"I like women more than money o, in fact I can give everything up for you." He said as he smiled widely.
'I can't trust a man like that o', I retorted laughing.
"But seriously, you are very fine o. I can do anything for you walahi" he said in an unmistakable Hausa accent and as I saw the gleam in his eyes, I smiled.
I studied him to be sure it was the same person who just shared the story of how he found out he had HIV and how he had been living with the virus. I couldn't help but admire his audacity, his zest and his hope.
We chatted for a few minutes before I left his office.
I am currently working on a report about the plight of HIV victims in Nigeria and that's how I met him and his colleague. They are both HIV positive and provide support for other HIV positive patients. They have their challenges but seem more energetic than most people I know and as I pondered on my time with them (we had interview sessions on government's response to the fight against AIDS and their experiences), I realised that the worst thing a person can lose isn't health, money, people or status.
The worst thing to lose is HOPE.
You may lose everything and everyone but if have hope then you can gain them again but if you lose hope, how will you even find the strength to start again?
I have read a lot of books about some of the world's greatest people and learned that at some point in their lives they hit rock bottom but because they had hope they found the strength to start all over.
That's what hope does. It strengthens you, sets a fire in your heart that keeps you warm even on the coldest days and helps you move from failure to failure with enthusiasm.
The young men I spoke to are both married with children who are HIV negative. While some people have ended their lives because they found out they had HIV, these men are thriving, succeeding and building others up. They are spreading hope by providing a family for people who may have been rejected by their families.
That's what you should do too. You must hold onto hope, let it get you through your dark days and go on to give light by being the light.
God's promise to us is that his thoughts for us are thoughts of peace to give us hope and a future - let this spur you on.
It will not be an easy journey but no matter how hard things are, it only becomes worse when you lose hope.
Your situation is not hopeless until you become hopeless.
The worst thing that can happen to you is for you to give up on yourself so keep faith and keep trying because if you hold on long enough, everything good will come.
Wow, hope is indeed the last person a person should lose. While there is life, there is hope. Thank Okie mute for this piece.
ReplyDeleteHopelessness is what leads to cluelessness which in turn leads to despondence. To have life is to have the opportunity to try again. Thank you.
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