Thread by @nwaoma007

To Everything There Is A Season

1./ Is it me? Or is the world becoming too full of pressure?

I was having a conversation with my 15 year old son who will sit for WAEC next year. He advised me to start building his 9 year old sister’s CV.🤷‍♀️

2./ I’m like; “Huh?🙄🙆🏾‍♀️ Award-winning son said what? Build a CV for a 9-year old?”

According to him (he’s on the basketball and football team in his school), he didn’t start early enough to build his CV because he ‘didn’t know.’ But he wants us to start early for his sister.

3./ She plays football and basketball and she swims. She also studies piano and the violin. But he wants us to add some kind of community/volunteer work. If possible some literary stuff.

I’m like; “Guy?!?! Chill for Jesus. This kid is 9. You’re 15.

4./I get that colleges like all these things and they count but damn!

Enjoy your childhood. I know you love the stuff you’re doing. Keep doing the sport and all because you love it, but please let down your hair and be a kid. Soon enough life is going to come at you,

5./ and it will come pretty fast. I take God beg you guys. Relax.”

Now I know this may seem counter-intuitive. I know people whose teenagers have CV’s that look like they’re about to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company. But after that what next?

What next?

6./You get into university and every break is an internship.

You graduate Summa cum Laude?

Or with a 1st class?

Then what?

Graduate degrees? Then the hunt for that great job? You get recruited because you’re in the top 5% what next?

Or you set up that business? What next?

7./My point is there is always another laurel to be chased. Shouldn’t we moderate ourselves in the pursuit of excellence and success?

I think there’s too much pressure on young people and people in general to achieve these days.

We’re all on some wild treadmill.

8./ We rarely get off to look around and notice the flowers.

Life zooms past us. We promise ourselves that we will do it later.

When is later? 20 year old fun isn’t the same as fun at 45 years.

It’s funny when I hear people in their 20’s lament that they are behind.

9./Behind on what please?

A small percentage of people will get wealthy enough to retire in their 30’s,40’s 50’s whatever. They won’t be the majority.

Most of us will need to be doing something or the other well into our70’s. Knowing this, isn’t it important to pace ourselves?

10./ To live life while we chase the laurels?

I showed my son my shelves of books last night, I regaled him afresh with tales of my youthful shenanigans. I told him how these days, the window to be totally carefree is limited because now I have adult responsibilities.

11./ I enjoyed my youth and while I may look back and smile, I don’t want to go back. There are few things I wanted to do that I didn’t have a go at.

To everything there’s a season.

There’s a time to be a kid and a time to take up the mantle of adulthood.

12./ In and amongst raising responsible children, I want them to remember that they are children and to make the most amazing childhood memories they can.

There’s no second bite at the apple. One go. That’s all we get.

#TGIF Make an amazing weekend.
😊✌️