Devotion 2

 

If I could have been currently living my teenagehood nightmare, I could have been a sad, little adult, probably wallowing in an impending quarter life crisis, owning a studio apartment somewhere in the rancid side of the city and deeming myself rich because I would have been possessing a Surrounding sound system and a bath tub and also, preparing homemade wine cocktails every Sunday night.

My love life could have been a dull affair, with pathetic dosages of sex twice or maybe thrice a week, depending on the availability of my undeserving could-be lover. My consolation could be majorly inclined to booze and karaoke nights once every week after dealing forty five hours a week with a foul-mouthed, misogynistic boss, immersed in tribalism and chronic narcissism. I always pictured that my boss would be an old, grumpy man with a bald head, a goatee and a proud owner of a pair of brown khaki pants that had to go through the torture of being unwashed for two consecutive weeks!

My teenage mind was a messed up design that could have landed me into an unforeseen misery but thanks to the Good Lord, that nightmare shall eternally remain in the dungeon.

In case you have been waiting for an update on how my life is currently unfolding, gently pick your butt up and move. I can exclusively justify that I have made numerous decisions so far. A number of which have made me wet the pillow at night and caused me long hours in the bathroom but some that have also been refreshing and quite inspiring.

One time I decided life was better and more pleasing without the positive guidance of a more experienced person and that might have been the greatest misstep I ever made. Another time I was led to accept a dubious idea that I was not cut out for peace and comfort and so I decided that a reckless life was mine for the taking.

Tragedies happen to everyone, how you handle them is the answer to who you are and to the limits you can reach. It would be pitiful for you to be the one whom they take down instead of refining. I have gone through my share of dark moments in the past few years and I recently decided to do away with the weeping and the gloom and settle for normal breathing, positive vibes, light and a fire body instead.

Never even for one time had I ever taken a wide thought on my health and fitness until early this year, the lockdown period helped with that remarkably. It was a tough decision to come by and I am still recovering from the nasty words people threw at me when I was beginning to work out. The ignorant squad thought I was too skinny for it but look at me now, I can do twice what an average man can do at the gym and unfortunately, some people's boyfriends are in that list.

 

Even though sometimes I have to deal with muscle cramps and the thought of rising before sunrise to show up at the gym, I have a strong conviction that my main purpose for being on the attendance list is being attained and I am earning more than I am losing.

It also came to my attention that my level of alcohol intake was gradually increasing. Of course, nobody noticed because people like me are not great at showing off bad habits and also no one ever seems to mind other people's business when the latter is hurting themselves. I have never been an addict and I thank God for that but I needed to draw myself away from the bottle and #90DaysAlcoholFreeChallenge came at the most opportune moment. The lockdown and the shutdown of bars helped greatly with this too.

I entered the challenge with a sober mind and a clear conscience. No one coerced me into depriving myself of alcohol for ninety days and I think that is one solid reason why I remained true to my pledge until today, the 90th day of the challenge.

I have dealt with quite several hurdles throughout the period but my loyalty and upright devotion are what I need to draw attention to. It is not an easy task for an average adult with a free mind and a sense of revelling to sacrifice the one, easily accessible source of leisure and settle for discomfort and pain but it was worth it. I honestly feel more fit and robust, I can run five kilometres non-stop and lift multiple kilograms of weight, I could never do that before.

I am largely grateful and would like to send a big thanks to Amisi Frasha for coming up with the great challenge, Detox Africa for keeping me going and to the entire team of The Tribe for sharing their experiences and for being part of the radiance that lit my path. I also want to thank me and my body especially and I hope the days ahead will be marked with lesser alcohol consumption and more wellness.

Photo by mr. lee