Gratitude - April 2|Day #2 - Diary of The Struggling Writer from Ife

Dear Diary

They say the gift of life is the best gift of all; I disagree. What is life without warmth, love, aspirations and hope? Looking back, I have been blessed with these gifts. And I get a lot of other gifts too. The most recent of them all was the money a female friend (Dunay) gave me a thousand naira (N1,000) only yesterday. I was broke and hungry. I instantly used the money to print a few copies of my magazine - three copies actually. Now I am back to being broke and hungry. Smile, it is a good time to be broke.

[Image source: Taken by me with my Tecno Spark (K7)]

That is not all. Two weeks ago, I received a package from @reachout courtesy of @eturnerx, @prettyjules158 and @akintunde. It was delivered by @oshiokhenhoya. The package contained an external HP keyboard and OTG device. The OTG device is awesome. It allows me to use external keyboards and mouse with my phone. I can even transfer files from it to a USB stick. I couldn’t take a picture of the keyboard with my phone, because I would need the phone to take a picture.

[Image source: Taken by me with my Tecno Spark (K7)]

There is a lot to be grateful for. There is also a lot to moan about. Sometimes, I feel like it all boils down to choice, you know. Steem and SBD has been falling in price for a month now. And in that period, I refused to convert my earnings into Naira, hoping for an increase in price. Well, so far, nothing encouraging has happened. But I still choose gratitude.

I remember one time where I read that an atheist has no one to be thankful to. Now, that’s some bigoted statement but it resonated within me for a long time. I cannot raise my hands and exclaim “Thank God!” [even when I am just using it as an expression) because… well…. Atheist. (Smiles) Well, that doesn’t bother me any more. When I feel gratitude, I express it. I don’t have to look for some supernatural being to express my gratitude to; there are folks all around me who really deserve it.

Smile, it’s a good time to be broke

I still have my food supplies (I don’t joke with my meals.) But beyond that, I don’t have any money. My magazine editorial crew is waiting on me to produce some funds. Every morning, I look at the falling prices of EOS and Steem and shake my head. There’s no way I’m selling under the circumstances. Instead, I have fun with being broke.

It’s cool though. I am beginning to draw my limits. There’s this saying in Nigeria, Yoruba language, I think. It goes: “What you wouldn’t accept when you’re rich, don’t accept it while you’re poor.” (You know, while writing this, I remember those times I swore I would never write for money. Those were the good times!)

So yes, I’m broke but I’m happy. I feel free. I feel like I am able to make my own decisions. I do not, in my quest for money, ‘sell myself’ (as @akintunde warned against). Being broke is temporary, but the things I’ll do, the character strengths I’ll build or lose will stay with me for a rather long time.

There are a lot of ‘quick things’ to do for money. But nah, I’ve made my stance. I’m going to do things that I love, things that help me build relationships, things that are in line with my purpose and calling. For this broke dude, money is good but it doesn't come first.

And I guess I’m grateful for being broke

Season of Crimson Blossoms - April 1|Day #1 - Diary of The Struggling Writer from Ife

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Daily contests

To appreciate those who come around, I am also hosting a daily contest.

I got four entries yesterday and three were valid. Hallelujah! It was hard picking winners. (How do you judge stuff like that?) So I decided to make all three valid entries winning entries. Yeah!
Congratulations to @moneyinfant @mistermercury and @seesladen on getting one @steembasicincome share each

@botefarm, thanks for entering. Better luck next time

For new comers, here’s how to participate

1. Upvote and Resteem this post

2. Write your entry in the comment section based on the prompt for the day

3. Use the tag #myentry so I can tell entries from normal comments.

The prompt for today is: What are you most grateful for? (If you can’t say that out loud, you can just talk about anything you’re grateful for)

The best two entries (in my opinion) will get 0.1 SBD each

Winners will be announced in the next post

Thanks for reading

Blessings

[Image Source for cover picture: I took the picture with my phone and edited it]