I stopped over to have a chat with an acquaintance on
Christmas day. He sat on a ramshackle seat in a thatched drinking hut, having a
sip off his alcohol bottle with a cigarette on his hands. He spoke with the
characteristic demeanor of drunks however he had some good words to say. I am
very happy to see the end of another year. I may not have all I have wanted to
have with all the disappointments of the past few months, however I am alive
and that’s important. It calls for celebration, he concluded. I personally felt
moody over events in my life in the last few months but the words of this young
man quickened me. There is indeed a reason to celebrate.
As the year finally reaches a head, rice, oil, chicken, turkey
etc. is changing hands. The joy of seeing another year get by erupts from
within us. For some, it might have being a challenging year, for others maybe
uhuru. In spite of whatever has happened, celebration rents the air everywhere,
pictures being taken at random and a blissful smile characterizing the faces of
all the celebrants.
It’s time to celebrate and there is every reason to. We had
begun a chapter in January with all the anticipations of great outcomes. It
might have being the anticipation of a great job, a wife, a child, an
opportunity to travel abroad or whatsoever. You might have written down your
goals you anticipated you would achieve and you just did not hit the target.
Well just check again.
If you have that goal list in a corner of your room, you can
go look at it again. If you don’t, you may still take your mind back through
the last year. Often, we may think we
haven’t achieved a lot or anything as yet when indeed beyond our expectation,
so much has being achieved. So lot might have gone through water but quite a
lot too has gone over it.
Personally, I did my accounting too as I reviewed the year
that has just gone by. I had mighty aspirations that I wanted to see happen
this year. Sure, I began work with all the tenacity I could garner. I had some
high moments as well as low moments but I observed personally that though I did
not achieve all the big dreams I wanted, I got through some big dreams I never
thought I would achieve, a real cause to celebrate. I have decided to shove off
my mood and smile away on the great benefits I have enjoyed.
We cannot afford to look away from the benefits that have
come through to us in the last one year. It’s something worth being happy
about. As much as we can, and as much as we can afford, we can throw some
little party with some friends and bask in the euphoria of the moment. This end
of the year will not be better without that full smile of yours giggling all
the way. It’s time to put on your dancing shoes and get dancing.
The energy that characterizes the celebration mood
especially at this time is often furious. It calls for caution. We must realize
that while we celebrate, and for whatsoever reason we celebrate, there will
still be more to celebrate. There will still be future drinks, chicken and goats
that have to be drunk and eaten. We can’t afford to lose tomorrow on the
platter of today’s little celebrations. Our watch word must be eat and drink
and let others have theirs too.
The list of dying people as a result of celebrations this
season is infinitesimally endless. Many are getting drunk and rushing drunk to
eternity. You can’t afford to be another statistic; we can’t afford to lose you
or some other person to a carelessness that is a result of trying to celebrate
the year ending. Yes, you have to celebrate and yes, you have to celebrate
right.
By now, you should be having the goals for 2015 set. You
don’t have to get into 2015 before you begin to set the goals. Look back at the
things you wanted to get in 2014 that you haven’t had yet. Place them on
priority top this time and add more that you think should be part of the year.
While you celebrate, think about what it is to be achieved. This will help you
develop a degree of self control.
2014 is gone and it’s gone forever. Look forward, upward and
onward. Forget about the mistakes and inconsistencies of the past and forge
ahead because in 2015 you will live in a world of uncommon possibilities.
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