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Atoke’s Monday Morning Banter: Finding Your Happy Place

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As I packed up my computer at the close of business on Wednesday, letting out a whoop of joy, I was ready for the holidays. I had a faint idea of what I was going to talk about this morning. I was going to tell you guys about the amazing weekend. I was going to be very careful about not mentioning that it was my birthday on Saturday and I was going to talk about the amazing-ness of my new favorite pastime – Watching football!

I’ve recently taken to watching football and contrary to what all my friends believe about it being boy-induced… it’s actually induced by a girl! My friend, Aishah, watches all sorts of  sports on TV and she’s so passionate about it. It got me thinking… what kind of writer doesn’t have an all round knowledge of sports?  I mean, I’m not saying I’m ready to know how scores are counted in Tennis or the dynamics of the car Vettel is driving, but the least I can do is know the basics.

Anyway, you get the point. I had this post on lock down and then yesterday morning I read about the bombings in the North and I thought about the fact that sometimes life just gets depressing. You hear stories every day which make you want to just throw in the towel. You probably get to work and find a pile of to-dos! Or there’s an incompetent superior who’s trying to get you to take the fall for his/her ineptitude. Life is difficult but we have to trudge on. So I sat there feeling helpless and wondering when we would have a reason to smile as a Nation. We all have to find our happy place and hold on to that light of hope that change will come whether in our generation or in our children’s.

Where’s my happy place?  It changes from time to time depending on what my state of mind at that point. The first time I sought out my happy place was the first time I had to go to Kwara State on my own in JS.2. My parents,  in their attempt to liberate themselves, decided that it was time for me to know where the Kwara Express line was in Iddo. My first trip to Ilorin was HELL! If you’ve ever traveled interstate by public transport in Nigeria you’ll have an idea of why I needed to FIND my happy place. With a mother who had two kids on her lap and one standing between her legs, while trying to use ‘style’ to push one of the kids in my direction “Sit with your Aunty”. I sat there in shock wondering when I acquired nieces  and looked away. Then there was the guy who needed to buy everything that was on sale at every stop. Lagos-Ibadan-Fiditi-Oyo-Ogbomosho-Ilorin. There was the accompanying farts and body odors as well and it was the hardest I’d ever prayed for a journey to come to an end. Muttering ‘mind over matter‘ about 300 times till sleep finally came for me was the only way I got through that horrendous experience. I found my Happy Place in SnoozeVille.

My point? No matter how bad things get, and no matter how hard and tough it looks like it’s going to get, we have to find that one thing that keeps us happy and alive. Think about a happy place, real or imagined, and hold on to it.

Have a great week guys and don’t let anything bog you down okay?

Oh and don’t forget to share your happy place with us.

Photo Creditmadamnoire.com

You probably wanna read a fancy bio? But first things first! Atoke published a book titled, +234 - An Awkward Guide to Being Nigerian. It's available on Amazon. ;)  Also available at Roving Heights bookstore. Okay, let's go on to the bio: With a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Swansea University, Atoke hopes to be known as more than just a retired foodie and a FitFam adherent. She can be reached for speechwriting, copywriting, letter writing, script writing, ghost writing  and book reviews by email – [email protected]. She tweets with the handle @atoke_ | Check out her Instagram page @atoke_ and visit her website atoke.com for more information.

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