Change and growth are constant, growth especially. At least change is one thing that we’ve all accepted, and we can’t stop, no matter how hard we might fight it. However, one thing many of us choose to ignore is the power of growth. Growth never stops, whether you’re ready for it or not.
No matter what you’re doing in life or how young you think you are, every minute that you’re alive is a minute that you’ve grown older. And not just you, everyone around you has grown older as well. If you’re on your own, or you’re in a new place, it can be hard to really notice how far you’ve grown or how much you’ve accomplished. However, a little distance always gives a clearer picture.
This is one thing I’ve noticed since I returned home this holiday. The last time I was here was three years ago, ish. However, so many things have changed since then. Many people have mentioned a number of things about me that they noticed have changed, things that I didn’t even notice about myself as well. And in the same vein, I was able to notice some things about others as well.
One of the most shocking realizations hit me hard yesterday when I went to church. This was the church I’ve been attending since my teenage years and as a result, I knew more than 60% of the worshippers there. There were many of them that I attended their naming Ceremony when they were born, I was also in the queue when the parents went for the child dedication. Hell, for some of them, I can remember going to their houses and eating Jollof rice.
However, I returned from school and all these kids have grown. They’re now teenagers themselves and they’re not all that little anymore. It was more like a stark reminder that I’ve grown a lot older in the past years. What makes it even worse is when these kids refer to me as “Sir”, “Uncle”, or “Brother” when talking to me. I know it’s a sign of respect, but it gives me the ick.
It makes me feel really old and I don’t like it. Many times, my peers speak to me and put sir at the end, but we all know that it’s all cruise and play. Even I do it many times. However, when it comes from those who do it simply because they see me as the elderly figure who deserves that respect… well, it reminds me of some of my teachers back in my primary school.
When I first started primary school, we used to call some of our teachers Mummy, Daddy, Uncle, or Auntie, depending on their preferences. However, as I advanced, that changed pretty soon. And if you dared do it, you could be shouted at by the teachers. We eventually adopted the method of calling teachers by their names. Now, I can say that I know how they all felt. No one likes a reminder that they’re getting old.
We all like to think that we’re immortal and as such, we’d be forever young, however, life doesn’t work that way. Whether we like it or not, age comes for us all, we’ve grown whether we’re ready for it or not. And the things we used to be able to do, we’d find that we can do no more, and are instead faced with yet another issue that’s more appropriate to our status in life.
At this point, we can only hope that the older we get, we have our achievements or feats to justify our age. Let it not be that we spent an entire decade or so doing absolutely nothing with our lives. But then, it’s never too late for a fresh start. So, I’m still looking forward to what life has to offer. I’m sure that with time, everything will fall into place.
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