The general feeling that comes with the approach of the end of a season is extraordinary. We have all felt this. It’s quite different from the individual series of what we feel. Whether the journey has been awesome or not, that heavenly joy when you know the end is near.

It’s what comes with knowing you’re about wrapping up a phase of life; be it filled with hardship or sweetness. It’s like the anticipation of the relief of rain after a season of dryness. A moment we long for.

For many, the idea of where they’re going isn’t always a challenge especially for a structured journey like schooling or a 24 hour-day. Graduation is all that largely matters to a student and the day will come to an end whether it is wanted or not. I intentionally omitted the cliche “average student” for that kind of description. I know that is expected to describe such, but to be honest, we all desire to be out.

A great deal of possibilities are attached to such endings. It’s a fight for Independence. You imagine a lot of things that could happen at the end of that journey.

Confidence grows knowing parting with the troubles of the journey comes soon. No journey on it own is without trouble,except in the fictional world and in the hand of a poet. We could create a story without trouble but when we open our eyes, we will be back to reality. It’s not possible in the actual term. One of the pushing forces towards the end of a journey is the growing confidence of freedom ahead. The joy of ending after many rough moments. These feelings are better experienced than read. We’ve all had our share, as we’ve all embarked on a journey, no matter how small.

In such moments, we look ahead at heroes that have won and are free, and we ascribe their enjoyment to the freedom, so we fight harder thinking if we win we would be like they are. On the other part, we look at those behind recounting how we’ve passed where they’re now. It’s kinda refreshing. It’s like a short distance race. I was an expert in this in secondary school. I couldn’t run long distance but with short distances I was among the best. The race gets quite exciting and tiring towards the end and many times the last few meters determine a lot. That’s when the joy of finishing pushes the more.

If you’ve ever finished a project, a race or a journey you’ll know this feeling disappears as soon as its done. Quite strange, a certain kind of uncertainty covers the future again. Then we know that what gives the true joy isn’t in finishing that journey really, it’s at that time we realize the vanity of that journey. I fear such moments. When we were about finishing secondary school the feeling was like I described earlier, but when we were done, I felt empty.

It was quite disappointing after few days. Quite uncertain. What definitely comes after is university, but how it will be, no one knows. I’ll miss everything about secondary school but yet I was praying to leave it a few weeks back. All these thoughts streamed through my heart. It was quite challenging. This week I thought deeply about how leaving medical school too will be.

The journey becomes more beautiful when we are conscious of what we’re becoming all along the march to freedom than just targeting the freedom. It’s quite easy to get lost in the race that we don’t keep the consciousness of what we’re becoming gradually. I think if we keep this in view as we march to freedom on any area of life, it becomes sweeter at the end and gives a clearer view of what’s next. Many times when we’re done doing something, we can’t even point out what we’ve become. In reality, many just know that they have to get out of bed and go out.

This is a feeling I’ve fought for years, that no matter how strong the waves of the ocean of the day is, at the end, I won’t just arrive at the seaport but all along something would have formed in me. If we can adopt this, every journey takes a different shape. Every challenge takes a different shape. Every day takes a different shape. We aren’t just motivated about waking up to see the day but throughout to be conscious of what we’re being molded into is alive and if we feed it enough, no storm of the day could kill it. This is important if life wouldn’t be a continuous series of the feeling I described.

Imagine, you’ve taken a journey to read this. I don’t know what was in your mind when you started but any time you start things like this have a consciousness that you’re going through it to become something. The real target isn’t to read it to the end, that’s not it. The real target is to be conscious of what we become along the journey rather than the end of the journey.

nicholasoluwaseyi6@gmail.com

My parents divorced when I was 10 years old. I stayed with my mother for a year before moving to live with my grandparents. Life was so unbearable for me. That’s when I know the essence of parents in the life of a child.

My father left for an unknown destination while my mother doesn’t care to know how I was surviving. I kept struggling with my life while my parents were somewhere else living theirs.

I hated my parents so much for what they did to me. I couldn’t let go of it. I thought within myself that maybe because they are poor, that’s why they divorce. I made a promise to myself that I must take revenge on my life by being rich. But the agony and madness of me not going to forgive my parents is still there.

January 2018, I lost my mother. Three days to her death, she asked me for forgiveness. But because I was still angry with her, I couldn’t forgive her till she died. This compounded my agony. I kept asking and blaming myself why I didn’t forgive her. Now I feel tormented.

Unforgiveness is a poison to the soul. These days, it is very rampant. The grudges many people abhor is eccentric. We live in a world where siblings are keeping malice with each other. This is why we have many broken homes.

Though there are some situations that are very difficult to let go, it makes no sense to hold on to what doesn’t add value to your life.

Power of forgiveness.

Everyone has a story to tell. People will definitely offend you in so many ways but it’s not enough to hold on to it. The more you hold on to it, the more you remain bitter.

Although forgiveness is a choice, it is freedom. We are created in such a way that anytime we abhor someone in mind, we are tormented.

But forgiveness is an active process in which you make a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings whether the person deserves it or not.

As you release the anger, resentment, and hostility, you begin to feel empathy, compassion and sometimes even affection for the person who has wronged you.

Studies show that some people are just naturally forgiving. Consequently, they tend to be more satisfied with their lives and have less depression, anxiety, stress, anger, and hostility. But people who hang on to grudges are more likely to experience severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other health conditions.

According to a survey by the Nonprofit Fetzer Institute – ”62 percent of American adults say they need more forgiveness in their personal lives.”

I have no idea of what you are going through, let go if it brings nothing but bitterness. It’s for your own good. Life is a gift.

Live it.