Beyond the Family Name

The words "time" and "thyme" have the same pronunciation but different meanings. The "e" in "orthopedic" has the same pronunciation as the "i" in "elite". However, both words are pronounced wrongly by me. Try to pronounce them and see for yourself. Things might not appear exactly how we wanted it for no one knows tomorrow.

Source: Gemini: AI

Everybody knows his or her family name. However, some are destined to be stars just by their family name and some have written their stars. The question is, am I really a star? Or do I consider myself a star?

Hmm! Not a straight answer like that… I mean, as you might have known, I was born into an average family but not the family of the stars in politics, the drama industry, or the automotive industry. I was born into a religious family. My dad is a pastor and my mum is also a pastor, but I am not eroded by that.

At a point during my primary school days, I had this bad mindset; I thought that I would not be the best. I limited myself. I used to attend a private school, but the cost of fees made me switch to a public school. My parents could afford private schooling but at the expense of our feeding and survival. But during that switch, I saw myself as a star. I was no longer that old me.

There was this Ghanaian boy who told me to aim for the stars and not the clouds. That was the first time that I ever heard of the phrase, "Sky is not your limit." Soon I watched the motivational Denzel Washington movie titled The Great Debaters. I love that movie, and it forced me to watch more motivational recordings of Denzel Washington. I love the one he gave at a graduation ceremony where he said that for every one attained, teach one. Each one, teach one.

Source: Meta AI

In class one day, there was cacophony here and there when I answered the questions of my teacher in one of her classes on phonetics. The question was that we should identify a similar sound in the sentence, "That Man is Bad," which I identified as the sound /ae/.

I soon began to read for the physics test by Mr. Oyekanmi. That day, I prepared really hard, and as if God wanted to help me, what I read exactly came out. I had the highest score on the test. My exams were great, and soon I was faced with acerbic criticism from some of my peers for me reading too much.

I moved from class to class just to get the best out of mathematics. I played games with math, and I also represented the school in several competitions in the suburb of Lagos, but not debate. For you to know, my school is located in the outskirts of Lagos. Oh yes! I had stage fright, and that affected me but didn’t kill my passion. So you see why I avoided debates.

During my school days, we used cutlasses and brooms to clear our surroundings, and I can't forget that we also cleared a jungle where certain school boys, known as the bad boys of the school, were hiding. Those guys were found to be smoking and performing various activities in that hideout. This clearing activity took place around two months to our WAEC exam, and I know how important those moments were for me.

We also had an English teacher whose English was bad to speak about. She couldn’t speak correctly, and every student made a mockery of her. She affected my English because of false teachings and very many more. There were days that I became sick with bouts of headaches and many more.

Soon exam days came, and I was entangled with my books more and more. Passion to finish great ran through my veins. The drive to read was just enough to push me through that period.

I wished that I had A’s all through. However, the result came, but I failed English only.

I would have been the best if I had passed English. I felt down. I wished a change could be made, but with an impasse, I slowly fell into depression. For months, I coasted around my part like a vehicle with its engine switched off. But all of a sudden, my dad pulled me out of the dilemma with an auxiliary engine. I got my courage back. My star was rewritten, and I passed in flying colours.

Source: Meta AI

I was a strong believer and a lover of academics, but I perceived that God wanted more from me. If I had attained that much, I would have failed other exams. Yet I do not quiver in counting the stars, and like my friend Apiah Felix, the Ghanaian boy, would always say, and I am affirming, I am aiming at the stars above the cloud. Though problems may arise, they won't last through the night, for there is joy in the morning.

We should embrace the values in there.
Thanks.