One hellish year and my one and half legs

This has been like a home recently but, the goal is to get stronger when it gets tougher. I'm fighting to win. (Photo credit: Ramsey's iPhone)

I remember promising Bukky (formerly the Peridot of BR, now the Peridot of UK) that I'd write a lot this month; it definitely won’t be every day like I did last year, but I’ll try, and here you go.

To start with, it’s been a tough year by all standards. Not sure there’s ever a year in which I felt half as much physical pain as this year; 2019 had the inglorious award until 2023 pulled up, and here’s me hoping I’ll never have to see a more painful year than this one.

The past three weeks have been the toughest. I spent more days with the physiotherapists than at work, but I am probably the strongest human I know. I am not giving up anytime soon, but the pains better ease up before I do something crazy.

Yesterday was the International Day of People Living with Disabilities. It should be a public holiday, but while I wasn’t physically at work, I bet no one at Riquesa sees me as a member of the physically challenged community. LOL, not many people like me can say the same, and sincerely, I feel for them.

All my life, I’ve been lucky to have people who don’t make me feel like I have one and a half legs; of course, I live above it, and I come correct most times too, but I have seen how establishments treat physically challenged people, and I wonder why no one is in jail for such inhuman acts, but this is Nigeria.

I am blessed to be in the working environment I’ve always wanted. I’ve had the best of women (sweet baby Jesus, I hope no one misinterprets this), and I can say I don’t think I’d want it another way (outside this pain in my ribcage, of course), but what about those that don’t have it the way I do?

We live in an insensitive world, and the fact that life has been kind to me to make sure I don’t suffer from discrimination doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Wait, not like some didn’t try over the years, but you’d better be on the Forbes list before you try to do that with me; you’ll end up wishing you didn’t try. Ask around.

So, I need to establish this: physically challenged people don’t need pity; they just need you to act right. In a bid to show you care, be careful not to be guilty of prejudice. Don’t deny them opportunities because you think “you don’t want to stress them." You’d be shocked at the extent to which they can deliver.

When a physically challenged person does something wrong, you hear people say "That's why God made you like that", it bothers me that I don't hear people say that when the same is done by someone who is physically whole. 

I can't speak of how lucky I am enough. People tell me how high they rate my mentality but, what would have happened if I had uncles that weren't proud to take me out with them back then? I was always the first on the list whenever they were going out or planning shenanigans - this explains why I am a chronic outsider LMAO, plus I had parents who gave me more chores than my siblings to show they nor send my papa, they saw me as the same as the rest, how about folks who had people who weren't proud to show them off? 

My confidence is borderline arrogance, I am never arguing that with anyone but, you don't know my story. You don't know the days I had to do more to show I could, the days I had to understand rejection because of what wasn't my fault, you can't even get it so just run along with your perception and judgmental head. Peace!

I should be giving myself flowers, though, but nah, a child of God doesn’t brag. I’ll be writing about some interesting episodes of 2023, certainly about the “mad people” I work with. I’ll finally write about Precious and my three Man of the Year nominees. If she doesn’t annoy me as always, I might write about Ola’s sister. Stick around, folks.