One Day at a Time

I watched the lovely animated film Soul starring Jamie Foxx today, and it got me thinking. It’s about finding your purpose and that spark. Every time I look back at my life, I have always had something that I looked forward to. When I was young, I just looked forward to the little things in life, like watching cartoons or Machachari on Friday, my favorite soap opera. Anyway, when I was about to turn 16 years old, I was looking forward to having my first boyfriend. I even told a friend about it without any shame, and I believe he jokingly offered to pray for me about it. When I was 17, I just wanted to pass my KCSE exams, and after that, the next thing I was longing for was to join university, and other little things in between. Don’t ask me if I got the boy!

We constantly seek our lives’ meaning, and perhaps that spark is what makes you unique among other people. We are always looking forward to something, careers in the future, marriage, getting employment, and passing exams. We are waiting for everything but what we have now. Why are you overlooking the blessing of today? What is your purpose in life? Do you know it, or will you find out? How will you find it out? Is it even one? People who are conscious of their talents may connect them to their potential life goals. I was born to sing! I was born to play football, or the saxophone, be a great lawyer, or do whatever I feel I love. You were born to be kind, be joyous, be thankful, enjoy the now too much as you look forward to that future.

There’s been this trend of romanticizing your life. Most people are trying to make normal activities more attractive. If it’s reading, they’ll light some scented candles and stuff like that. Mundane things are just as attractive. I read in matatus sometimes, and there’s nothing beautiful about the scene. I enjoy eating my fries in a polythene bag just as much as at any fancy restaurant. Stop waiting for when you will have this and that to be truly happy. Enough of waiting for that clear skin, complete healing, whatever body shape, even money. Oooh! I’ll help my mom once I become rich. Child, you might never be! So buy her that shawl you can afford, and send your dad some airtime. It’s the thought that counts anyway.

Don’t postpone your happiness. Who said you need to know your purpose? Face each new day with vigor. For this is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Take each day as a completely new chapter in your life and do everything for the glory of God. Give yourself grace, your past mistakes should have nothing on you. Sometimes you look forward to something, and once you have it, you feel like it doesn’t even really add anything. Enjoy the process of everything. Don’t just anticipate the result of it. Enjoy school work; you will only celebrate the degree in a day anyway. Stop desperately searching for love; enjoy being single too.

Just be impractical with life. Most things are societal constructs that leave your mental health in the trenches. When you have time to be with your family, laugh heartily with them, that is life, enjoy a good meal, that delicious taste and the feeling once you are sated, that is life, funny memes, listening to good music, the sunset, your assignments once you understand them; the sight of nature, the aroma of good food; and whatever in between.

There’s a story told in Soul about a small fish that told a big fish that it couldn’t wait to swim in the ocean.

The big fish replied, “But you are in the ocean.”

The tiny fish said, ” But this is just water.” Maybe that which you are desperately looking for, you already have💖