dear Diary #3

LIFE'S DEALS

Dear diary,

I remember sitting behind my breakfast today, sulking about how I have to go to work. Medicine is so stressful I thought silently to myself; why do I have to study everyday? Why can't I just call in sick and not go to work? Why do I have to go through so much just so I can make a decent salary? Why did I have to go to school for so long?

As these question ravaged my mind, my thoughts quickly turned as though someone had pressed a rewind button on my brain; I began to now think about those who were living on the streets of Takoradi, children who didn't have the priviledge of going to school like I did; people who had to sell on the street or in stalls just so they could make some money to get basic education; I thought about those who did not have parents to even care for them and have died from neglect in the process; I thought about those young children on the streets of Accra who had to chase cars on the highway just to sell some snacks so they could get a meal that day; the list goes on and on.

Even in medical school I met people that struggled to pay their fees; some would wake up in the morning and have no idea where food or water, the basic commodities of life were going to come from.

I have a close friend, very dear to my heart who was always unwell. She kept moving in and out of the hospital and the healthh issues persisted; sometimes two at a time, sometimes more.

There is one thing that I've learned from all of these people: PERSEVERANCE!

Despite the terrible deck of cards dealt to them by life, they did everything in their power to make sure they made it. They did not look at their situation and complain, fold their arms and do nothing about it. No matter how tough the going became, the "tough" in them kept going!

On the streets of Accra you'll see children, single mothers, young men, selling in the heat of the sun, and the pouring rain just to make ends meet; so they can take care of their families, go to school, build a life for themselves. They are always there, never giving up, persevering till the end! My friends in school graduated from medical school with their degrees in their hands! On the day of graduation my heart was overjoyed as I remembered what they went through just to hold those certifcates: how they struggled to pay their fees, juggling one job and another, trusting God for their daily bread. Slowly, but surely, they are DOCTORS! They made it! Perseverance is key!!

And my close friend, my sister actually, no matter how much the sickness took a toll on her she studied as much as she could. Even when hospitalized, she managed to find strength and study. And she made it! She made it!!!

So when life seems too tough for you to handle, remember that there are people who have it worse than you, but they have been able to accomplish their goal, lived their dreams by persevering! And Love, you can do it too! YES YOU CAN!

Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

#YesYouCan!