Once in a while, I visit the hospital for check up. On one of those occasions, after explaining the challenge to the consultant, he used his condition to answer my question. He said he has been married for close to 9yrs without a child, and given that it’s his field, he had done everything humanly possible all to no avail. This brought him to the place of epiphany; having a child/children isn’t all there is in life. He buttressed his point by citing several examples of some people having children but lacking the wherewithal to cater for them, and some that such children have become a subject of concern, and others whose day light have been taken away by the preference for one gender over another.
He concluded however by saying; he believes that it is God who gives children, and at His own time, therefore he and his wife have made up their minds to keep hope alive by being happy with the life God has given while paying their dues to each other since they are both medically okay.
True, there’s actually no place of Eldorado on earth than the realm of gratitude. Sometimes the other side looks greener but the reality may be far from it. Other times, one’s position/achievement is another’s prayer request. Truth is, majoring on the minor will empty the essence of life or joy of living. What is the essence of life? It is life itself. Some months later, a friend forwarded a message where the lady he had courted for 3yrs called it off. I knew how devastating it must have been; for ‘all eyes were on him’ to marry on the grounds of nearness to the peak of singlehood, Nigerians colloquially call it ‘manchelor-hood’. I explained to him what quality of life entails; for a man must be alive and healthy first before eating, wearing of shoes, driving a car or even marrying. I urged him to therefore walk in that light. This does not mean abdication or playing the ostrich, it does mean placing the value of life where it ought to be. I enjoin someone out there to toe this line; it may simply be the solution to your sickness, sleepless nights and anxiety. Peace!
