In 2009, I was part of my junior high school choir that experienced great success. We won the interschool competition and were victorious at the zonal level as well.
We went for the regionals where we had to be camped, trained and sent to Kadjebi, several kilometers from home to compete.
For our journey to Kadjebi, we all got our items together. Many of us were leaving our parents for the first time. We had to prepare adequately.
I remember ironing all my clothes and arranging them nicely. I did so for my handkerchiefs too. I pressed them neatly and resolved to keep them spotless for as long as possible.
I was so fixated on maintaining my handkerchiefs that even at Kadjebi, I avoided touching them. I would only admire them in my bag at the end of each day. Even when I stepped out, I went without a handkerchief because I didn’t want to get them dirty.
At our final event under a canopy, it began to drizzle. Some of our seats including mine didn’t find space under the shed. We packed ourselves on one another to avoid being drenched.
Soon, the sky was clear and we needed to occupy our original seats. But THEY WERE ALL WET. Everyone around me reached into their pockets for their handkerchiefs to dry them up. But mine were still in my travelling bag, neat and spotless.
It took the timely intervention of a benevolent female colleague to save my face. She quickly cleaned my seat after hers, upon realizing I was behaving funnily.
THE LESSON
My experience may sound really stupid and it actually is. In the bid to keep my hankies spotless, they became useless even when I needed them most.
This experience taught me that excessively seeking a life of zero disturbance is the enemy of the fulfilment of purpose.
The safest place an airplane can be is at the airport. But if it remains there, it will never fly and live out its purpose.
This principle applies to our lives as well. In order to live out our true purpose, we must be ready to break through our safest comfort zones.
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