By Babatomiwa Seriki

Dear friend,

I miss the days when talking to an imaginary friend wouldn’t seem absurd. Days when laughing alone in our little confinement wouldn’t arouse suspicions. There were days when we found comfort in the league of super heroes and a Barbie princess from kingdom afar lying lifeless on the ground in their plastic bodies on the bedroom floor.It’s all different now; it’s hard to balance these thoughts on your own. No one would listen; no one cares to comfort you in your hardest of days. Who do you turn to now?

The world thinks you are strong enough to bear your own cross but it outweighs and pushes you down the quicksand you thread on. Are you too grown to cry? Will the world tend to your outburst even if you did?

In a jumbled world, we all ramble in our own problems and no one seems to look either way to aid others in their struggle. You find yourself in this long race with runners forging ahead while you try to catch up at snail pace. They think you have it all figured out and you choose to enjoy the scorching tracks you crawl on.But what they don’t understand is; you are not as strong as they think, you feel pain too and you are not different from the world. You are outweighed by your worries too and you are almost bursting open with the pain you hold in. People’s problems you help solve but yours pile up unattended to. The ones you trust claim to be dampened by your distress but when you turn your back, they jeer and make snide remarks behind your back.So I ask, what do you long for? What do you so much want from life? A purpose or meaning to a confused existence? Don’t we all want to live in our comfort and watch our lives take a perfect turn? Is it a past you wish you could undo or a present that needs amendment. The future still stretches ahead so I ask “Is it worth worrying about?” You wish you could erase the rough edges and draw a perfect circle to amend your void. Don’t we all?Don’t we all want a better life, a life absent of worries and aching desires? Oh my! I dream of a world of my own, with the gentle waves of the beach creating a soothing lullaby and the birds’ chirps sounding a wake up tune. I look beside me and lying there is a significant other, loving me against all odds, welcoming my faults and shortcomings and whispering the words of hope in my ears. Kids! What a joy to behold. Running around in their small sizes and making a mess of everything but then you still love them.What do you wish for dear friend? Your desires can be met, your hopes can be fulfilled; don’t give up on yourself just yet. We are in this together, I’m scared too; of a future troubling my heart and a present that boggles my mind. We can walk this road together, you are not alone. I can be a friend if you so wish. We all need someone to walk us through our darkest times; I can hold that torch to shed light on your path while you hold my hand through my fears.

What do you long for dear one? Peace of mind as gentle as the ocean breeze? You can have it; no one can make you happy but yourself. You didn’t fail my friend; you only found a thousand ways that didn’t work. Don’t compare yourself to no one, for we weren’t born the same and your purpose differs from theirs, don’t let them talk you down, you don’t need their validations. Brace up my friend for what you long for is right here waiting for you.