Rolistance

Take a good look at the above glass of water. You don’t see the point of it? That’s okay.

Whereas the optimist will call it half-full, the realist will say the water is half way and the pessimist will call it half-empty.

My point is, life is pretty much the same as is the situation with this glass of water.

How you see it is how it will be for you because, as my friend told me, “If you say you can, you’re right and if you say you can’t, you right too.”

Throughout my high school years, when I slammed a book before me with a resolve to read, I’d do so with two thoughts on my mind;
1) These notes are too many. I can’t read them.
2) I can actually read a few pages and learn something.

When my thoughts were stuck on number one, my mind would automatically shut down and instead of revising for the tests, I’d just look through a magazine, the test already a lost cause.

Whenever my mind was onto number two, I’d always challenge myself to read two pages after which I’d add on a few more until I actually did learn something.

While you’ll most likely give up if you were on number one, it’s also important that you kick the negativity to the curb. A mantra could help. Whenever I landed on such times, I’d say, ‘Anne, you can.’ In my head over and over again until I was focused on the writing before me, and the same goes for real life situations. When someone is being really mean and it’s starting to stress me, I repeat the words: ‘Ignore them’ over and over again in my head until I’m actually ignoring the person and their taunts.

In his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, businessman Robert Kiyosaki talked about how we block our pathways to success by harboring negative thoughts. “I can do it” puts your mind into action and you actually look for ways to do it while “I can’t do it” just puts your mind to sleep. You don’t look beyond your failure and you end up missing the light at the end of the tunnel.

No matter how bleak the future looks, it never hurts to try and as a matter of fact, many have accomplished a lot from just trying.

Whereas it’s good to be realistic, keeping optimism at the ready is totally priceless. You’ll always have a straw to clutch on. Always.

Be a risk taker. Don’t stop trying. It never hurts to try.
I repeat, it never hurts to try.

Guilt is regarded as a disease by many, and they are right, except that I’d rather I called it a tumor. The longer it’s left unattended to, the steadier it grows until it destroys you.

Well, don’t imagine the worst. Bad scenarios aside, you can still overcome your guilt while at breaking point, but with a bit of effort on your part.

So, how do you deal with guilt?

Accept your mistakes and apologize. Perhaps you went to your job after having a row with your wife and in a bad mood, you responded to your colleague’s “good morning” with a rude hand gesture or something of that sort. Chances are, you’’ spend the rest of the day feeling guilty and endlessly thinking about it. You very well are aware of the fact that you ought to apologize but your ego won’t let you and the longer you put off apologizing, the stealthier the guilt gnaws at you and makes your mood two times worse. Accept the fact that you’re as wont to make mistakes as any other human alive is and force your ego down. Apologize (with sincerity) and get the matter over with it. If your colleague rejects your apologies, at least you tried.

Work up your game. Just saying sorry is not enough. You need to actually live up to your words. If you’re sorry, show by making changes in your behavior (temper, if you like). I know that having to wake up every morning at six or five just to go for work is enough to get our (well, most of us) blood boiling but, it’s more important to face the world with a cool head and be kind to everyone, no matter how hard it is. If you have difficulty in keeping your anger in check, it’s just about time your found ways to keep it in check.

Just accept the fact that some factors of life are beyond you. Whereas there are times we make mistakes either intentionally or unintentionally, there are times when what happens is just out of our control. Imagine this scenario: You and your friends are on your way back home from a frat party and a few minutes into the journey, the driver loses control over the car and it tumbles into a ditch. All your friends pass on and you’re the only survivor. You might (most probably yes) suffer from Survivor’s guilt. You forget the fact that the accident was beyond your control. You weren’t behind the wheel and you don’t have the power to raise the dead (unless you’re Jesus or God).

Try to put the past behind you. Having either apologized and worked up your game or accepted the fact that fate and destiny are beyond your control, it’s time you let go of what happened and move on with life. Leave the past in the past lest it eats you alive. Don’t reopen old wounds.

If you can’t deal with your guilt on your own, it’ll be best if you sought professional help because, let’s face it, you really need it. Your mental health is as important as your physical health and it’s hard for one to flourish while the other deteriorates.

It’s got to be common knowledge that words have the power to either build or crush anyone. I plenty well know about the “Words mean nothing” mantra flying about but it’s about time we faced the truth. Words are quite relevant and evidence has it that one critical sentence is probably the reason One-Tooth-Jim across the street abandoned his plan of opening up a café, burying his dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur and a few words of encouragement explain why Samson managed to flourish in his Real Estate venture.

As the saying goes, “If you can’t help them, don’t hurt them.”

Consideration is important. Think twice before you speak because you have no idea of what sort of impact your words are going to have on the person.

Allow me to give a perfect example, and I’m using myself as the example.

If you read some of my previous blogs, then you most probably are aware of the fact that I’m hard of hearing, and that I rely on hearing aids. Having spent all those years living in sometimes unbearable silence affected me. Introversion, trying my best to keep out of conversations, finding it hard to distinguish one word from another. All in all, it’s been one hell of a struggle.

What stung me most, though, was when I was attending to a customer. He ordered first time and (don’t hold it against me), I didn’t quite register what he said, so I said “Pardon?” hoping that he would repeat himself, but I was awfully wrong. He had the audacity to jeer in my face. He then said, ‘How can’t you hear? You’re stupid.’ Mortified, I just said, ‘I’m sorry sir, but I really didn’t hear you.’

There. I’ve repeated it word for word. What puzzled me, though, was the fact that he was a close family friend and knew perfectly well about my problem.

I never took it that personal, but it still affected me-sapped the energy right out of me. On the whole, I never let his words define who I am. I’m anything but stupid, for all I know. Lol.

I hope that has been a perfect example of the kind if cheek that exists in the world, and I implore those that say hurtful words to please stop. If they were to swap places, they’d very much realize that nobody deserves to be treated that foully.

Consideration is the key. Let’s respect everyone else regardless of their color, background, religion, gender, sexuality, age and even their social status. We’re all equal beings who deserve respect and acceptance.

Keep well, y’all. ☮

Whereas there are those of us who will embrace ageing with open arms, there is another category that would rather they never got close to sniffing age forty.

I wanna have a word with y’all, though. I mean, y’all. No, don’t slink off, Susan!

First off, I’m gonna turn twenty in two months and I’m quite sure a few of you are gonna murmur murmur (or grumble aloud. Goodness knows) saying, “What? This kid? This leetle kid? What’s her point?”

Well, my point is, I’m speaking from experience. Well, “some” experience.

A year ago, I enjoyed being eighteen so much that I could hardly bear the thought of turning nineteen, and when the very much dreaded birthday arrived, I grimaced when my family wished me a happy nineteenth birthday. I was like, “Dude, I really have turned into an old hag!”. I made sure to say that out of my Mama’s earshot, though. She wouldn’t have taken it cool, what with the few uninvited wrinkles popping up on his face. (Don’t snitch on me, please.’)

Anyway, that’s besides the point.

I dreaded turning nineteen, and you must be wondering how I’m dealing with the prospect of having to turn twenty. Well, I’m not taking it cool, but neither am I throwing tantrums, because it dawned on me that, I don’t have the power to dictate how fast time moves.

And I most certainly haven’t the power to stop myself from growing older, just like you don’t, unless you’re a fictional character in Harry Potter and you either have a Philosopher’s stone in your possession, or decided to emulate Lord Voldemort by splitting your soul and keeping them in Horcruxes. Unfortunately, you’re neither.

A while ago, I chanced upon an article on Quora with a startling title. “I’m soon turning forty and am so not looking forward to it.’

Well, I quite understood her. Not many would want to leave their youth behind but, well, time has its own plans.

What to do, then?

Embrace your new age (perhaps you’ll do it grudgingly) with open arms, and, don’t let old age find you weak and frail. Breaking a hip when you’re old or falling down the stairs isn’t what I’d call an amazing experience. Well, make it a point to age well.

How to age well?

I’ll give you tips, and you can start now. Growing old while you’re strong and healthy is luxury very few enjoy. You can secure it, though, (starting now) by;

Stay physically active. Jog, skip, play hopscotch, go for walks, walk the dog (or the cat, lizard, pig, or whatever. Lol.) and enroll in yoga classes. Staying seated for long hours on end, everyday can sap what little strength you have left in your body and this is what you want to avoid.

Eat healthy (mostly). I won’t ask you to keep at broccoli, cucumber, broccoli, broccoli and broccoli all the time. You’re free to eat a snack every once in a while, (and by once in a while, I men like twice a week, not in the morning, afternoon, evening, at the break of dawn.) having to deal with diabetes, heart diseases and any other health condition isn’t what I’d call thrilling.

Limit your alcohol intake (or cut it out altogether) and keep off that cigarette. One is as harmful as the other and you’d do better avoiding them as much as possible because at the end of the day, your health matters the most.

Get enough rest. I plenty well know that the need to sacrifice sleep in favor of money is great, but let’s not forget that health is wealth. You need to rest in order to calm your nerves, take a break from like ad it’s complications and also go easy on your organs.

And lastly,

Stay connected. Whereas some people find it better to slink off on their own and keep well away from others, they are the same people that are more prone to suffering from depression and dementia. They don’t have much to look forward to and they most certainly need affection. Reach out to your friends, family, and if possible, make new friends. It will do you a lot of good.

All the best in your journey to old age. Salute! 🙂

It is common for all of us to feel down or moody every now and then, and this is quite normal, but there are those who experience these feelings with intensity and for long periods, which isn’t normal at all. Such people need to seek help before they snap.

These are the people who are dealing with depression and if you’re on of them, I’m here to talk you through it. Depression is curable especially when you put in effort and seek help.

What exactly is depression?
Simply put, depression is a common and serious medical illness that not only affects its victims emotionally but spiritually and physically too.

It is not picky and people of all age groups are at risk of having to deal with it.

What with corona virus underway, it shouldn’t surprise us that the number of depressed people has soared, just as I too have been.

What are the symptoms of depression?
The signs and symptoms of depression vary from severe to mild and they include the following:

1) Reduced interest and pleasure in activities or things that you once enjoyed.

2) Fatigue or loss of energy.

3) Thoughts of death/suicide or going as far as actually committing suicide.

4) Agitation and restlessness.

5) A reduction or an increase in appetite.

6) Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much.

7) A sudden drop in sexual desire.

8) Some women can go as far as missing their period.

So, how do you break free from depression?
Well, getting rid of your depression isn’t going to be a piece of cake. You’re going to need as much help as you can possibly get your hands on.

Whereas some people opt to keep themselves busy most of the day (or nights) with the intention of keeping depressive thoughts at bay, for some this just doesn’t work. It wouldn’t make sense if it were your work stressing you and you decided to just add on your workload. This is more like adding on to your stress levels. A big no, then.

One thing you need to know is, if ever you’re depressed, don’t hesitate to reach out to those who care. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, and as we all know, Glady’s Knight ain’t nothing without the Pips. Make a few calls, talk to those who care about you and shift some of the weight off your shoulders. You don’t have to deal with it on your own.

While some could be lucky and immediately chance upon a solution, others may have to try out different options to attain the desired results. Listed below are the ways you could rid yourself of depression:

Get as much help as you can. Two heads are better than one. Advice from friends and family who care is really invaluable and their support can go a long way in keeping you off harm. As I said, and as I repeat, ‘Gladys Knight ain’t nothing without the Pips.’ Reach out and stay connected. Don’t suffer alone. Besides, you could consider reaching out a helping hand to others in the damps. Giving is a source of join, and a dose of joy can help take some if not all the hurt away.

Insert your energy in activities that can lift your moods, take for instance yoga which can help you relax your mind, listening to soothing music, watching a comedy show, gardening (if it’s your hobby) and whatever else makes you happy. I know you’re most probably frowning but, wait a bit. I understand that in times of depression, you will have lost interest in a lot of things you once enjoyed but, try. It never hurts to try. This will probably rekindle your interest.

Exercise every once in a while. It is proven that through exercise, the brain produces chemicals called endorphins that act as natural painkillers and are able to improve your ability to sleep which in turn reduces stress.

Rid yourself of negative thoughts. Think positive. Brooding on what went wrong instead if what went right is almost like trying to douse the fire with petroleum. Dwell on happy thoughts more.

If you have taken all the necessary steps at self-help and they proved vain, I’d suggest that you get professional help from a therapist or anyone in any related fields. All help counts.

No one deserves to be depressed, and anyone and everyone can break free of depression. You too can.

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‘Are we there yet?’ asked Olga, wheezing slightly.

Owen uneasily glanced at her sideways and was quick to notice that her face looked like a rotting jack-o-lantern and his heart quivered and he for a moment felt the strong impulse to reach out to her and offer her a bit of comfort. ‘Yes. I believe so.’

‘You believe so, but aren’t sure?’ she asked.

Owen glanced at Oleg uncertainly. ‘We are almost there.’ said Owen.

‘But you aren’t sure?’ she pressed.

Owen sighed and gently grabbed her by the shoulder. ‘No, I’m not sure. But let’s just walk on. Think of it this way. The farther we go, the closer we get to the village.’

‘To its ruins, you mean?’ said Oleg.

Owen clenched his fists and angrily walked up to Oleg. ‘Listen here, sonny. I’m trying to be optimistic. And it’s not just for your sake, but for Olga too. What with you being the eldest, you should know better than to utter nonsense.’ he huffed.. ‘Stop making this hard.’

Oleg fumed, then pushed Owen slightly, but enough to make him stagger backwards. ‘Oh, and what will you do about it, young man? Its high time you became a realist. I bet if we run into a band of barbarians you’ll still have something positive to say about it. Aye? Are we to fl..”

‘We havent run into an…’ started Owen.

Oleg grabbed him by the collar and inched his face closer to his brother’s. ‘Will you shut the hell up, little twerp? I’m still talking.’

‘Are you guys fine over there?’ asked Olga, looking at them questioningly.

Oleg turned to her and forced a smile. ‘Right. Were just fine.’

‘It looked like you were dealing with the beginnings of a fight over there. What was going on?’ she pressed.

Oleg shrugged. ‘Not really. Were just fine. Aye, Owen?’

Owen grinned and gave her a thumbs up. ‘Yep. Let’s get moving. March, march, march it on. Almost there, were getting close. No hills, no valleys or mountains to climb.’ sang Owen while taking the lead.

Oleg felt the impulse to say “you mean there are” but thought the better of it and shut his mouth. He let Olga walk ahead of him and except for a few questions she asked every now and then, they trekked in silence.

After walking for a good while, Olga sank onto the ground with exhaustion. ‘Are we even going in the right direction?’ she cried.

Owen stopped and looked at her for a good while ‘I think so.’

Olga threw her arms in the air. ‘You think so! Lawd!’ she said credulously.

He studied his compass for a while then nodded. ‘Yes. We’re headed due North. We’re going the right way. I’m positive about that.’

‘We had better.’ mumbled Oleg.

‘Let’s get going. I bet we are closer to our destination.’ He said.

‘Pray, let’s rest for a minute or two!’ she cried in exasperation.

Owen’s heart went out to her. Their father’s death had completely shattered her. More than twice, she had attempted suicide Oleg had saved her. She had only stopped because they had sat her down and he had a long talk with her.

The boys worriedly stared at their sister. ‘Will she make it?’ asked Owen.

Oleg just shrugged a shoulder and looked the other way. After a minute, he let out a yell and pointed to his left. ‘Owen, the dust in that direction is rising.’ he said.

Owen rolled his eyes and followed his brother’s gaze.

‘Aye. Indeed, it is. A blizzard, maybe?’

‘No, kid!’ snapped Oleg.

‘I see a group of people approaching.’ said Olga while squinting into the distance. Of the three, she had the sharpest eyes.

Owen jumped and resorted to race walking. ‘Well, let’s get a-running, then. Those savages will certainly do us in.’ He walked for a while but stopped when he realized that none of his siblings was following. He groaned, then walked back to them. ‘You never listen to me!’

‘Stop bickering, you little minx.’ snapped Oleg.
Owen was totally taken aback by Olgas fearful look. What?’

Oleg grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and pointed towards the approaching figures. ‘Who do you see?’

‘Apes.’ said Owen.

Oleg rolled his eyes. ‘Well maybe they are apes, but at least one amongst them is human.’

Owen squinted into the distance and nodded. ‘Yes. The one in the lead is of a female make.’

‘Good.’ said Owen. ‘What else do you see?’

‘It’s her! Lawd, it really is her!’ cried Olga.

‘It’s who?’ asked a bewildered Owen.

‘Could you be any slower!’ Oleg exclaimed. ‘If you paid close attention, you wouldve by now noticed that the lady has Mom’s stoop.’

‘It’s Mom!’ cried Olga. ‘Let’s get to her now.’ And with that said, she bounded off towards the approaching figures at full pelt with the two boys following close behind. They stopped just a few feet away from the group which had also halted.

While Olga kept her eyes on her Mom, the boys nudged each other, their eyes never leaving the peculiar looking men who were dressed the same way as the vagabonds who had destroyed their village. They peeled their eyes off the men and directed them onto Mom who was discreetly shaking her head at them.
Run, she mouthed to them.

Oleg and Owen stared at each other in confusion. They had got the message, but they just could not find it in them to bolt off and leave her. They shook their heads in unison and stayed where they were.

‘Run for goodness’ sake!’ hissed Mom.

One of the men hit her hard on the head and she dropped to the ground.

Enraged, Owen ran up to the man who had hit her and rained blows onto his protruding belly. The man stared at him, lifted him by the neck then hurled him onto the ground. Owen landed on his face and yelped and this seemed to inspire Oleg, for he jumped on one of the men and rained blows down on him. The man just snorted and shook him off. He too landed on his face. Olga took a step forward but Mom held up her hand.

‘Don’t, my love. They will hurt you.’ Olga nodded and took many steps back.

The smallest of the men bent down, grabbed Mom by the hair and hauled her up. Oleg and Owen jumped onto their feet and watched the men like foxes, fists clenched.

The leader of the group said something to Mom in a language that only Oleg and she could understand. She frantically shook her head.

‘What were they saying?’ asked Owen.

‘They wanted to know if we are her kids. She said no, to protect us.’ he replied shortly.

The men formed a semi-circle, discussed in low tones for a while and everyone nodded. They seemed to agree on something the boys couldnt quite understand.
Suddenly, one of the men turned and without any hesitation, eased three bullets into Mom’s neck.
Olga screamed and the two boys threw themselves upon the muscly men. The fight was too imbalanced to last though. In just a few swift moves, one of the men had both boys by the neck.

‘You bastards!’ growled Owen.

‘They can’t understand you, little one.’ said Oleg.

‘I dont care!’ yelled Owen, baring his teeth at the men who looked hardly affected by the boys outburst. He looked down at Olga who knelt beside Moms still body, sniffing silently.

‘See what youve done, you swine!’ he growled at the man who muttered something unintelligible and knocked their heads together. Owen yelped and felt tears well up in his eyes. Where as the yelp was caused by the contact of his forehead with Oleg’s hard head, the tears were caused by the mixed feelings that kept welling up in him.

Oleg turned and looked at his little brother, then shook his head. ‘Owen, dont turn soft. Not now at least. These men are taking us with th..’

‘Shut up!’ growled the leader menacingly, then turned back to talk to one of his men.

Oleg worried that the man understood English and had been listening to their conversations until it occurred to him that Shut up could have been the only words the man knew. He relaxed.

The leader growled out a few instructions to the men and three of them approached the children. Olga leaped out of her assailants rage, dried her tears with the back of her hand and pointed at her mothers body. The man turned and exchanged glances with his boss who muttered and walked away, followed by the others. One of the men returned to the kids, knelt beside the body and wrapped it up in an old rag, then slung it on his shoulder and followed the rest of the men. The kids were tied up with ropes and led towards the rest of the group like captives.

Olga sighed. ‘What next for us, then?’

Owen stared at her for a while, then dragged his eyes away. ‘We are prisoners, little one. Prisoners.’

A whole lot of people out there are weeping because of the effects of COVID-19. Hell, an outrageous number of people have died and a lot of businesses and personal finances have suffered. However, it could be a blessing in disguise. Not health-wise. I mean finance-wise.
Whilst brainstorming with a friend a few whiles back, I concluded that this is the best time for self-reflection and personal growth. Im going to kickstart this by laying out for you the five ifs which are:
If you’ve been working for a company for more than five years and you don’t have savings that amount to $100, you have some thinking to do.
If you’ve been hustling for more than five years but youve got nothing to show for it, youve got some thinking to do.
If you’ve spent a month or so at home surviving on your reserves without cash inflow from other sources, you really have got some thinking to do.
If you’ve passed your quarantine time chilling in the sofa and watching Netflix, simply scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed, looking up pictures on Instagram, watching YouTube videos that wont build you, laughing at TikTok videos, youve got some thinking to do.
If you’ve spent 30 days at home eating delicacies, sipping on wine, sleeping nonstop and not reading a single book at all, youve got some thinking to do.
Thirty lockdown days amount to 720 idle hours. 720 idle hours translate into 43,200 minutes of idleness and 8 working hours per day translate into 240 hours lost time or misused time. Remember, you can only play with time if you can afford it.
Life has given us more than a month to think about our lives and come up with survival strategies and productive plans to stem the tide. What we’re facing now is almost the same thing most retirees face or even worse.
One thing to note though is that at the end of this pandemic, many businesses are going to suffer setbacks and the newbies will emerge from thick skin. Start-ups will swallow SMEs; digital media will bury traditional media; artificial intelligence will(might) overtake unskilled labor.
Billionaires will also feel the heat and newbies will need a longer period of time to emerge.
So, ask yourself a question: which side will you be on after this pandemic passes?
Meanwhile, most companies are typing redundancy letters to be distributed. This might give you something to think about.
Don’t waste your time waiting on COVID-19 statistics and trying to remember the good ole days.
Look at the bigger picture, brainstorm, strategize and come out stronger.
Schools in specific parts of the world aren’t shutdown. They’ve reverted to online studies. The financial services sector (Wall street NASDAQ) in USA and UK are not shutdown but trading online. Certified online courses are not shutdown but running unimpeded. It’s only in the third world that the lockdown is considered a holiday without hustle.
The game changers after the Lockdown are going to be the:
Smart thinkers.
Multi super-skill innovators.
Creative inventors.
Ideas Merchants.
Cost reduction strategists.
Market share readers.
Competition induced drivers and a few others.
What to do, then?
Think diversification.
Think Advisory Consultancy.
Think Capacity building.
Think Technology
Think forex trading.
Think Artificial intelligence
Think Income multiplication
Think of moving to the right side of the Quadrant

Let positive thinking move side-by-side with acting up.
#Rolistance

‘For goodness’ sake, Marcus, will you stop that?’ snapped Ivy for what felt like the fiftieth time.
‘I just wanna make sure that the road is clear of zombies.’ he called back.
‘We’re not interested in that. You don’t wanna get said.’ she said.
Marcus looked at her sideways, then gave the empty street his full attention. ‘Stop overreacting. They don’t even know that we’re alive.’
‘They’re not supposed to know that we exist!’ returned Ivy.
Marcus shrugged a shoulder, stared at the street for another minute, then drew back the curtain and joined the other three at the dining table.
‘Saw anyone/thing?’ asked Ivy.
‘I believe you said you’re not interested in that.’ said Marcus. ‘If you wanna know, you’ll have to use your own eyes. I used mine for my own benefit.’
Ivy glowered at him.
I grinned.
He rolled his eyes. ‘Doesn’t move me.’
She smiled. ‘I know something that will.’
He gave her a questioning look.
‘Wait a bit. They will be here in a bit.’ she said with a grin plastered on her face.
We sat in total silence until outside was pitch black, then Marcus got up and flicked on the light switch.
‘Will you put that off for heaven’s sake!’ snapped Ivy.
‘We can’t just sit in darkness.’ retorted Marcus.
‘Oh yes we can and we will.’
‘No, we won’t!’
‘Yes we will. Turn it off!’ ordered Ivy.
‘No I….’ started Marcus.
‘Cut the crap, you two!’ I exclaimed and Ivy gasped. They both assumed that I had been fast asleep. ‘Marcus, she’s right. Those zombies arent supposed to know that we exist. Turn off the lights now.’
Marcus hurried to turn off the switch. As soon as the room was pitch black, he cursed. ‘Holy Crap. Too late. They’re already here.’
‘They are what?’ came Ivy’s panicky voice.
‘Ivy, they are headed here. They saw the lights.’
‘And it’s your fault.’ snapped Ivy. Snapping seemed to be her top most talent.
I shook my head. Not that they could see me. ‘Bickering isn’t going to do us any good. Action will.’
‘In this darkness?’ came Marcus’ voice.
‘Turn the damned lights on then. We need to find an escape route.’
‘Fat chance of that.’ grumbled Ivy just as the room was flooded with lights once more.
I walked to the window and peeped outside. What I saw made me gasp. Zombies. Dozens of them. Goodness knows wherever they had come from. Slow as they were, they were gaining pace and fast approaching. You two, to the basement. I said to my companions and thanked my lucky stars that they did not protest. I ran to the kitchen and immediately found what I needed on the stove. A revolver. I checked if it was loaded and then ran back to the window. The first zombie was already on the front porch. I backed away from the window, tripped over something soft and fell. A quick silver pain went through my arm and I tried my hardest not to yell.
Just then, I heard numerous thuds on the front door, then the window, then all over the house. We were trapped.
I panicked when I noticed that the pressure on the door had increased.
I backed away from the door and yelped when a hand grasped my leg. I looked down and retched at the sight that met my eyes. It was one of the wretched fellows outside. He had somehow managed to crawl under and broken the woodwork. He looked real awful. Spittle dribbled down its chin and most of its face was covered in dried mucus.
I panicked and kicked frantically at its upturned face but it never released its hold on me. It let me go for a fraction of a second, hoisted itself up in a surprisingly quick move and grasped me by the neck. I threw blows at its face but it wouldn’t let me go. It was squeezing the life out of me.
I kicked its shin but it felt nothing. I had almost given up when it was forced backwards. I watched as Marcus stabbed it with a knife repeatedly til it fell with a thud.
I then became aware of the numerous knocks and kicks coming from out.
‘Back to the basement.’ shouted Marcus. I nodded and followed him. Just as I reached the bottom of the basement, I heard the front door open with a loud bang.
I stared at Marcus. ‘They are in. They are in.’

#Rolistance

As a differently-abled person who is hard of hearing and uses hearing aids, I’ll admit that I am among the lucky few who don’t get snide remarks thrown in their face. Not that it doesn’t happen. It’s just rare owing to the fact that I’m an introvert. I love keeping to myself. However, a few outsiders have done things quite unintentionally, things that made me feel small. An example is when I haven’t heard them right and I say “pardon”, they sometimes playfully scrunch up their faces in disgust. I don’t go off crying though. I warn them about the effect this can have on a sensitive person and ask them not to repeat it or anything related.

Now, to cope with stigma the right way, you will have to make yourself your first priority. Don’t underestimate yourself and trust me, it won’t cut in that deep. And, I ask you to not term yourself as a disabled person. You’re just UNIQUE, that’s all. You’re of a different make like, hell yeah, not many wear hearing aids and they definitely look cool.

Above all, be positive. Make the most of every situation. Try to see the good in everything, instead of the bad, and remember that you’re as important as your assailant. You’re both humans who matter.

At the end of the day, it all starts with YOU. Just YOU.

#Rolistance

It’s just fine with most of us that our individual countries are having lockdowns…to curb the spread of Coronavirus.
What’s not fine is that civilians who survive as per the hand to mouth system are being left to fend for themselves, something they can’t do now that they have no way of selling their products, no way of feeding their families.Images of LDU flogging helpless mothers & kids left me exceedingly furious. I mean, the least government can do is to step up and do its duty. Not everyone can afford to live in seclusion. 💁Government, please help them in this period of uncertainty. They didn’t entrust you with the power you possess for naught. A great time to step in and prove that you really took up office for the people, not for your selfish needs.Gov’t, do something for your people. Step in ASAP! 🙏