Whether it’s wanting to have fun straying away from your usual writing process, seeking inspiration to write which you lack for unknown reasons, or just wanting to try writing but not quite knowing what to write about- writing prompts can prove useful in a number of ways. Although, it’s a day late- here is a 30 day list of writing prompts for the month of September i have created for you to enjoy:
It fell so suddenly out of my lips. It was meant to be a joke and so it was followed by a light chuckle. He stared at me as he sipped his tea slowly, careful not to let whatever it was that flickered in his eyes become known to me.
As he dropped his teacup on the table between us, he chuckled faintly, “that’s okay”, he said, “I don’t know what I’m doing either”.
After that, silence hung in the air but this time, it felt different because uncertainty was mixed in it and a grey misty cloud floated above us.
When I was 5, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a doctor. When I was 10, I wanted to be an engineer and at 15, I thought being a journalist was my calling but I had grown to be 19 and the big picture was only something I could dream about. The more I dreamt, the more I realized I was still standing on one tiny little piece in a 1000 piece puzzle.
What made it harder to cope with feeling like a speck in the big picture? Not everyone was like him. Not everyone admitted so easily that they didn’t know what they were doing either. Everyone else was acting as though they were okay and had it all figured out because they were worried about what the other person would think. I saw it in their eyes when they mentally compared themselves to others and heard the hesitation in their voices when they had to speak about their lives.
What they didn’t know was that everyone was too bothered about themselves as well. Everyone is too caught up in their own lives and they should be too.
Nobody was ever thinking about you, anyhow
They aren’t. They weren’t. They never were.
– unknown.
He glanced outside the window next to us as he turned the tea in his cup with a little spoon, careful not to let them hit each other. He turned back to me as he took it out and I was almost lost in the spiral dance of the milk in the tea until he spoke.
“Since we’re always changing our minds“, he smiled, “knowing it all now would be a waste of time, wouldn’t it?”
I nodded once. He was right. We could always say “I want to be doing this” or “I would like to be doing that” but we need to understand that we can’t fully predict what the bigger picture looks like. We can only imagine, dream, and walk towards it. Along the way, we could develop different interests and realize one thing.
The point of this series is to depict certain struggles which the “mentally ill” people- as they are called, go through while living their lives as average Nigerians in a country that is not enlightened enough when it comes to matters such as these. These are their stories.
CASE TEN – DEMNTIA
According to Wikipedia, Dementia isa group of thinking and social symptoms that interferes with daily functioning.
My Grandfather was a funny man. I never saw him a lot because he lived in Jos which was hours away from where my family stayed- but once in a year, we would go visit him, whether it was during the summer or Christmas. The moments spent with my grandfather were cherished moments. He seemed to be more filled with life than I, a young person was and it was beautiful to watch.
“You must enjoy life now that you’re young”, he said quite often, “I never did but now that I’m old- I want to. Don’t be as late to living as I am”
After that, he would ask what he said and I would say it back to him. He would smile but end up forgetting again- and thus it would be repeated the very next day.
Grandpa started to forget a lot of things. He forgot the things he said to us, he forgot the people he spoke to on the phone, one time- he forgot that he had washed his favorite shirt that morning and made a big deal about having lost it.
Every year when we visited, he was different than the last time. One day, mommy said she missed Grandpa even though he was still there. He forgot more with each passing year. He hardly ever moved too because there was a big chance that he would get slightly confused if he did. However, this was only around my mother who never let him out of the house, she never let him do anything, not even cook his food- which was offensive because Grandpa loved to cook.
When my mother wasn’t home, grandpa did all the things he loved to do. He listened to music, danced, and laughed. One time, he cooked for my brother and i. I never told anyone but his food was much more better than my mother’s.
It was obvious that Grandpa struggled with simple things, like having a shower, brushing his teeth, and crossing the road when we snuck out to take a walk. Sometimes, I had to say some things twice to him since he could not hear me well. He also forgot where he dropped a lot of things- so much so that sometimes, i would move them to places where he could easily find them.
It wasn’t until the third year after grandpa started forgetting that mommy took him to the hospital because daddy told her it wasn’t just old age like all her friends were saying. I didn’t understand most of what mommy said was wrong with him but our visits increased and all she asked was that I should give him love and patience. That wasn’t a problem.
I loved Grandpa. I loved listening to his jokes. I loved it when he would tell me stories of a time when he was younger and the world was much more different. I didn’t know if all those stories were accurate but I listened anyway. I loved it when he would hold my hand while we walked and when we danced to old school music. There was so much to learn from him in his final years- despite what he was going through, Grandpa never stressed himself, he was always open to learning the things he had forgotten how to do. He taught me how to really LIVE, especially in the present. There is no limit to my gratitude for all of that.
Dementia is a syndrome that causes illnesses that affect a person’s behavior, thinking capabilities, and memories.
According to WHO, around 50 million people have dementia with about 10 million new cases every year.
60-70% of these cases are people with Alzheimer’s diseases which is one of the most common forms of Dementia
There are more than 100 thousand cases every year in Nigeria.
It is one of the causes of disability among older people.
Although Dementia is most common among older people from age 60 and above, it could also happen to toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults. However, cases like these are VERY rare.
Symptoms of Dementia include; difficulty recollecting certain things, changes in mood, depression, short-term memory loss, confusion, and difficulty completing simple everyday tasks.
While there is no test to really determine if a person has dementia, doctors can usually tell with a high level of certainty.
It is harder to determine which one of the many forms of dementia a person has because symptoms may overlap.
There are other conditions similar to dementia so it is important to not self-diagnose.
People with dementia and their caregivers need a lot of assistance and encouragement because it can be difficult.
This brings us to the end of case eleven. Don’t forget to like, comment your thoughts and subscribe so you can be the first to know when the rest of the cases are available. Thank you.
Lately, one of my favorite things to do has been to watch art tiktoks. Painting and Drawing has always been one of those things I wish I could do but do not seem to have the talent for, so I settle for appreciating the beauty that those who do have this talent create. When it comes to creating any form of art, whether it’s a painting, poetry, or a song- it’s mesmerizing to see just what hours and possibly days of effort and work could create.
The most amazing part of creating any piece of art is usually the beginning. It takes a lot of courage to decide to start working on something without really knowing whether or not it’s going to be appreciated in the long run or if it’s going to collect dust in your storage amongst the other things you’ve created.
An artist is not someone whose art is hanging in museums or whose name in a google search bar automatically brings up a Wikipedia page. An artist is someone who makes art. In the same way, a writer is not a “new york times bestselling author” or someone whose books are lined up on shelves in bookstores and libraries. A writer is someone who writes. It is as simple as that.
Most of the time, the beginning doesn’t make the end look so promising and so it’s easy to decide to just give up. I saw this art tiktok about a week ago where the artist started their painting by dipping the brush in blue paint and drawing a cute smiley face. Soon, the smiley face turned into water, and the water spread out so it was the ocean. Then more colours came into the picture and there was land, trees and even a little person sitting under one of the trees, playing a guitar.
It’s the same with life or it could even be the same as any normal day. You wake up and there’s no telling what’s coming next or what it’s going to be like in the next half hour or two hours. You just move along and hope it’ll be great. Sometimes, it is- sometimes, it’s not but while you can scroll past an art TikTok if your curiosity isn’t fueled enough to wait and see what the artist is doing, you can’t really scroll past your life and you are your own artist. What kind of picture are you going to create and how are you going to start it?
Another thing about a painting is, you have to stare at the painting to really get what it is. If you’re standing in front of an image of the Mona Lisa and you’re too close- at most, all you’ll see is a part of her dress or her fingers, maybe just a couple of strands of hair? And then you’ll be confused because it doesn’t make sense up close.
However, if you take a couple of steps back, you can see that it’s a woman, a really pretty woman and the painting makes a lot more sense because now you’re sure what the image is.
You can’t look at a mess of mashed up, unintelligible colors and brushstrokes to really understand art, you have to see the bigger picture. You have to see the things in life from a different point of view. Instead of looking at just the mess, try to look at the good sides. What exactly have you learned? Has it made you any wiser?
The right perspective and point of view change how we see a lot of things so take a couple of steps back and find out what’s really there.
In light of everything that’s been happening all over the world, it is normal for a person to feel stressed and nervous when they think of how uncertain the future is. It is also normal for people to take breaks from their normal routines and possibly quit certain things along the way.
Quitting is all together, a normal response to this stress, uncertainty, and anxiety that a lot of people must feel. It is important to understand that a person who is stressed should not be discredited or made to feel uncomfortable just because they considered quitting.
“Try to avoid judging how anybody else manages their process”
– The Introvert Sisters.
Of course, it is sad when one looks back at all the time invested in whatever routine they have built and developed but this still does not give room for invalidation of feelings.
When a person talks about how tired they are and how they’re thinking about quitting their job or a project, etc- our default reaction is to usually say something like “be strong” or “come on, you can do it”. It might seem like the best and nicest thing we could say but it not only blocks their moment of expression but it also gives way too toxic positivity.
Toxic positivity is usually common in times of trouble (like now) and it basically means an exaggeration of a positive, optimistic mindset and state in all situations.
Like all things done in excess, positivity too can be toxic when it results in denial and suppression of basic human emotions just because they are “negative”
You do not have to “look on the bright side” all the time.
You do not have to pretend that everything is okay when it isn’t.
You most definitely do not have to invalidate how you feel and all your experiences just to seem “okay”. When you avoid emotions, it causes more harm than good.
Toxic positivity is more common and harmful now in a pandemic and with all the recent happenings in the world today. No matter how much we try to ignore it, reality is hurtful right now. Everyone is battling one thing or the other and the last thing anyone needs is to find it difficult to express their grief and disappointments in any form they wish too.
You don’t have to cope by keeping yourself busy or learning a new language and taking a new course like all those messages on twitter and instagram say. Even if its by letting go off things you don’t feel inspired to do anymore, that’s okay too and you’re not alone.
ADRAINE 