To dear five-year old me

Daily writing prompt

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

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I must admit I couldn’t immediately remember you/me at five…I had to trace back from age 8. When I arrived at five, I understood why it took me a minute to recall where you were in life. It was when the life you knew it took a whole new turn.

I remember you…bubbly and talkative…loved to play and role play with imaginary characters.

Then you feel ill. As if you knew your life was going to change. And in many ways, it did.

You landed on the warm land of Ghana with mum and baby brother – your new home.

I’m still trying to figure out what took away the spark and replaced it to keeping to yourself most of the time because you know what, it never really came back. But don’t worry, you enjoyed life in your own unique way.

What did you want to be at that age? I can’t seem to recall. I bet you are too young to know what it even means.

I remember that for sometime, a few years later, you’d say you wanted to be an engineer. Not because you understood what it meant and what an engineer did because you knew that dad studied engineering. It seems getting named after him meant looking up to him on certain things. Spoiler alert: you set up your first account at his bank just because. And you fell in love with Mercedes because of how he kept raving about it. The dream to own one is still close to my heart, don’t worry. It shall come to pass…God being our helper.

Life after five has its hills and valleys; you will have your fair share of tears and hurts, laughter and joys sandwiched with intermittent uncertainties and anxiety but God remains faithful through it all.  

You know the stories you make up in your head while building Lego houses and would talk to your dolls? You will start writing them soon. And how you will love it! Still one of my best companions now.

Up till now, deep inside, we know what we want to be but sometimes we are not too sure. Still figuring it out as we tread on life’s winding road.

Keep being you, alright? Love you and I hope you will love me when you get here.

Yours truly,

Jo…decades on