SURULERE

Enraged and frustrated, Fred walked up to the front desk officer when he was told he will have to wait for the next flight as he had just missed his flight. The reality was not only that he had missed his flight but the chance to attend the the final stage of his job interview, because the flight had to leave as was fully booked and boarded.

Caught between whether to scream, shout or cry, he stayed emotionless on the surface, so confused that he could barely utter a word; having gone through the stress of traffic from his Bode Thomas, Surulere apartment to the MM2 airport in Ikeja. 

While Fred was still fuming with rage of what he may have lost, the Lady Front Desk Officer smiled courteously and simply said  “we are sorry sir…” rather than calming him, those words only made him further infuriated as he cut her before she could finish her programmed response to irate clients…….while trying not to stutter, he managed to say “ is that all you will say? And hissed in digust”.  Fred was only slightly consoled with an offer of the next flight to Abuja which was scheduled to take off in another 2 hours. That offer brought Fred closer to missing his interview and job much more than making it.

Fred’s phone fell off his hands in a rude shock an hour and 30 minutes later just after  he had listened to a broadcast of a plane crash. The details of the plane were exactly the same with the ticket he held in his hands…. Same plane he had done everything to join and felt so bitter when he missed it.

Fred may have lost the job because of the flight but didn’t lose his life on the plane to get the job that day. He may have insisted on joining that flight, fighting and forcing his way through because he couldn’t wait for the next flight and as a result may have lost his life too. Though angered and furious, he was forced to exercise patience to join the next flight despite the importance and urgency of the job opportunity he may have conceded and hence saved his life.

That flat tire before a crucial presentation, the splash of mud on your new outfit on your way to your best friend’s wedding, the scenarios are endless. Patience does have its benefits (Surulere) though we may not see it then but time surely emphasizes the importance of patience as it’s often the difference between what is and what may have been.

Patience is not just a virtue that makes you relax while you wait for the next action. It’s that inner calming blissful breeze in the raging storm of life that keeps you afloat like the ship’s anchor. Patience Like hope, may be the only thing that keeps you alive.

Written by;

Seth Ogungbemi