Alexa, play me ‘New Beginnings’ by Brian Tyler.
This scene from Iron Man 3 is one of my movie favorites ever. Tony Stark has had his super-fortified home destroyed by The Mandarin - an unstable villian who’s bent on global domination. Leveled beyond recognition & reduced to rubble. At the start of this score, he begins to rebuild.
2020 has been an extraordinary year by all standards. For everybody. The US Navy released videos of what were alien visits. Two of the most powerful nations in the world almost nuked themselves. For the first time in the lives of billions of people, they faced an immediate global threat - the Coronavirus. It’d kept almost all of them inside, changed their lifestyles & killed millions. Countries had their economies regressing into recession. Citizens all over revolted against bad governance - Nigeria my home country boiled over.
We lost Kobe Bryant, Sean Connery, Chadwick Boseman & Diego Maradona.
Damn.
Writing this post was a struggle itself. I knew it’d come to that. On one hand, I’d experienced just about enough personally & otherwise to conclude that it was necessary, on the other my consciousness wanted it to be a story known to myself alone.
But as the year rolled towards its end, my thoughts crystallized. I needed to put mouse to screen. The world had to hear my story. My version of events. I had to allow them.
I lost people who I regarded as family. Young, virile folks who the cold hands of death took their heat. I want to believe they all are with the creator. I went into my first relationship ever - headfirst & fell out, all parts broken. I lost my grandpops. A part of me never did think he’d die. Did think he was immortal.
I continuously feared for my mental health. There were times I didn’t want to continue. I lacked the strength to. Once called a friend & bawled like a baby. Nothing at that point made sense.
Na wa.
On the flip side, I started a gig that qualified me as a career person. Got myself new devices. I started writing & became a product designer. Returned to the digital firm my friend & I created years ago. Expanded my network & met incredible people. Especially professionals.
I’ve heard people say the only things worth celebrating are the super big achievements. Getting a new house, changing cars, getting married & so on. But who makes them rules? Is there an assembly where they sit & decide what should be? Is it a desperate attempt to belittle people’s growth?
Screw that. I choose to celebrate myself. Against everything. Against the facts that the big dreams look farther than imagined. Against the fact that almost all socio-economic indices would want to keep me perpetually sad. Against the fact that they’re tiny, inconsequential victories when compared to other people’s.
I choose to the little wins! I choose to celebrate the amazing people God put in my life. Friends who’ve become family. Family who without I’d be nothing.
I choose to celebrate life!
This is to 28.
I absolutely have no idea what the future holds, but I know who holds it.
To another year of trusting in God & putting in absolutely everything.
Happy birthday O.G. Hope you get everything you want & choose.
Damn, I forgot to tell Alexa to repeat the soundtrack.