When I was a boy, I got addicted to R'n'B (blues like we fondly call it). I remember then how I would switched off the light in the room and the blue rays from the television set would glow and make the room and my mind colorful; that was when and how I became a writer.
One thing I was very good at was to write lyrics of the songs I loved so much. That way, I enjoyed the songs and allowed the lyrics to sink deeper into my being. I always laid still in my bed listening to those songs for hours. Most times, my friends always distracted me or my parents when they returned from the shop. But one fact amidst the distraction was that those hours used to be the best of my day.
One of the songs I loved so much was Gabrielle's picking up the pieces. It was sometimes put on replay until I would get drench with its lyrics. The song taught me some things I have learnt to apply on other areas of my life, one of which is to always pick up the pieces of my brokenness to start constructing, invent and creating something new out of it.
According to Gwamna, one of the teachers and preachers I love listening to, the world wasn't designed to suit us. we suffer repulsion from the world, and in the process, some people get broken, beaten out of shape and abandoned. I have suffered them at one point in my life, and I can tell that they are not sweet experiences. The good news here is that 99.9% of people on earth had, are, or will suffer it. So I"m not alone on that lane. I'm sure I have you too on that lane.
The summary of the contextual meaning of picking up the pieces is to try to return to a satisfactory situation. The truth is that you were in that satisfactory situation, you only slipped off.
If you are broken, that means you were whole.
If you are down, that means you were up.if you are sick, that means you were sound health-wise.
If you fail, that means you were successful.
Life is all about getting broken and picking up the pieces of your broken self.
One thing people don't really know is that those pieces picked have the ability to grow. they are seeds; even after being disjointed from their main source have the ability to grow bigger than that source. We have so many people in so many spheres of life whose lives are typical examples of this. Some of these people were neglected, abused, abandoned, despised, rejected, mocked etc. Some were left disabled, and some left to die. But somehow, they just coupled themselves up and moved on. Come on, pick the pieces deliberately even if it's going to be painful.
Illustration 1
I remember one incidence of a little girl who was sent to buy cooked food from a booker (canteen), on her way back, she dashed her foot on a stone, lost balance and then had the food poured on the ground. On-lookers screamed like their voices would prevent what was to happen from happening. They pitied her as they looked still at the girl to know her reaction. Obviously, the girl started crying as hard as she could because whosoever the person who sent her was, he/she would get infuriated and may be forced to hit her. She cried as she tried to pick back the food lying innocently on the ground.
I appreciated her effort for at least picking up the pieces of the food.
Let me end this piece this way: Picking up the pieces of your life should make you become stronger, resilience, and tougher. It should project you to heights higher than where you were. I love saying it this way; the deeper your fall, the higher you go.
Illustration 2
Have you ever hit a football on the ground? If you haven't, at least you should have seen someone who did that. one fact here is that, the harder the hit, the higher the ball goes.
If at any point you receive life's hit that leaves you chattered, don't complain, pick up the pieces and receive a reward from it.
