by Samuel Ufot Ekekere

 

I stopped over to have a chat with an acquaintance on Christmas day. He sat on a ramshackle seat in a thatched drinking hut, having a sip off his alcohol bottle with a cigarette on his hands. He spoke with the characteristic demeanor of drunks however he had some good words to say.

“I am very happy to see the end of another year. At least I am alive. I may not have all I have wanted to have with all the disappointments of the past few months, however I am alive and that’s important. It calls for celebration,” he said.

I personally felt moody over events in my life in the last few months but the words of this young man quickened me. There is indeed a reason to celebrate.

As the year finally reaches a head, rice, oil, chicken, turkey etc. is changing hands. The joy of seeing another year get by erupts from within us. For some, it might have being a challenging year, for others maybe uhuru. In spite of whatever has happened, celebration rents the air everywhere, pictures being taken at random and a blissful smile characterizing the faces of all the celebrants.

It’s time to celebrate and there is every reason to. We had begun a chapter in January with all the anticipations of great outcomes. It might have being the anticipation of a great job, a wife, a child, an opportunity to travel abroad or whatsoever. You might have written down your goals you anticipated you would achieve and you just did not hit the target.

Well, just check again.

If you have that goal list in a corner of your room, you can go look at it again. If you don’t, you may still take your mind back through the last year.  Often, we may think we haven’t achieved a lot or anything as yet when indeed beyond our expectation, so much has being achieved. So lot might have gone through water but quite a lot too has gone over it.

Personally, I did my accounting too as I reviewed the year that has just gone by. I had mighty aspirations that I wanted to see happen this year. Sure, I began work with all the tenacity I could garner. I had some high moments as well as low moments but I observed personally that though I did not achieve all the big dreams I wanted, I got through some big dreams I never thought I would achieve, a real cause to celebrate. I have decided to shove off my mood and smile away on the great benefits I have enjoyed.

We cannot afford to look away from the benefits that have come through to us in the last one year. It’s something worth being happy about. As much as we can, and as much as we can afford, we can throw some little party with some friends and bask in the euphoria of the moment. This end of the year will not be better without that full smile of yours giggling all the way. It’s time to put on your dancing shoes and get dancing.

The energy that characterizes the celebration mood especially at this time is often furious. It calls for caution. We must realize that while we celebrate, and for whatsoever reason we celebrate, there will still be more to celebrate. There will still be future drinks, chicken and goats that have to be drunk and eaten. We can’t afford to lose tomorrow on the platter of today’s little celebrations. Our watch word must be eat and drink and let others have theirs too.

The list of dying people as a result of celebrations this season is infinitesimally endless. Many are getting drunk and rushing drunk to eternity. You can’t afford to be another statistic; we can’t afford to lose you or some other person to a carelessness that is a result of trying to celebrate the year ending. Yes, you have to celebrate and yes, you have to celebrate right.

By now, you should be having the goals for 2015 set. You don’t have to get into 2015 before you begin to set the goals. Look back at the things you wanted to get in 2014 that you haven’t had yet. Place them on priority top this time and add more that you think should be part of the year. While you celebrate, think about what it is to be achieved. This will help you develop a degree of self control.

2014 is gone and it’s gone forever. Look forward, upward and onward. Forget about the mistakes and inconsistencies of the past and forge ahead because in 2015 you will live in a world of uncommon possibilities.

 

Samuel Ufot Ekekere writes from Uyo, Nigeria. He is a teacher, motivator, and writer, he writes inspiring writs on personal development for all categories of persons. He believes everyone needs motivation. Connect on twitter @ekekere and www.facebook.com/ekekere, +2347062809301

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.