Pretend it’s an enticing title

It was the year I bagged the degree that at one point threatened to take my life, and the year I finally let myself be held. It was also the year I struggled to find my footing. Having stumbled time and time again, fallen and grazed my knee, God sent His blessings as if to say “sorry my baby”. I don’t know how others judge whether their year was good or bad but I had a thoroughly good year because 2021 was the year I had people.

It’s the year I let myself be held.

This year when life got overbearing I didn’t shed my tears alone, I had people who offered me tissue and bought me ice cream. I met people who gathered my pieces together when it hurt too much to do it alone, people who tended to the messiness and painted over my cracks with gold. I’m celebrating beautiful friendships this year.

I’ve been unlucky in friendships so I didn’t know that a love like this existed. I didn’t think it was possible but the love these people showed me developed hands, crawled into my body and held my heart in the most soothing way. The words for this post keeps failing me because I can’t perfectly articulate the beauty I received in the form of friendship and also because I’m lazy so I’ll stop here. 2021 was kind and I’m immensely grateful.

For Halima whose jotter and rice krispes saved me more times than I could count.

For Naza whose laughter was loud enough to drown the chaos from a hectic day

For Shade who made reliability seem like a walk in the park

For Kosi who leaves the sweetest comments

For Charisma who taught me that love can be a constant

For Zigwai who fills the world with enough beauty to disperse the bad in it

For Gloria whose belief in me had me thinking I could do anything

For Peculiar who almost always spoke the words I needed to hear

For Gije who’ll bend her back over for me if I needed her to

For Mary whose dance steps fill me with joy

For Sonia whose beauty my words fail to describe

For Dooyum who never failed to let me know that my beauty was putting the sun to shame

For Tofunmi whose reassurance held me in ways I didn’t know was possible

For Sophia who made sure I gave the sun a run for its money each time I sat in her chair

For Ibukun who accommodated not just my body but my soul

For Nicole who gives the best hugs

For Vanessa who constantly puts a smile on my face by simply existing

For Edidiong whose cuteness and quirkiness always kept me in awe

For Maureen who understood the things I didn’t say

For Beatrice who made sure I never ran out of cheese balls or prayers

For Angel who carved a space in my heart without my knowledge.

For Debby who readily sat with me on the days I needed her to

These are some of the many loves of my lives. The people that have coddled me so passionately and taught me that sometimes all a person needs is another heart to share a song with. Thank you for being the very best and holding me whenever the need be. Words may fail me but my love for all of you will always ring through. Let’s keep doing life together and if a time comes when we can’t, I’ll do my best to keep our memories intact. I hope life is kinder to us in the coming year🧡