Chisom Pascaline: Sometimes, Life Doesn’t Follow Our Plans

Jennifer always had big dreams. From the moment she could string words together, she imagined herself on the global stage as an award-winning poet, a celebrated novelist, and even a Nobel Laureate like Wole Soyinka. She wanted to graduate from the university at 19, sweep through life’s milestones with brilliance, and live a life that others could only dream about.

But life, as she would painfully learn, does not always move in straight lines.

At 17, Jennifer lost her father. That changed the course of her life forever. As the first of seven children, she watched her mother suddenly carry the enormous burden of raising them all alone. The family’s resources stretched thin. Some siblings had to drop out of school. Jennifer, who was so brilliant and promising, found paying school fees a battle of survival.

Her dream of blazing through university with perfect results dimmed under the weight of financial strain. The strikes that plagued Nigerian universities didn’t help either. Instead of graduating at 19 as she had envisioned, she finished at 21, and painfully without the stellar results she had once imagined.

Graduating should have been a launchpad, but instead, Jennifer found herself grounded. No jobs were waiting for her in Nigeria, or any Mr. Charming ready to sweep her into the fairy-tale marriage she once dreamed about. She didn’t marry until age 27. She waited three years before holding her first child in her arms.

When the children finally came—three beautiful little souls—life handed her another unexpected blow: one of them was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Suddenly, Jennifer was not just a mother; she became a primary caregiver, navigating the emotional and physical demands of raising a child with special needs.

However, at her lowest point, Jennifer turned to God. She told herself the truth about her situation and prayed for grace to continue. That moment of surrender became the beginning of a new chapter.

She realised that maybe life would not give her the straight path she wanted, but she could carve meaning from the curves. She began to write again from her little corner, typing poems and articles on her phone.

Her words came raw and honest: stories of resilience, survival and hope. She began to share them, quietly at first, then with growing boldness. Readers connected with her voice because it was authentic. It came from a place of lived struggle that many Nigerians could relate to.

Slowly, Jennifer began to find her footing again. She became recognised not for the life she had once planned, but for the voice she discovered in the midst of brokenness. She is not yet where she once thought she’d be, but she is on the journey, striving at every given goal, with her words lighting the way for others.

The lesson from Jennifer’s story is that life rarely goes according to our perfect plans, but delays do not mean denial. Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is to keep going when life gives you every reason to stop. Even when circumstances strip away your comfort, you can still share your story and make a difference in others’ lives. Success isn’t always measured by awards or timelines; sometimes, simply choosing to rise each morning and try again is a true measure of success.

Jennifer’s story reflects the experiences of many Nigerian women who have carried more than their fair share of life’s burdens. Yet, it is also a tale of hope, one that shows that even when your dreams crumble, you can rise again from the ashes. She may not have a Nobel Prize, but she possesses something perhaps even more valuable: resilience, authenticity, and a voice of her own. In many ways, that is a form of greatness in itself.

Let Jennifer’s resilience serve as a reminder that every Nigerian woman has a story of hope and strength worth telling.

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