Hello hivians and thinkers, it's your ever gentle royal and I welcome y'all to my blog.
When we think of price paying, I can say that my price to pay was chosen for me automatically by virtue of birth right. I had no say in the matter, perks of being born as the first child in an African family.
From birth, I was drilled to be upstanding and outstanding so as to be able to cater to the needs and affairs of my young ones. I grew up with the weight of responsibility bearing heavily on my shoulders. I was not allowed to play too much or be as naughty as my siblings. They somehow got away with everything while I bore the brunt of several scoldings.
There were times I was not allowed to watch cartoons because of an upcoming examination. I recall that my dad would set an alarm beside my bed to wake me up one hour early so that I could "burn the midnight oil" before beginning my day. He would always tell me that I needed to perform my very best so that I could guide my siblings in their studies and that was just a nice way of saying all their homework is now my responsibility 😁.
At first I wasn't bothered because the results were rewarding. I was always amongst the top three students in the class every academic year and I was very pleased with that but it cost me some of my friends who couldn't understand why my head was always in a book and not with them. I was a book worm, I read books virtually everywhere I went whether it's the kitchen, dinning, the toilet or even on a bus, I read and read. I guess this trait of mine numbed other parts of my life like socializing.
I rarely socialize like the way young ladies my age do. In fact right now, my alias has shifted from "bookworm" to "workaholic". I leave my house by 7am so as to get to work on time and I return to the house by 8pm or 9pm depending on the workload and traffic. This routine is from Monday to Saturday while I have a little rest on Sundays. I used a the word "little" because sometimes, my services would be required on a Sunday after church service and I would be willing to take the offer if the pay is good. Thus, my life revolves around work, work and more work with little or less time for myself.
I have to work to cater to the needs of my daughter and two of my siblings staying with me. They are all in school and the chunk of the responsibility of feeding, books, tuition and shelter rests on my slim shoulders. The beautiful fact is that I do not have regrets at all.
I am neither bothered nor worried about life passing me by because right now, I am contributing my quota to life, sowing good seeds, walking the path of simplicity and minimalism and I am comfortably better as I am in no competition with anyone at all. So far, I can proudly say that I am doing well where I am at present and I'm certainly pushing for better things in future.
Despite my boring social life, I have been able to make friends with positive mindset and better orientation that I can learn from. Also online, I have a handful of good people I am proud to call friends. These all work together to spice up my life and I don't feel dulled in any way. The price is worth it for me.
Thia is my response to the May edition prompt of the thinker's corner as initiated and posed by @kenechukwu97.
Thank you all for reading.. shalom
Images used are mine.
This is beautiful. I love your orientation towards life.
You might not be having all the fun everyone is having, but you are definitely contributing a meaningful and great deal to life through the people around you.
Yes that's what I'm doing.
Thanks for reading and dropping a lovely comment
You know life throws us into situations that we never bargained for, it's now left for us to learn how to navigate through it and come out successfully.
Despite all that you've gone through and is still going through, you haven't allowed them weigh you down or take away your shine. You've stood strong, facing them squarely and breaking new grounds. I admire your courage and resilience to be your very best - keep being you.
!HUG
I sent 1.0 HUG on behalf of @luchyl.
(2/3)
Awwn, thank you so much for your kind and comforting words. I truly appreciate
Thanks
Even at a young age, you were thrown with the responsibilities of looking after your siblings and working towards being a better example to them, I applaud your parents for that, life can be hard sometimes but then it's your determination that sets you apart.
Thank you very much for the compliment. I'm glad I did not derail from their teachings.
Those training from your dad are paying off now. Yeah, there is always a price to pay for what we want.
Your day to day activities seems choked because of work but having good friends around makes life more fun and meaningful.
Oh yes, it sure does.
Thanks for your contribution 👍
Becky. This is awesome. It's so relatable because I'm also the first child and I'm born into a family of 5 kids. Having to play the role of a first child and shoulder the responsibility of being an older brother is something I got exposed to when I was still a kid.
Just like you, I found myself having to play the role of Mum & Dad to my siblings because both of my parents were working. So, even when we were in primary school, I used my free time to watch my siblings and be sure they are okay. Haha. I also had to make myself available to help them understand their academic assignments. Now that we've all outgrown that, the responsibility seems to have grown even bigger.
You are doing really well. It can't be easy to be in your shoes and the sacrifices you are making in order to give your daughter and family a good life will be rewarded by God's grace. Well Done.
Thanks a lot @kenechukwu97. Knowing that someone understands me is a big relief cos I used to feel like an alien.
A big amen to your prayers.
Have a lovely new week
Playing parental role as the first child is something done well in an Afriacn home, and your parents did their best raising you to be the first that you are.
Though. I do have to confess that the responsibilities were a bit too much because you didn't really get to fully enjoy childhood, but it did make you stronger.
And, you have friends now and working. That's nice.
Yes, it all turned out for the better.
Thank you for reading and your insightful contribution 🌺
You are welcome