post has effectively reminded us that there are people in worse situations and we should while being grateful for what we have, strive to make their situation better when we can.
Nice write up Seyi.
Thank you Fikayo for that insightful comment. I totally agree with your point of view. Life is unpredictable, and there would always be times when things are tough and times when things are ‘alright’ and great etc. I believe our attitudes to life is the most important – it helps us, in more ways than one! Thanks for your visit, I truly appreciate it!
Much love. 🙂