~ Akinyemi JesuFimihan

I remember my younger days.

Free, open, loving, and excited to explore the large expanse of the ball of dust in the center of the Milky Way called, Earth.

I found solace in Astrology.

Reading all I could on blackholes, the Andromeda galaxy, and the possibility of living creatures on Saturn’s moon, Titan.

’ Humans have to become interplanetary to ensure the survival of the species’. I told Israel my childhood friend I discussed nerdy topics with.

’Well, Reality isn’t Star Wars’. He responded

The arts had a special grip on me.

At the time, I fancied myself as a reincarnation of my maternal grandfather whom I never met - Pa. Adeseko.

He drew the coat of arms of Kwara state, was a lecturer, loved music and played the keyboard and guitar - and also, an artist.

In a sort of dynamic paradox, I find myself being able to do all this and loving the arts, music, literature and a deep, meaningful enjoyment of the world.

Talking of a meaningful enjoyment of the world, I recently reminisced on some beautiful experiences I’ve had.

Back at Isolo, There was a keyboard in a tiny corner of the parlour. I had self-taught myself to play basic keys on the keyboard.

Once I was free, in the solitude and silence of the night, I would sing Cohbams and Asa rhythms and Fancy myself to be a sort of Majek Fashek or a male version of Asa.

My first time reading Chimamanda’s ‘Half of the Yellow Sun’,

I would play Asa’s lucid album and follow that up with the ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ album or at times, just rain sounds.

`*”Bibanke, Bojo Banro,

Fi mi sile”`*

I remember singing with the zeal of a 5-year-old and using a mop stick as a sudo - microphone, swerving it around like a pop star singing to a live audience of youngsters in the '90s.

Books were heaven to me,

Music was a portal into the mystical nature of words.

These moments were fractions of time engraved in eternity.

I was in sync with the mystical nature of life - not until adulthood kicked in and logic began to creep in.

At first, I didn’t notice.

Then, I began to notice myself getting more logical and political.

I adopted various ideologies and began to live from a place of concepts. In the pursuit of the ideals of adulthood, I got out of sync with my core.

In the pursuit of business and creating an ideal life situation, I let life pass me by.

Living in the moment was impossible.

I got stuck listening to the unending chatter in my head. Every moment, I was either in my head. Every moment, I was either thinking of a time or event in the past or I was thinking of a time in the future, Creating mental images.

The past, the future, and I were buddies but the present moment, the NOW was like an enemy to me.

In 2023, I had enough of such a miserable way of living out of sync with my core.

I resolved to make a deliberate attempt at retracing my steps to a life of openness.

In doing this, I have dropped most situations, circumstances, environments and people that don’t add value to the quality of my life.

I did a lot of dropping and now, my life is less dense and I have met the most amazing souls.

Listening to the birds, observing the beauty of a tree, music, fiction, love of the arts, listening to an opera - and deep meaning and purpose to my life and business are things I am picking up again.

Life is beautiful, don’t you think so too?