LETTERS TO TWENTY SOMETHINGS - PART 8 (THE WoW SERIES)

Patience with Family is Love......

Dear Twenty Somethings,

First of all, I welcome you to today's episode of the WoW (Words of Wisdom) series. It's a sunny afternoon and I hope that we are having a good day.

For a couple of days we'll be discussing "patience". Patience with family, patience with self and patience with others. Hopefully, by the end of this each reader will understand patience at all levels.

1. PATIENCE WITH FAMILY IS LOVE

Patience is the ability to "wait" calmly  or bear pain/discomfort for something or someone without losing one's temper. Note the clause without losing one's temper. Growing up, my parents just had a way of getting on my nerves (I'm sure most of us can relate to this), my older cousin was always bullying me, I felt the adults in my life were somewhat partial because as a Yoruba girl you have to obey your elders whether they're wrong or right. However, for some reason I put up with everything..... Now that's love. Blood they say is thicker than water. This is why when one of my uncles was mentoring me on business and how to survive in the real world (shortly after my graduation from college) and I just kept on dragging, he didn't give up on me. He would say that if he could successfully mentor young people in the UK and Nigeria and they are now doing great for themselves how much more his FAMILY. He had the patience to deal with my stagnancy, stubbornness, flimsy excuses, inability to stand up for myself, inability to believe  in myself and the likes. He gave me a break and then devised a more subtle method to his approach and guess what..... we are cool now. Love conquered! On my own part, I was fed up with his pushy pushy attitude, I thought he wanted me to be who I wasn't at all cost, he wanted to enslave me, he was too domineering with style etc. When I found that I couldn't hold on anymore I walked out of his life and the life he was trying to create for me. I realised we didn't talk much again and I was happy..... "At last! I'm free from this man', I would say to myself all the time. Few months later, we started talking again but this time he was more subtle. His love for me made him persistent in my life despite everything I had done.

Patience with family is nothing but love and trust me, it's not easy. Be patient and also appreciate those that are patient with you...... Don't let them ever regret their actions.

Till we meet here again next time........ I remain Ore Sho.

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