“We can’t all be friends and relatives as the world is; most of us have to be strangers.” – Bernard Malamud

Taiye kept thinking about that statement and what it really meant. He had done everything a friend could do for another friend, yet Titilope still didn’t see him as a special or close friend. That closeness he desired with her just wasn’t there. Then he looked at how she treated her twin brother, someone who didn’t even need to try, before she embraced him as a close friend.

That’s life for you.

You can do everything for someone: make effort, show up, care deeply for them at their lowest, and still not be considered their person. I’ve been both a beneficiary and a victim of situations like this, and honestly, it’s not something you can easily explain. You can’t expect people to value you solely based on your efforts or actions. Human relationships are far more complicated than that.

And it doesn’t mean you’re lacking or that your worth is diminished. It’s simply how the human mind works sometimes. You can be the best shade of blue, but you won’t be appreciated by someone who only loves green. Even the worst shade of green could catch their attention faster than your best blue. That’s just life. Don’t take it personally. Do right by people, reduce your expectations of them, and remember that your own people will come with ease, without second-guessing your worth.

Today started with enthusiasm. I had plans to get a lot done, but NEPA had the final say. It was a work-from-home day, and I was a bit lazy with my morning routine because I thought I had ample time to do everything later.

I spent most of the day working with MySQL databases and also designed a flier. I wanted to do more, but power issues limited me. So I watched an episode of a series I’m currently following and read some articles. I also checked one of my TikTok accounts today for the first time in over four months. The place had cobwebs. I doom-scrolled for a while, caught some sleep, read my emails, and attended to a few other productive things.

Overall, it was a chill day. Nothing heavy on my mind, nothing weighing on my head.

Things I’m grateful for today:

Good series. One thing I love most about series is their conversation style. I enjoy conversations that stimulate my brain, and this one is full of that. I genuinely appreciate the level of grammar control and dialogue depth.

Having someone to talk to on a deep level every day. Life can be lonely sometimes, and it’s comforting to have someone who truly cares, someone you can have meaningful conversations with daily.

Qur’an. The constant.