5 Lessons Over 25 Years

I turned 25 several weeks ago...eek. It’s okay you can include cash in lump sums to your belated birthday wishes. My venmo is @Prisca-Kakpo. I feel blessed with the relationships I have built over the years and more importantly the love I’ve…okay let me spare you all the unsolicited learnings of mine. 

In this post, I’m going to share my favorite lines from five songs that I think perfectly describes my conditions of life and lessons that I have learned at this big age of 25. This is also an opportunity for you to add songs to your playlist so don’t be shy. If you do not know any of these songs, I’m actually really worried for you. 

1.    Ye by burna boy.

“I no want kpai, I no want die.I no want kpeme, I want enjoy. I want chop life, I want buy motor. I want build house, I still want turn up”

My early twenties have really opened my eyes. From a parent being critically ill and stepping up as an older sibling was something that I didn’t think will happen so suddenly. I envisioned it as having a career, family and then boom your parent may fall ill and you have all the resources to support them because you have made it. I felt like my life changed before my eyes especially during a time when all I wanted to be was a baby girl. I had summer trips lined up, visas purchased, and God laughed. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a responsible child, but being a caregiver for your parent who can’t eat on their own in your early twenties wasn’t something that ever crossed my mind. However, it pushed me to think about my life and what steps I’m taking. Burna boy’s Ye reminds me of how I want to enjoy life at the same time building things for myself at my own pace of course. But life is not easy sha, some days come with a side of nonsense but God dey. 

2.    Remember me by DJ Clock

 “I stand on the moon. I don't know what to do. A distant planet
I wish that it would pull you too.” 

 Unrequited love is a subject that isn’t talked about enough and maybe someday I will share some of my stories. Do not share your favorite song ever with your crush or someone you like especially when you’re in high school or college. Most likely your solo relationship will not work out because it is all in your head and you will be heartbroken and whenever you hear the song it will bring unwanted memories. A word is enough for the wise. You guessed right, this was the song I shared with an emotionally unavailable boy and it was so annoying for me then because this was my song! This song reminds me of a person who has had a failed relationship where one person remembers times they shared with another person who has no memory of it because that moment never existed. I find it rather hilarious that I once lived the realities of the song I liked. Friends, you are what you hear.

3.    Eye Adaba by Asa

Oju mo ti mo
Oju mo ti mo mi
Ni le yi o o
Oju mo ti mo - mo ri re o

Translates as, “ It’s a new day, I’ve seen a new day. In this land It’s a new day, I have seen joy.

This is my favorite song to play in hard times. It is a Yoruba song. Be it a difficult day at work or just on days when I feel tired and overwhelmed, I love to listen to it. It is a hopeful song, reminding me that nothing is permanent, and things do change. No matter what the situation is, as long as there is life, there is hope. No matter how bad a situation is, keep your head up and move forward. Joy always comes in the morning no matter how long it takes. 

4.    Dream Big by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband

“And when you dream, dream big,
As big as the ocean, blue.
Cause when you dream it might come true.
For when you dream, dream big.”

This song is actually my dad’s favorite song and it became mine because he played it often in his car. Growing up, I wrote about places I’ve never visited in essays in middle school. Whenever we came home from summer breaks, we always had to write an essay about places we’ve visited during vacation. My summers consisted of going to summer school and sitting at home for the most part. My sister and I never went anywhere. Writing about staying home and watching tv wouldn’t help you reach the word count so I had to put my imagination to work. I was inspired by stories my uncles told me about life overseas even though they had only been to Nigeria. That was how I was told my first lie about being able to roll down the window on an airplane to eat clouds. Also, waving at planes you see in sight because Uncle Mawuli could see me wave and he was probably waving frantically back at me from his 31 D aisle seat. There were lots of lies I tell you. I was also inspired by stories of other children who travelled overseas for summer and they had clothes and toys to back it up. The stories I wrote were inspired by their stories and it was backed by my imagination. I hadn’t visited the places I wrote about yet. But you know what they say about life? It comes at you fast. 

5.    I get by with a little help from my friends by the Beatles

“Do you need anybody I just need someone to love, Could it be anybody I want somebody to love. Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
with a little help from my friend.”

To be honest, I haven’t heard this song before. But I like the lyrics to the song, well some parts of it. Moving to another country at 18 with no family meant I had to do life with friends. It is true what they say about being mindful about the friends you keep as they say a lot about you as a person. I have had some hiccups in friendships, but I have also been so blessed with the gift of friendship. I have learned that there are friends who come for a season and not everyone is meant to stay. For the friends I have lost to death, distance or life I am grateful for. They have taught me a lot about life and about myself. I honestly cannot imagine how my life abroad would have been if I did not meet lifelong friends who I now call family. Like the Bible puts it, A friends loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity. 

Have you listened to any of these songs yet? Let me know your thoughts!