The day after a paper is submitted, I start thinking of what book to buy. I purchase a book after every examination and after submitting assignments. Its the cherry on top of the cake for me, the meat after the meal! It gives me something to look forward to and makes me realise I’ve achieved something great! Yes indeed, submitting an assignment is a huge achievement.
I wake up several times at night with a start. My mind has yet to get used to the idea that it has no immediate goal to tackle and so until my eyes open and my mind reminds itself of the finished task, I cannot sleep well. I dream of several events all at once, my mind searching and indexing events looking to come up with that elusive task, dredging the depths of my brain until it tires, takes a break and resumes again. After a few more nights, it agrees with my body that indeed the deed is completed.
I step out of the house feeling 10 tonnes lighter, a burden which I cannot explain had hitherto held me down but has finally left. This ‘eru’ (Yoruba word for load) which I had hitherto logged around has finally been placed at someone else’s door and is gone for good.
My smiles are brighter, my mind lighter, my step easier and my heart faster. No longer weighed down by that previously unsurmountable task, my body realizes the mountain has been mounted, tackled and defeated, and it skips about quicker and smarter.
After a few days, my eyes are narrowly focused on another task, assignment or project which needs to be completed. I take up the burden again and with the euphoria of the success of the last battle tackle this new assignment again with greater strength until its the day after again!
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