LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF

Dear Nike (90s & beyond version),

I am writing this to you from your future and so I am omniscient and will appreciate you not rolling your eyes at me….*rolling eyes*

How are you? I see you think you are invincible and nothing can stop you. I do not want to scare you with the aches and pains that daily characterize and attend every activity nowadays for I fear if I do share, it may reduce your zest for life and I do so love your zest for life.

You go hard at life and while I am glad you give life everything you’ve got, I also want you to understand that your body is a machine that requires service and rest from time to time.

How is work? I see you consumed by your passion for Veterinary Medical Practice and I am glad that what started as a means of saving your dad from the One who comes and takes all the money away has morphed for you into a profession that you live and breathe. 

I remember the times when the frustration of all the great ideas of how to improve practice brought tears to your eyes and I am amused. If you could see me now! I make do with finding one or two in a class who carry the fire in their eyes to breathe & pass on the zeal unto. Dreams die hard uhn?! Don’t worry, yours won’t, it may just be modified, so do what you can.

How is married life? Sigh! I know how very idealistic you are and I am glad and grateful that you are. Life is about seasons and for this season, idealism works. Your exception may become the norm but at least for now, you don’t know that, so enjoy in blissful ignorance. 

The children prove genetics over and again and you will just have to grin and bear it. It is never going to let up, so learn to see the humour in having your daughter do and say things you said to your mother and assumed you were sooooooo very smart.

How is Ibadan? It’s truly astonishing that you stayed there. You had such huge plans of travelling the North and living a nomadic experience servicing the Fulani people as the Health Provider for their livestock and generally being abnormal. It’s a surprise to me that you settled there. You fell in love with the city when you arrived for your first year of University and I could have told you this would happen. Don’t look at me like that! I am your older version! I know things!

How is Nigeria? Sigh! The issues will be the same for a long time; I should tell you that now. I know right now, you are apolitical and uncaring about what politicians do but a time is coming when you will be involved because you get tired of all the plundering of this beloved country of yours by very base men. I wish I could say to you things will get better, but the time point I am at is one where I am still hopeful for change, for a re-birth of sorts.

How’s dad and mum? I wish you were a more conventional person, then I could say to you, ‘enjoy time with them, be their child more’ but you are you. They probably understand who you are far more than most, being responsible for many of your deep convictions. 

Your need for authenticity, which makes you seem blunt to some & wicked to others. Your devotion to family & frustration with the same. Your need to owe no man nothing except love which constantly differs from what is generally considered or termed love. All I can say is you are not half bad.

I could go on and on but I really just wanted to say to you, my time is different and even though I know you are giving life all you can at this time, some things will change. I only wish I could have told you earlier but I am making this trip back in time (and I will go forward also and write to my 60year old self ‘have I got a load of stuff to say!’) to let you know how proud of you I am. 

You took life’s lemons and made juice and added a dash of the bitters and drank it all up!

When I look at me, heavier, slower, but still as sassy as ever, I am thankful because it is obvious that I had great material to evolve from. You have debunked the myth that women cannot do great things like have a home and work and you have had fun while at it. 

Nowadays, you (I) do less crazy things as the society you live in is evolving but is still very hypocritical in the things people, especially women can aspire to and enjoy without an appropriate amount of guilt so you try for moderation but you (I) are such a fabulous piece of work and I thought I’d write it down for posterity.

Well, see you in a couple of years down the road and hopefully, I won’t be too much of a disappointment when you get here,

Nike (2014 version)