Doreen

Life is full of seemingly random experiences, and a good number of them have taught me lasting lessons. Today, I’ll share one. During a thought leadership webinar, the convener mentioned that he stepped onto a plane for the first time when he was twenty-eight years old. The comment section erupted with similar comments and many from young people who said they’d never flown before. For them, flying was a distant, expensive dream. Being someone who believes in lifting other women as I climb, I looked out for comments made by ladies in the chat. One young lady’s comment stopped me. It wasn’t so much what she said, but the sharp, defensive edge of her phrasing. I replied, asking where she’d go if she could fly. “We would like to take care of the cost of your first flying experience,” I said. “LOL,” she wrote back. On reading my comment, several people urged her to believe that it could happen and say yes. “In this economy?” she scoffed. “Someone will just pay for you like that? LOL.” You see the thing with cynicism? It looks like a realistic protection from disappointment, but the price we pay for it is so damn high! It’s as small as LOL, but for this lady, it stood as a guard, blocking her from a miracle. More people tried to persuade her. While that was going on, another lady’s comment caught my eye. There was a quiet, almost desperate sincerity in her words as she said she prayed that someday, her dream to fly would come true. I asked her to DM me. Moments later, her message was in my inbox. I asked her where she wanted to go. “Lagos, Ma,” she replied. “I have an interview there in three days’ time and I’m really hoping that I’ll get the job. I’ll be staying with my friend. If I get the job, I don’t want to be a burden. Since I don’t have money, I’ve bought foodstuff from the village to take with me, so I can contribute to the house.” “How were you planning to get there?” I asked. “By night bus, Ma. It’s cheaper than regular bus.” Even though I know people still travel that way, it’s no less frightening to me. While I was still searching for the right words, she sent her phone number and photos of her documents to corroborate her message. I called her immediately. “My team and I would like to do two things,” I said. “We want to buy you a new dress for that interview. And we’ll also get you a one-way ticket to Lagos as a sign of faith that you’re going to stay. The job is yours.” The silence on the other end was broken only by the sound of muffled sobbing. Amidst tears and words of gratitude, she gave her details. Within the hour, her ticket was in her inbox, along with instructions on how to board at the airport. A few calls later and a dress was waiting for her to pick up in Lagos. I was excited for her. She had demonstrated how preparation meets opportunity. She didn’t just want to fly; she had an interview and a bag of foodstuff packed. She was already moving and my offer simply accelerated her. It made me ask myself, Eketi, are you moving or waiting for someone to move you? Two days later, my phone lit up with photos. One was a selfie from her seat, wearing a wide smile. The other was of her at the terminal, her small frame against the backdrop of the airplane. She captioned it, “Night Bus girl now Girl with Wings.” A couple of weeks later, the final piece of the miracle arrived on WhatsApp in the form of a picture of an offer letter. She’d gotten the job! That encounter taught me lessons I applied to myself much later. I learned that help travels in the direction of clarity. That people don’t just respond to need, they respond to movement. That no matter how small your contribution, make it. Don’t have money to contribute for rent? Foodstuff would do. Just be a contributor to your circle. I sometimes think about that lady who said, ‘LOL.’ Not with judgement, but with a question to myself. How many things have you laughed off that might have answered you if you'd just stayed with an open mind?

Should I chase them away or I should give them one room?

My daughter's tooth just fell off, so she's asked me to tell the Tooth Fairy to put $100 under her pillow before tomorrow morning.

Not losing interest here but after bathing, my body itches me for about 10-20 minutes Please does anyone know why this happens? And possibly a cure please

i gave out all the money in my account as offering on Sunday and told God to surprise me😩. Guys I’ve been suffering since last week 😭💔