It’s 23:09 on the 31st of Dec 2021 and I can’t help but reminisce about how my life has changed in the past couple of years.
I can’t help thinking about how broke my family was between 2011 to 2013, to the point where I nearly dropped out of university; and how depressed I was in 2017 because I was broke and lonely. In 2018 I was super anxious about the decision I had made to get married and prayed so hard for God to bless our union. I remember doing series of novenas sequentially. Finishing each novena and then starting again because I knew we just needed to leave Nigeria for things to get better because I had really given up on my country.
I remember how I left my job at the peak of the covid lockdown in 2020 and then spent a month at home anxiously praying for God to intervene and give me a good job. That period was scary because I dreaded being unemployed more than anything. Exactly one month after, I resumed at my dream work place with beautiful and amazing people. It was the best company I had ever worked in.
And then in 2021 my husband resumed a new job in the UK and we had to relocate. This was a prayer point we started from 2017 and God answered it in his time. Hmm. Upon arriving the UK, I spent three months unemployed, and anxious about what the future holds. Eventually I got a job. And me who used to be so broke to the point where I’ll manage 2k pocket money for a month now earns money in Pounds Sterling. Me who used to shop once in two years now breezes in and out of stores weekly to buy one thing or another. Rita who used to laugh to hide pain, now laughs genuinely.
My heart is full of joy for how much change 2021 brought. 2021 seems like a switch that brought light and luxury into my life. For that, I am grateful to God. Although I was unable to keep my 2021 resolutions, I’m bold enough to set new ones for 2022. In 2022, I’m ready to live confidently and unafraid. Being true to myself and instincts. In 2022 I’m going to embrace growth and be unapologetic. As for friends, I know that I’m horrible at being a good friend. I hope that in 2022 I do better. So help me God.