I remember growing up listening to Radio 3. Admire Taderera used to play "Jack and Diane" by John Cougar Mellencamp although for a long time I thought the song was called "Life goes on." This is because that stood out for me; I could just sing along. Of course at that point I did not understood what the song was all about, as my understanding of the English language was extremely limited. But at least "life goes on" was easy enough.
I remembered this song as I turned 40 in January this year. It now has meaning. It is true, "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone." Life will go on whether I am happy or sad; crying or laughing. That is just the way it is. It has taken time but I think I can safely say I can now accept it. Well, most of the times anyway.
The thrill does disappear when I become very impatient and I can't wait for something to happen. Or when I feel life has been unfair. Or when I wish things had turned out differently. There have been many of those occasions in my 40 years. I used to have a very close friend and in my mind we were friends for life. It did not happen that way. Some people we went to school still ask me about her because we were that close. But somehow we grew apart. There was a time I was so torn up about it, and wished I could change things. But now I can think of that friendship without feeling sad. I am glad I have memories of being that close to a human being; we could literally finish each others' sentences.
Now I am much older (maybe a bit wiser?) and I understand that life happens, whether I like it or not. In August 2013 I found myself out of a job. The first thought that came to my mind was "what will happen to my children?" For some time I resented being in that situation because I knew I should have still been in a job. I analysed the situation over and over and came up with the same answer: I should not have been out of a job. But that did not matter, because it was not up to me. I have learnt that I can't control every situation I find myself in.
In October 2013 I got another job! I was just so happy I could not believe it; was it really me that only missed 1 pay cheque? In that moment I thanked God as I believed He found the job for me. I know some people who had been looking for jobs for over 12 months without any luck. I am in Zimbabwe, by the way. Factories and companies are closing every week. The statistics are depressing. Whether the unemployment figure is 10% or 50% or 80% is immaterial-I just know some people can no longer buy a loaf of bread daily- and I still can.
Now I am not asking "Why me". I am saying "What next?" What is my next challenge? What will happen? This time, I am not asking what will happen to my children. They will be fine. I am sure of it. I believe God will take care of them. I have faith they will not starve. Not because of what I have done. I just know they will be fine.
I am thankful to God for the blessings: my families, my job, the roof over our heads and the food on our tables. Everyday I thank God for the gift of life; which is easy to take for granted. I have come to appreciate that, at the end of it all, life is important. The rest is secondary. I have learnt that life can end anytime, despite the big plans I may have. Or what I still want to do.
Life goes on. And it should. Life goes on. Long after the thrill of living is gone.
I remembered this song as I turned 40 in January this year. It now has meaning. It is true, "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone." Life will go on whether I am happy or sad; crying or laughing. That is just the way it is. It has taken time but I think I can safely say I can now accept it. Well, most of the times anyway.
The thrill does disappear when I become very impatient and I can't wait for something to happen. Or when I feel life has been unfair. Or when I wish things had turned out differently. There have been many of those occasions in my 40 years. I used to have a very close friend and in my mind we were friends for life. It did not happen that way. Some people we went to school still ask me about her because we were that close. But somehow we grew apart. There was a time I was so torn up about it, and wished I could change things. But now I can think of that friendship without feeling sad. I am glad I have memories of being that close to a human being; we could literally finish each others' sentences.
Now I am much older (maybe a bit wiser?) and I understand that life happens, whether I like it or not. In August 2013 I found myself out of a job. The first thought that came to my mind was "what will happen to my children?" For some time I resented being in that situation because I knew I should have still been in a job. I analysed the situation over and over and came up with the same answer: I should not have been out of a job. But that did not matter, because it was not up to me. I have learnt that I can't control every situation I find myself in.
In October 2013 I got another job! I was just so happy I could not believe it; was it really me that only missed 1 pay cheque? In that moment I thanked God as I believed He found the job for me. I know some people who had been looking for jobs for over 12 months without any luck. I am in Zimbabwe, by the way. Factories and companies are closing every week. The statistics are depressing. Whether the unemployment figure is 10% or 50% or 80% is immaterial-I just know some people can no longer buy a loaf of bread daily- and I still can.
Now I am not asking "Why me". I am saying "What next?" What is my next challenge? What will happen? This time, I am not asking what will happen to my children. They will be fine. I am sure of it. I believe God will take care of them. I have faith they will not starve. Not because of what I have done. I just know they will be fine.
I am thankful to God for the blessings: my families, my job, the roof over our heads and the food on our tables. Everyday I thank God for the gift of life; which is easy to take for granted. I have come to appreciate that, at the end of it all, life is important. The rest is secondary. I have learnt that life can end anytime, despite the big plans I may have. Or what I still want to do.
Life goes on. And it should. Life goes on. Long after the thrill of living is gone.