A feast can come in many blackened pots of party jollof rice. However, it often comes in subtle ways; like when you finish a task that took you months to complete or when you finish examinations after depriving yourself of many weeks of sound sleep.
A feast can cloak itself in many ways but whichever way it comes, it causes your heart to palpitate and stretches the brightness of your smile. Relief always comes with a dire need to relax. For some, it is the need to run into the arms of a loved one, for others, they finally have the chance to watch their favorite movie, and attend the biggest party in town. It’s in the heat of this excitement that we become easy prey to the things that we never expect or imagined beforehand.
I am a victim of this myself. I never thought that I could be jealous until I finished my last semester examinations. I had read my book cover to cover and deprived myself of proper sleep for over three weeks. When I finished, I wanted to tell someone, or scream, or even shout so the world would hear that I was finally free but there was no one to call or text.
At that moment the outburst of relief that I felt turned slowly into grief. While I was trying to get my act together, it seemed like everyone else had someone to talk to, couples were holding hands, smiling their cheeks out and I was just there looking at everyone celebrate except me!
I realized that just as relief comes with excitement, grief also comes with its own visitor; the violent thirst to feel better at any cost. As humans, we tend to try anything and everything to make sure that we feel better, and most of the time we dabble into many wrong decisions and open dangerous doors.
Let’s start with the obvious feasts, I have attended my own fair share of owanbe ceremonies to see close families throw their fists at one another over a plate of food. I have watched friends throw caution out the door all in the quest to whet their never-ending thirst to feel celebrated. While celebrating, most of us unconsciously take on habits that stay with us like leeches for the rest of our lives. I have also seen family feuds and ageless quarrels dissolve over a few drinks. What made the difference? For me, it is love, selflessness, foresight, and self-control.
Valentine’s day is another feast that is caressing the air right now and it comes with its own special cunningness. The grief that comes with feeling abandoned would tempt many of us to text the wrong people, or even get into relationships that would ruin our lives. Whether we feel lonely when we ought to be celebrating or we lose control when we celebrate are two sides of the same coin.
Excitement is as fickle as dew in this world that we live in. Big wins would attract bigger responsibilities. That you’re not excited when others are chopping life does not mean that your life is boring. Dancing with just anyone that comes your way never takes the loneliness away, it only quietens the pain until realization comes knocking.
We need to be more cautious with our thoughts and more with our actions. It’s no news that even the most disciplined people have lost precious parts of themselves because they relaxed away their boundaries. In the heat of every feast, we have to trust God to help us to know how best we can balance the quest for recreation and the pleasures that come with it.
Lastly, there is wisdom in knowing that asking God for help is one thing but putting His help in action is where the victory blossoms.
This is so beautiful ❤️