I hail from Ghana where during my childhood, the months of November, December, and January, were jokingly tagged as winter months. Of course, we had no snow but these months were ridiculously cold, dry, and humid, and altogether uncomfortable to deal with; not to mention the cracked lips, heels, and all!
In 2021, we were no longer tagging these months as our winter. The rains came with a vengeance, and we waited for the ridiculous cold to rear its ugly head. Alas, how disappointed we were. The most common question on everyone’s lips was “where is the harmattan?”
Last week, I had inadvertently left a piece of cake sitting on my table while I ran a quick errand when I returned to meet the horrific sight of an ant-infested plate. Rather than jump straight at ridding the plate and table of the unwelcomed army, I sat and watched them, intrigued for the most part at the little creatures devotedly taking trips to and from the plate to wherever their destination was. The white tips at the ends of where I presumed was their heads were indicative of tiny pieces of cake they were carrying away to their hideout somewhere in my own abode.
Ants are interesting creatures if you pay enough attention to them. They are said to have currently colonised almost every part of this earth and they thrive in most ecosystems. Studies have shown that the successes of ants in so many environments have been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Well, the ants certainly were modifying my habitat into their own.
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As I watched amused, I was transported back to the story of the ant in one of Aesop’s popular fables that I had read as a child, “The Ant and the Grasshopper” which shows us the industry of the ant and how well it survives because of its planning ‘skills’. In the fable, the ants worked throughout the summer season to store enough food for the impending winter, while the grasshopper spent its summer humming and generally having a jolly good time. At wintertime, it was the ant that was found having a good time because it had stored up enough food while the grasshopper wallowed in misery and went a-begging. The ant planned for the miserable weather, and so when it finally came around, it was in control of how its life and survival went in that season, as opposed to the grasshopper.
As sure as day follows night, many of us can still remember the 31st day of December in the just ended year. We remember where we were, and the euphoria in the air. We remember our 31st night service, party or the alone time spent; what we did, and the thoughts that were on our minds. We remember when the clock struck midnight, signalling the official end of the year 2021 with all its good times and its bad times, and the hopeful shouts of “Happy New Year!” We remember the fireworks and the general jolliness on the faces of people around us and on our own faces. We thought of the year past, and the kaleidoscope of our failures and achievements. We had mixed feelings of sadness and excitement. Sadness at the time lost and goals unachieved but excitement about the time ahead and the prospects of things to come. Resolutions were made, some were carried forward from 2021 and I dare say from the year 2020 as well. It’s now time to pause and question how we intend to achieve the things we have set our sights and minds on. The magic word ‘plan’ then comes in.
Whatever it is you want to achieve in life, plan towards it. Do not go through the year, or through life without a plan. Success will not accidentally meet us. One sure way of achieving happiness and satisfaction is planning for everything. Things are not always going to fall into place, but when they don’t, you can be sure that it won’t be for lack of planning.
It is a natural tendency of humans to question why we were dumped on this green earth. Is it for a greater mystery we have to uncover to enable us to live a so-called joy-filled life full of sunshine and what not, or is it to go through the motions of education and then the capitalist mill till death finally sweeps us away in its arms?
Christians for instance, believe that all persons are created by God or called to a certain specific purpose on earth. Some say that each person has a special and unique way of serving God on earth and it is in finding that unique way that Christians discover a never before experienced enthusiasm for life. Most Christian literature advise that once a person has found their purpose, the foremost and most important way to achieve that is through planning. Oh, what a travesty it will be to miss out on living your purpose because you failed to plan!
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And so, in this new year, with all our grandiose ideas, resolutions, and goals, let us not forget to be like the ant. For nothing good is achieved with automatism, but only through a conscious effort and action aimed at achieving our set targets. We know exactly where we are going or want to go and so let’s decide step-by-step and consciously how we intend to get there by mapping out our paths and strategies and be guided by Lewis Caroll’s saying that “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will lead you there.”
It’s already the second month of the new year. Time and tide they say, wait for no man. It matters not how the first month went. Take solace in the words of Henry David Thoreau that “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them” and start moulding your roadmap into shape.
Just like the ant, let us take control of our lives and resolutions and actively put down plans to achieve them. Defer to whatever higher being you have wedged your trust in, or draw strength from whatever higher power or philosophy you are anchored to and make it work.
For when that second hand completes its 31,536,000th trip around the clock and finally hits the top of the hour on the 31st of December 2022, the only emotion we want to feel is that of fulfilment.
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Best I have read so far.
Thank you