I’m almost certain that most people at one point in their lives especially as teenagers wished they could fast forward to the future where they could be free to do whatever they wanted. They got sick of having people telling them what to do or asking for permission to do almost everything. They wanted to be free and independent. That freedom and independence came much earlier than they had anticipated. Now these same people are wishing they could turn back the hands of time! Swamped with work and so many other responsibilities, independence doesn’t seem like such a glorious thing after all. Gone are the days when mummy and daddy provided everything. Back then all you had to do was ask! You don’t know how much your parents earned but it was nothing like a 7 figure salary. Now on your own, you wonder how your parents made it through all this absurd torture. Because to you that’s exactly what it is. The electricity and water bills are simply ridiculous and not forgetting every tenant’s biggest worry at the end of the month, rent! You tell yourself that it will all come to pass but you’re not sure you’ve convinced yourself. When you sit back and think of that bank loan that is not even in the pipeline of being paid you just wish you could disappear! This is the time you wish you could fly back to the comfort of your parents’ home. It doesn’t always get that bad. If you graduated from university and are comfortably settled in your dream job getting an equally dreamy salary then don’t forget to thank the Lord every night. There’s nothing worse than sitting down wondering why exactly you took the trouble to graduate! Since you did, you’ve been through nothing but hell and all those who told you hard work pays suddenly seem like the biggest liars that ever walked the planet. And who said good things happen to everyone? Who said every hardworking person gets hisher reward? It all just seems like a myth to you if the fact that all your hard work was flashed down the drain is anything to go by. The job you are in now is paying you peanuts but you can’t afford to leave it till you find a better option. You’ve tried, really you have but every door is getting slammed in your face. You are out of clues as to what to do because your dad already helped you get started with your rent. How now do you go back asking for more help? Your pride gets the better of you because sometimes it’s hard for people to understand just how badly you’re doing. You sit and reminisce about the good old days though the question of how your parents did it eats at your brain, one day at a time! What you’ve come to learn is that was the ‘real’ freedom right there. Now you’d give anything to just go back! cjanzi83@yahoo.co.uk
