Being thankful for the blessings in disguise

Hello Friend,

This past Tuesday, I became a year wiser and closer to the “4th floor”. There comes a time in each decade when you suddenly come to a realisation of how much you’ve actually grown (or otherwise)…not just in years but everything else. This trip, on my 35th birthday had me thinking long and hard about my life than any other year.

My worldview in life

As a Christian, I have a worldview that all that I am and have is for God’s glory and this makes me a steward of his gifts and blessings in my life even if they don’t look like blessings. I also believe that I have the free will to decide what to do no matter what life throws at me. I could decide to mope around and constantly blame everyone but myself for my missed opportunities, failures and disappointment OR I could learn from them and keep trying to be a better version of my self.

Contrary to what you might think, most people do not have their entire lives falling in place just as they planned it to the t… at least I know I didn’t. This is simply because life is unpredictable, and as the quote from Heraclitus goes:

“The only thing constant in life is change”

What I mean is that despite your best laid plans, life happens and life can be mean, cruel, depressing,... ( the list goes on with all the not so nice adjectives ). But life can equally be fulfilling, exciting and inspiring even under the worst circumstances. You decide what happens next …

Blessings in the unexpected

A couple of years ago when I resigned from my role as a community pharmacist, I knew that I wanted to pivot into a career in public health or further education in same. I was unsure of my next steps and took a leap of faith. It wasn’t easy knowing that I could no longer count on my regular income from a day job. I was happy however to take on a volunteer role with Leaf Africa as Parental Support Lead and to continue in my efforts towards growing Baby Miracles Ghana, a support group for preterm babies.

Along the line, I took a course in breastfeeding counselling because it aligned with my interests of supporting families with babies born prematurely. And then when I finally applied for a PhD program in Public Health, I knew my research interests would be related to breastfeeding, maternal and child health. It is likely that these cascade of events would never have happened if I had not experienced a preterm birth which is not a pleasant one by the way…

I would say that I am finding fulfillment in pursuing the things I am passionate about and it has not been an easy process because it is unconventional and makes people question why I chose to resign when I had no job offer. ( I am in no way advising you to do same, especially in this economy??)

I cannot say I am where I ultimately want to be but I can say that the picture looks clearer in retrospect and I am thankful that I was able to see blessings in the not so beautiful events of my life.

A summary of everything I've said

When you are tempted to give up in your journey because life dealt you a heavy blow, cry a little, get up and keep walking. Own the choices you make and make the best of the circumstances in your life. The future YOU will be thankful for that!

Signed,

Naadu Hazel

A year wiser