The promise of us

For the longest time, there's a way I remember it. The Cocoyam plants and bananas took over the most part of our compound. They were everywhere in the backyard and housed the cats that strolled in to the compound. My mum detested them. Who is them?, you'd ask. The cats, the cocoyam and the banana. She said at night you couldn't tell if an animal was hiding under them or if they were housing the burglar from the next compound.

Worse off you couldn't get rid of them, everytime they were cut down somehow they'd sprout again and in a short while. It was as though the men of old who lived or farmed there had dedicated the land to cocoyam and bananas.
It really bothered us. How did they come about? Who first put them there? How did they make sure they outlived the other plants in the compound? How are they so resistant to everything. We never could tell but one thing was sure, something had been done and now we were dealing with the consequences of their actions, thoughtful of thoughtless.
We knew my mother, she was going to take care of them and did.

She got some men to uproot the plants and cut the trees one after the other, they burnt them all and filled the ground so high you'd they were hiding something underneath the sand. It's been a long while and these things which always defied the odds and sprouted again appeared to have finally lost.

Thinking about it today I realize these cocoyam didn't ask to be there, someone put them there and they have stayed. Let's look at our lives a little, why do you not eat that thing you don't eat? Why do you irk at the mention of that subject? Why are you so passionate about that issue? Why are you that deeply involved? Why do you certain events get to you the way they do? Why do you go out of your way to search for that thing you're searching for?
It's simple, things have happened to you. I have come to learn that many events are never neutral. They are either taking from you or adding to you, you'd argue but they are molding into the person you'd eventually become.
Many of the things we have added to ourselves and have become part of us are because of things that have happened.

We're starting a new decade soon and we probably won't be the person we are now by the end of the decade. I think it's time to be more aware of the consequences of what we do and what goes on around us. For example, if you are constantly exposed to disrespect at some point it is going to create a reaction. You're either going to be totally against disrespect or you go about serving everyone disrespect because it is completely normal to you.
You'd have to be careful of what you're exposed to and what you do to others. Realize that the things happening now are shaping you and that the things you're doing to others is shaping them as well. I think it's wiser to take heed to yourself to know that many of these events you think are just happening are shaping you into the kind of person you'd be at the end of the decade, how you'd perceive many things, the things you'd hold in high esteem, things you'd be passionate about or disinterested in and very importantly, these things will determine the stories we'd be telling at the end.

Today as I took a walk, I looked in a corner and I saw it. Hahahaha, a cocoyam plant was sprouting again.
Take care of yourself please.
Love and light!