Urrggghhh... Finally decided to write.
My creative river seemed to have dried up for a bit. So this is just me striking at a rock, hoping it gushes out enough water to rejuvenate the parched earth in my head.
It's only fair I take stock of the year on its final day. There's a lot to delve into and I don't think I have the motivation or words to draw out this piece into a beautiful essay without sounding like a broken record and losing you along the way. Therefore, I shall be keeping this brief.
The year in question, 2022, has been my most important year till date. Lots of things which will shape the future me took place this year and I'm grateful to God for how it all turned out.
I'm grateful to the relationships that I had throughout the year. Bonds were created, some were strenghtend, and others were dropped. One particular bond was so strong that we got married.
I think I'll start off at the very beginning of the year and walk through events bit by bit.
The year started off with committing my grandmother to Mother Earth. Very significant for me because she shaped parts of who I am today and I'm grateful to God I knew her. She was such a wonderful woman to borne the tasks she undertook.
The next month hit me like a brick. I lost my future mother-in-law. I really do not know how to behave when tragic incidents occur but something about losing her and watching my fiancée cry and grieve her cracked a wall in me and for a brief moment, I did shed a tear.
In March, I woke up one day, said screw it and changed my phone. It cost over twice the highest amount I'd ever spent on any phone. At some point at the shop, I was hyperventilating. Who dey breathe, am I right? I also travelled out for my first out-of-Lagos wedding.
I decided i wasn't going to be a fool in April and I made a choice to change jobs. The work environment was draining my life essence and I decided it was time to bite the dust. At the same time, I was house hunting. And Lagos agents kept showing me shege. These were two major bits of my life this year. Made a trip for my second out-of-Lagos wedding.
May came with me actually resigning and starting off at my new place which was a huge change as I'd only ever worked for my previous employers. This was a new kettle of fish. I also got a new place and now the new challenge was how to equip myself with enough to leave my parents' place.
My future mother-in-law was also committed to Mother Earth. For the brief time I got to know her, she was such an amazing woman. In fact, she was the catalyst to my successful relationship.
In June, I had to juggle wedding planning, house furnishing, and acclimatising to a new work place together. Work was soft because I have the best boss in the world. I put together my groomsmen list and I'm grateful that every single one of them was able to be of help in the most amazing ways possible. Shout-out to Sam, Demola, Godsfavour, Daniel and Shekinah. You guys are the real MVPs.
Wedding planning is not for the weak as I found out in July. Omooo!!! The searches for things were only trumped by the prices which were placed on said things. Halls, shoes, decoration items, cake vendors, wedding card design and printing, clothing items, etc. I was struggling to keep up. I honestly don't know how I'd have pulled this off without the world's greatest parents who were able to help me offset the burden so much. How I'd have combined this and work was a mystery.
Someone finally bashed my car also. T-boned my car and I'm grateful it was only a minor mishap.
August was the penultimate month to my wedding which meant a lot of running around and rounding up. My fiancée was also preparing for her bar finals so no heavy lifting could be placed on her. It was all a blur. Photoshoots (my first ever), purchases and payments (billing almost 'wounjure' me), house setups, arguments here and there. And work, I still had to deal with work.
September was wedding month. All the i's were dotted and t's crossed. I couldn't be bothered less—I was getting married to the best woman in the world. Again, I'm grateful to my family and friends for how much they pulled through for me. Every single wedding was a hit, back to back. From the traditional, to the court, to the church.
Early October saw us making our first public appearance as husband and wife for my third out-of-Lagos wedding. I began learning the dynamics of no longer being a single man and how marriage works when you're in it. I know some of you won't understand. The pleasure of doing things together, the communion of the other room, the pride of being a husband.
My wife's bar results came out in November and she aced it. It was such a relieving moment after a tense period of waiting. I celebrated my first birthday as a married man. I was my best one yet.
You can call me Ọkọ lawyer because my wife was called to bar in December. It was such a beautiful culmination of what has been a long, arduous journey. I got to stand by her side as she beamed with smiles. The Reboot Camp was timely. It reinvigorated a fire in me which was in embers. Thank God for CCI Global and Apostle Emmanuel Iren. Christmas rice and chicken was up next.
I said I wasn't going to drag this out or bore you but here we are. If you're reading this, thank you for sticking to this point. If you skipped the stories and jumped here, SMH. Let thunder not chase you.
I am so grateful for 2022 and look forward to 2023 with zest. One of my resolutions is to go from dad bod to buff bod, so help me God. Thank you for being a part of 2022. Let’s do 2023 together.
