REWARDS

As a child living in a suburban area of town, rewards meant a whole lot for me. They meant fancy toys, nice parties where jollof rice and chicken were served and best of all, colourfully illustrated Macmillan story books. I constantly pushed myself to get better grades every term so I could go to that party,get that "blackberry"phone and get the next story book. It didn't help that these story books were arranged in levels. You had to finish one level to get to the other. My appetite was thus whetted, and I constantly pushed myself to being the best,or at least near the best,so my mom could buy me another book. And when I remembered those chocolates that Sister Mary gave out to those who did well in her tests and exams, I held back from watching TV for one more hour (it was mostly news anyway), and focused on cramming the meaning of culture.

When we moved to a more rural setting, my notion of rewards widened as I observed the lives of my neighbours. 

Rewards came to mean the joy of building a strange new contraption and watching it move, being able to to push a tyre with a stick after trying for so many times, being able to stay a whole day without fighting with your partner. Basically, being able to live life peacefully, on a slightly full stomach (even if it was filled with water), was a reward in itself. Being able to enjoy these little luxuries made enduring one more day of hardship worth it.

Really, though, rewards do to us what that black,thick  liquid does to an engine. They push and propel us. They make us stretch ourselves to do more, to be more. Knowing that there is a compensation,a commendation, for whatever you're doing has often pushed many to dare the undareable, to break glass ceilings, to push beyond stereotypes and prejudice.

Even though some rewards may not come immediately, the mere thought that one day, you'll look back and say "I did that",is more than enough reason to keep pushing.

Sometimes I like to think that rewards are a bit manipulative. I'd like to use myself as a case study. I mean,as a child, I denied myself those little pleasures for good grades. There were times when my grades didn't quite meet up, and as such I couldn't get what I wanted. Still, the thought that "if I do better next term, mummy will buy me another story book" kept me going. I stayed away from TV again, didn't go out to play for one more hour, just because I anticipated something,a reward. I'm tired and stressed, with a million other things on my mind, yet here I am, writing for a reward. 

We hustle everyday, hoping that one day, someone will notice us and we'll finally get that big break. Our reward. The roadside trader is at his stand every morning, because that stand is his means of income, and from that income he pays his children's school fees. He hopes that one day, his children will finish school and then land good jobs. Then,they will take care of him,so that he won't have to suffer in his old age. His reward. He ignores the fact that some days, business may not be as brisk as he would want it,or a customer may be annoying,or the very children he is working himself to the bone to provide for,may anger him. He continues everyday, regardless of all of these, because he has his eyes set on the reward.

The woman selling roast plantains by the road to feed her family continues everyday because she hopes that one day,one or all of her children will make it in life and then rescue her from poverty. She therefore ignores the damage the smoke does to her eyes, the fact that on some certain days it seems like no one is craving her wares,or any other issue, just because she is focused on earning enough to take care of her family. She is focused on the reward.

The Christian believes in the reality of an afterlife, replete with crowns and golden mansions. To earn this reward,he restrains himself from evil deeds and lives a life of service to God and humanity. So does the Muslim. Apparently, almost every religion on earth has a reward that is supposed to be earned by ardent followers. 

Of course, rewards fuel creativity and innovation. Knowing that whatever little effort you put in, could result in something big tomorrow is enough reason to keep on pushing. This morning, I wanted to continue typing this but accidentally cleared more than half of what I had already typed. Oh, I was angry. I even shed a few tears of frustration. What pushed me to continue? The thought that I could win this, and even if I don't, someone club stumble on my writing and say"wow! this writer is gifted!" So I dried my tears,blew my nose and continued writing. So far, fresh ideas have been flowing and I have written something different from what I wrote before. 

Why? The power of rewards. 

I just realised that I did not check the dictionary meaning of the word "reward".

I have just checked it, and the Oxford dictionary says that a reward is" a thing given in recognition of service, effort or achievement". Does this mean that rewards are only tangible? Far from it. 

The mere feeling of satisfaction gotten from doing something good,is a reward in itself.

That inventor, that tech bro/sis, that writer,they all have one thing in common. 

They aim for a reward. They hope that all their research,all the sleepless nights,all hard and grueling work will be noticed and their passion and creativity will finally be brought to the limelight. And so they keep at it, working hard day in,day out, breaking glass ceilings and surmounting seemingly impossible hurdles. Society might not always see their work,they might even be misunderstood by others who do not see the need to share in,or even support their vision. Nevertheless they continue, hopeful, resilient, because they anticipate a reward. Rest assured, folks,they are definitely going to get it. It may not be now, but it's for sure.

I remember when I participated in my first essay competition. My laptop wasn't in good shape, so I had to use my phone to type. My parents didn't understand, despite all my explanations. They kept saying I was being lazy and just outrightly refusing to join in the house work. They scoffed at me when I said I was tired. No, don't get me wrong. My parents are good people. They didn't just understand. To cut the long story short, I won that competition. I couldn't say "in your face, people!", because in a typical African home, your parents are always right. Always. But they knew. I made sure of it.

Now, whenever I explain that I'm working,they understand. To an extent,at least. It's a process, and one day we'll get there.

I am a firm believer in the fact that nothing I do will ever go unrewarded. And so I give my all to everything I do. My studies, this writeup, even taking care of my siblings. I know that even if I don't always pass as I want to, even if I don't win this competition, even though my siblings get on my nerves sometimes,the skills I have acquired will come in handy some day. This is the mindset I have developed over the years, the mindset we should all have. 

May our passion and zest for living life and making the world a better place never die.

May our creative juices keep flowing. May we always remember that one idea, that idea, could impact lives tomorrow. May we never give up. May we always remember that there is a reward for everything we do. 

May we keep the flag flying, for life, forever.

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