When seers, saints, priests, visionaries and writers set apart a date in their calendars, the dateline is always meant to put a spell on us. Overwhelmed by the intricate web of magical dates, we drape them in clothes of dreams, myths and emotions in order to make them survive….

          I started this brief remark talking about the power of dateline nurtured by a strongly desired purpose because the year 2013 is very central to Dupe Olorunjo’s The Aireginan Dream. That is the year of political fulfillment in this book, the year of a political triumph in an imaginary homeland called Airegin, which when spelt from the rear is Nigeria. The Aireginan dream, then, is the Nigerian dream. What is this dream about? It is about a country in which those who live in it will be treated with civility. It is about a country that will stop making itself a laughing stock in the comity of all decent nations. A country in which equity and justice will form the basis of the relationships among its ethnic groups. It is about a nation that will place premium on hard work. It is about a country of healthy, educated, happy people who live safely in boundless hope and prosperity. A country of God fearing individuals whose humanity is nourished by all the values that make other civilized human beings survive and endure.

          And who are the dreamers dreaming this tall dream? In what form are they dreaming it? They are some of the best of our young and upwardly mobile concerned professionals in this imaginary motherland. They are people who believe that the meaning of life ought to consist of living useful lives. They are the professionals who have made significant contributions in the corporate world. Professionals who are compelled to act, not just to save their country from imminent disintegration but also, out of enlightened self-interest, set out to save their own businesses and wealth from collateral damages. Theirs is a group of principled humanists linked by a religious ideal of the Christian variety. Any wonder that their presidential candidate who eventually defeats the incumbent president is Peter not Abubakar. I don’t need to tell you that this is a deliberate choice. It is a choice that is partial to Christianity, a choice that keeps a loud silence on the existence and possibilities of other religious faiths. Those of us who are Godly but not so religious do forgive Dupe whose high sense of moral and political obligations in this novel deserve commendation. Some gender warriors, however, would question the absence of women at all the crucial meetings held by these wonderful dreamers.

          Nadine Gordimer the South- African novelist, who won the Nobel Prize in 1991, writes eloquently in her essay, ‘The Essential Gesture’ about the dual commitments of a writer: a commitment to society and a commitment to literature itself. Dupe struggles to strike a balance between religious and secular ideals in this novel. In several ways, The Aireginan Dream is a meditation on private, corporate and political responsibilities. The author takes us to the slums where we witness a debasement of human beings in its raw form. She beams a searchlight on our streets where we see beggars, mendicants, hooligans and cruelties. We witness daylight robbery, robbery that we can account for. But we also see robbery that we cannot easily explain: the robbery of the dignity of the nation. Are the people not constantly stripped of their citizenship when their votes don’t count at the polls? What about the robbery of our children’s rights to education? We don’t always account for that. Do we? When the president of this nation and his vice engage in a relentless war of attrition for four solid years, are they not robbing our young ones of the wonderful opportunity to have role models– a necessary experience this young Nigerians need for their rounded development? How many young Nigerians today would say confidently that they want to be like many of our leaders?

 The characters, the dreamers, in this novel have something to say to us, and we should listen to them. One of the great things that they have to say is that we should all get involved in a collective struggle that will lift our thoroughly abused nation from the quicksand in which it now lies prostrate. Dare the daring catalyst of the struggle that produce the president in this book has a remarkable magnanimous spirit, a spirit that is sadly lacking in our country today. If it is not me it is nothing. That’s the ethic of this season of rampaging locusts who call themselves our leaders. These characters are saying that we deserve a better deal…

In the end, the power of this novel lies essentially in its urgent political parable. It is a profoundly challenging parable because it is a wake-up call to a country that is a deep mess. Frantz Fanon the great humanist, psychiatrist and revolutionary, captures the spirit of this wake- up call in his The Wretched of the Earth. I quote: “Every generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it.”

A friend gave me an xmas gift. I have not read a book that is not Management or IT related in the last 12years. I opened the parcel it was “The Aireginan Dream”. I reckon there was something he wanted me to read as he was a prayer partner and friend and knew my major prayer point… Alas it has nothing to do with my prayer point. I realized this from the summary at the back, I was curious, so I continued reading and for 8hrs I read, leaving the book only to get drinks and biscuit and by this morning, I had finished it.

It’s my first fiction since secondary school when I was a fan of Hardly Chase and Robert Hoodlum. I now recall how I used to love reading……Thanks for making this happen and for a really wonderful story. My person relates so much with Dare, I have worked as Project Director in a PTO and a GSM company and not once in my career have a received a bribe and yes, I was offered often. I think “The Aireginan Dream” should be a secondary school text. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts in the wonderful book and may God continue to give you the grace to write more books and may he protect your family and raise men who will help save our country.

If you have read THE AIREGINAN DREAM and it has inspired you, why not a moment to share those inspirations here too.

This is truly Nigerian, truly Christian and truly powerful. You’ll feel the wind in your face as you get caught up in the prevailing force of the lyrics, the rhythm and the need to depend on God for the future.

If you want to share the experience again and again, here’s a link. IJOBA ORUN

And the lyrics below for you to sing along…. (Ijoba Orun simply means – Heaven)

Ijoba Orun lere onigbagbo o
Ijoba Orun lere onigbagbo o
Ma jen kuna Baba
Mumi dele o
Ma jen kuna Baba se
Mumi dele o

Owo ti mo ni Ko le mumi dele o

Moto ti mo ra ko le wa mi dele o

Ore ti mo ni Ko le sin mi dele o

Gbogbo iwe ti mo ri ka, ko le gbe mi dele o

Ma jen kuna Baba

Mumi dele o

Ki ma ku sajo bi efin

Mumi dele o

Mumi dele o

Aiye l oja orun ni ile
Mumi dele o

Aiye l oja orun ni ile se

Mumi dele o

Mu mi dele o (8x)

Ma jen kuna Baba oooo Baba oooo
Mumi dele o

Mu mi dele o (5)

Ile ayo (2)

Ile Alafia

Ile ogo

Ijoba Orun lere onigbagbo o
Ijoba Orun lere onigbagbo o

Ma Jen Kuna

“Hello, who is this?” He pretended not to know

“Sweetheart, it’s me. I feel so alone and desperate. What do I do? This baby grows by the minute and you are not doing anything?”

He stole a sideway glance at his wife. God forbid that she even knows about this conversation. He had to find a way to settle Ebony and permanently cover his silly recklessness.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll give you a feedback then.”

“Make sure you do” Ebony dropped the call before he could blink.

His heart pumped harder as his wife asked ever so casually, “Who was that?”

“Nothing. It’s official.” He picked up his glass of water and drank long and hard.

The next day at her home, she gave him an ultimatum. “I’m not taking this any longer. I don’t like the way you are taking me for a ride. You either give me enough money to have an abortion in a proper hospital or,” she paused, “ …. you marry me.”

The accumulated apprehension of the last few days erupted in his throat as a croaky laughter. “Marry… what? You must be joking.”

She eyed him and sneered. “It’s not marry, what! It’s marry me.”

“Don’t even think about that. It’s not possible. I love my wife, I love my kids, I am not going to disrupt their lives because of my foolishness. No way! Please get that  idea out of your mind.”

“The idea doesn’t sound evil to me, but if you think it is, well – no problem. I will not argue with that. It just makes things much simpler – give me two hundred and fifty thousand for an abortion and we part ways.”

He was silent for a while. “I can’t do that either. I believe abortion is murder.”

It was her turn to laugh. “My dear lover, you are an intelligent man and that is why I respect you. You must know that can’t eat your cake and still have it. Even the bible asks, ‘Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?’ Just listen to yourself, you are not making sense at all…”

He wondered about her quoting from the scriptures but then he had to make her see things from his point of view. He was a Christian and he couldn’t do an abortion. There were many reasons why he couldn’t marry her. In spite of his indiscretions he really loved him wife. What madness had made him decide to have an affair. And now he didn’t even love her anymore. Jesus.

“Look this is what we will do. You will have the baby. I will take care of you and the child. I will pay for your rent, school fees, hospital bills, and upkeep, anything you want.”

“No way. I won’t mortgage my future for you or anyone. Who will marry me if I have a child and keep it’s away father in tow perpetually. You are happily married, what makes you think I too don’t deserve a home some day soon. Abortion or Marriage and that is final”

He was confused. He had not bargained for this; all he had wanted was a little spice. There and then, he took a decision. He knew what he must do next.

Being a Nigerian Fiction writer myself, I decided to do some research and was surprised at the depth of works done by relatively new authors in the last ten years or so. I was also quite proud to see that quite a lot of the books are award winners. Take a look and do let me know if there are any names I’ve left out…

CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE

Titles

• The thing around your neck
• Half of a yellow sun
• Purple Hibiscus

Biography

Born in Nigeria in 1977 and grew up in the university town of Nsukka. She later moved to the United States to attend college, graduating with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science. She holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins and a Masters degree in African Studies from Yale. Purple Hibiscus won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award while Half of a yellow sun won the Orange Prize.

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MYRE WHITMAN

Titles

• A heart to Mend

Biography
Myne Whitman is a pen name. She has lived in Nigeria and the UK and now lives with her husband in Bellevue, Washington. She volunteers as an ESL tutor for a local charity and writes the rest of the time. She is the managing editor of Naija Stories, a critique website for Nigerian writers.

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SEFI ATTA

Titles

• Every thing good will come
• Swallow
• News from Home (Short Stories)

Biography
Sefi Atta was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She was educated there, in England and the United States. She is a graduate of the creative writing program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. She is the winner of PEN International’s 2004/2005 David TK Wong Prize and in 2006 for her debut novel - Everything Good Will Come and was awarded the inaugural Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Her short story collection, Lawless, received the 2009 Noma Award For Publishing in Africa.  She lives in Mississippi with her husband Gboyega Ransome-Kuti, a medical doctor, and their daughter, Temi.

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CHRIS ABANI

Titles
Song for night
Becoming Abigail
Hands Washing Water

Biography
He is a Professor at the University of California, Riverside and the recipient of the PEN USA Freedom-to-Write Award, the Prince Claus Award, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, a California Book Award, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a PEN Beyond the Margins Award, the PEN Hemingway Book Prize & a Guggenheim Award.

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HELON HABILA

Titles

• Waiting for an Angel
• Measuring time
• Oil on water

Biography

Helon Habila (born 1967) is a Nigerian novelist and poet. He won the Caine Prize for African fiction (short story) in 2001, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Best First Book, Africa Region) in 2003. He studied at the University of Jos and at the University of East Anglia and now teaches creative writing at George Mason University, Washington D.C.
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JUDE DIBIA

Titles

• Walking with shadows
• Unbriddled

Biography
Nigerian-born novelist. Unbridled won the 2007 Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Prose (sponsored by NDDC/ANA) and was a finalist in the 2007 Nigeria Prize for Literature (sponsored by NLNG).

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EKENE ONU

Titles

• The Mrs Club
• Can I be real

Biography

Ekene Onu is a thirty something writer who was raised in Nigeria and currently resides in Atlanta Georgia. She is the founder and editor of Noveau Africana and the Mrs. Club is her first book.

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LARA DANIELS

Titles
Love in Paradise
Love at Dawn

Biography
Lara Daniels (Olubunmi Akindebe) is a seasoned veteran reader of Romance novels. She grew up feeding off on novels published by Harlequin, Silhouette and Mills & Boons Romance. Her writing career started in High school where she wrote short fictional stories.  She continued her love for writing in College, from where she relocated to the United States. http://laradanielswrites.com/

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ADAOBI NWAUBANI

Titles

• I do not come to you by chance

Biography
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, won the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Best First Book for the Africa Region for her much praised debut novel about Nigerian email scammer –  I Do Not Come To You By Chance.

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ABIDEMI SANUSI

Titles

• God has daughters too
• Kemi’s Journal
• Zack’s Story
• Eyo

Biography

Abidemi Sanusi was born in Nigeria but she lives in the UK. She is the author of several books.  She is also a devotional writer, writing for well-known titles such as Inspiring Women Everyday(CWR) and Day by Day with God (BRF).  Abidemi’s book, Eyo, was shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

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FOLAKE TAYLOR MD

Titles

• The only way is up

Biography

Folake Taylor, MD was born in the United Kingdom to Nigerian-born parents in the early 70s and was raised in both countries before settling in the United States to live the American dream. She is a 2006 graduate of the Internal Medicine Residency Program of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Folake loves to have fun, especially with her favorite people, her husband and little girl. She loves to travel, loves water sports (though a non-swimmer) and loves to read and watch great movies. “The Only Way is Up: The Journey of an Immigrant.” is a book about empowerment and hope, especially but not exclusively for women.
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CHIMA UCHENDU

Titles

• Wayo Guy and other Nigerian short stories
  

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NNEDI OKOROAFOR

Titles

• Zahrah the windseeker
• The shadow Speaker
• Who Fears Death

Biography
Nnedi Okorafor is a novelist of Nigerian descent known for weaving African culture into creative evocative settings and memorable characters. Her novels include Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature), The Shadow Speaker (winner of the CBS Parallax Award) and Long Juju Man (winner of the Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa). Nnedi holds a PhD in English and currently is a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University.

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AYO AKINFE

Titles

• Fuelling the Delta Fires

Biography
Ayo Akinfe, born in Salford, Manchester, is a London-based journalist who has worked as a magazine and newspaper editor for the last 20 years. After working in journalism for 19 years, Ayo decided to switch to book writing after realising that there is simply too little out there on African history.  Fuelling the Delta Fires is one of a series of novels aimed at highlighting Africa’s sorry plight and the misleading image peddled about her.

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OGO AKUBUE OGBATA

Titles

 
• Egg-Larva-Pupa-Woman

Biography
Ọgọ is a writer, inspiring speaker and creative consultant. As well as writing fiction and nonfiction, she delivers training, coaching and consulting programmes that help professionals, organisations and communities maximise their creativity and overall potential.

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Eghosa Imasuen

Titles

 
• To Saint Patrick

Biography
Eghosa Imasuen was born on 19 May 1976. He is a medical doctor and lives in Benin City, Nigeria, with his wife and twin sons. His first novel, To Saint Patrick, an Alternate History murder mystery about Nigeria’s civil war, was published by Farafina in 2008.

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UWEM AKPAN

Titles
Say You’re one of them

Biography
Uwem Akpan, born May 19, 1971, is a Nigerian Jesuit priest and writer. Say You’re One of Them (2008) is a collection of five stories (each set in a different African country)and was picked by the Oprah Winfrey Book Club on September 17, 2009.

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SADE ADENIRAN

Titles

 
• Imagine this

Biography
Sade Adeniran was born in England, grew up in Nigeria and now lives in London. She started her writing career with BBC Radio 4. Imagine This is her first novel.

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Diana Evans

Titles

 
• 26a: A Novel
• The Wonder

Biography
Diana Evans was born in London and spent part of her childhood in Lagos, Nigeria. She studied Media Studies at the University of Sussex and was a dancer in the Brighton-based troupe Mashango before becoming a journalist and author.

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DUPE OLORUNJO

Titles

• Tailed
• The Aireginan Dream

Biography

Loves to Read, Loves to write compelling stories. The Aireginan Dream is an account of a fictional story with challenges very similar to what we have in Nigeria; and the steps that country took to overcome their problems http://www.dupeolorunjo.com/

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LOLA SHONEYIN

Titles

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives

Biography

She teaches English and drama at a secondary school in Abuja, Nigeria.

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BOLA NELSON

Titles

• Pride must die
• Diary of a desperate Naija Woman

Biography

Loves to Muse think and Blog

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Unoma Azuah

Titles

• Sky High Flames

Biography

Unoma Nguemo Azuah holds an MFA in Poetry and Fiction from the Virginia Commonwealth University and has edited literary publications in Nigeria and abroad. She currently teaches in America.

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HELEN OYEYEMI

Titles

• The Iscarus Girl
• The opposite House

Biography

Helen Olajumoke Oyeyemi (born December 10, 1984) is a British novelist, born in Nigeria and moved to London when she was four. She wrote her first novel, The Icarus Girl, while still at school studying for her A levels at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.

Oyeyemi studied Social and Political Sciences graduating in 2006. In 2007 Bloomsbury published her second novel, The Opposite House. Her third novel, White is for Witching, was a 2009 Shirley Jackson Award finalist.

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TEJU COLE

Titles

• Everyday is for the thief
• Open City

Biography

I was born to Nigerian parents and grew up in Lagos. My mother taught French. My father was a business executive who exported chocolate. The first book I read (I was six) was an abridgment of Tom Sawyer. At fifteen I published cartoons regularly in Prime People, Nigeria’s version of Vanity Fair. Two years later I moved to the United States.

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AYODELE OLOFINTUADE

TITLES

• Eno’s Story

Biography

Ayodele is a Children’s story writer

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SARAH LADIPO MANYIKA

TITLES

• In Dependence

BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Ladipo Manyika was raised in Nigeria and has lived in Kenya, France, and England.  She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and currently teaches literature at San Francisco State University.  Her writing includes published essays, academic papers, book reviews and short stories.  Sarah’s first novel, In Dependence, is published by Legend Press (2008).

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IFELANWA OSUNDOLIRE

TITLES

 
• On a lot of things

BIOGRAPHY

Osundolire Ifelanwa was raised in Ondo town and spent a huge chunk of his childhood there. He was Secondary ‘schooled’ at F.G.C Idoani and trained as an architect in Yabatech and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.  An adventure seeker by default, he joined the bandwagon of explorers to accompany the famed Dr. Newton Jibunoh to the Sahara desert, travelling from Lagos to London via road. He is currently a recipient of the British Council Innovation 360 awards and looks forward to a successful year at Birmingham City University both as a real estate professional and a writer.

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NGOZI ACHEBE

Titles

 
• Onaedo – The blacksmith daughter

Biography

Ngozi Achebe was born in London and raised in Nigeria in a middleclass family. Both parents instilled in Ms Achebe and her siblings an early love for books. She is Chinua Achebe’s niece.

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KAINE AGARY

Titles

• Yellow Yellow

Biography

Kaine Agary. Ms holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Economics from Mount Holyoke College, USA and a Masters in Public Administration with a specialization in Public Policy from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service in the United States of America. Ms. She Won the NLNG prize for literature in 2008.

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UCHECHUKWU PETER UMEZ

Titles

• Sam and the Wallet

Biography

Uche Peter Umez (born January 1, 1975) is a graduate of Government & Public Administration from Abia State University. Sam and the Wallet, was the winner of the ANA/Funtime Prize for Children’s Literature and the runner-up for the 2007 Nigeria LNG Prize for Literature.

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TONI KAN

Titles

• Night of the creaking Bed

Biography

Toni Kan is an award winning poet, essayist and short story writer.

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ONYEKA NWELUE

Titles

• The Abyssinian Boy

Biography

His debut novel  won the 2009 T M ALUKO Prize for First Book and second prize at the 2009 IBRAHIM TAHIR Prize for Fiction, endowed by the Abuja Writers’ Forum.

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CHIKA UNIGWE

Titles

• On Black Sister’s street

Biography

Chika Unigwe was born in Enugu, Nigeria, and now lives in Turnhout, Belgium, with her husband and four children. She won the 2003 BBC Short Story Competition for her story “Borrowed Smile”, a Commonwealth Short Story Award for “Weathered Smiles” and a Flemish literary prize for “De Smaak van Sneeuw”, her first short story written in Dutch. “The Secret”, another of her short pieces, was nominated for the 2004 Caine Prize.

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AYO ARIGBABU

Titles

• A fistful of tales

Biography

Ayodele Arigbabu studied Architecture at the University of Lagos, where he was the Librarian and then President of the Pen Circle, an association of young writers. His short story titled “You live to die once” was the winning entry at the 2001 Liberty Bank Short Stories Competition. His poem titled “Livelihood” received honourable mention, at the 2003 Muson Poetry competition while his first short story collection titled Blues Tones (published in The Three Kobo Book) was nominated for the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) / Lantern Books 2005 Prize for Short Stories.

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EC OSONDU

Titles

• Waiting

Biography

E. C. Osondu is a Nigerian writer known for his short stories. His story “Waiting” won the 2009 Caine Prize, for which he had been a finalist in 2007. In 2010, he is an assistant professor of English at Providence College,

He didn’t know her name but became pleasurably aware of her. However he wasn’t going to do anything about it because he was happily married, content and loved his wife dearly. He had been married for ten years and had never once slept with another woman.

He left the restaurant and went back to work. As he lay beside his wife later that night, thoughts of her attacked and penetrated his peace. That smile, those braids, the pretty face, the slim figure! He indulged himself and let the thoughts roll. He slept off with a happy smile on his face.

Two weeks later, he sat at an empty table at the same restaurant enjoying rice and plantain. A shadow fell across his meal. “Do you mind if I join you?” she asked in a most sonorous voice. He couldn’t say no. He reveled in their short chat and wished he could prolong the lunch hour.

A month later, they had dinner together. If she had been a hunter, clingy, or demanding in any way, he would have found it easy to resist the attraction. But she was nice, selfless, submissive and pleasant and he often wondered if she was innocent.

During the next 3 months he spent all of his free time with her. It was just like a dream. He loved his wife but he enjoyed her company. An expensive indulgence; but he allowed himself to enjoy it.

Then one day she confronted him. He had gotten her pregnant. It was a mistake. She wanted an abortion. Could he please give her some money so she could do it at a professional hospital? He remembered he had always preached that – abortion is a sin against God. What was he going to do?

At that moment, his thoughts were with his wife. He loved her deeply and didn’t want anything to come between them, ever! How would she feel? She must never get to know.

 The sensual memories of the past 3 months instantly faded. He held his head in his hands. He remembered his mother’s favorite admonition- “Don’t smell what you know you don’t want to eat.”

How he wished that three months ago, he had looked away.      (c) 2007

The last two episodes however got me rolling off my seat and unto the bare floor in laughter. I’ll tell you why….

1) A robust lady in the hot seat had luck on her side as she got 5 questions right. She was on the 6th and obviously had no idea of what the answer was. A wrong answer would mean her loosing 80% of her earnings so far. Confusion shrouded her facial features.

Frank Edohor the host looked quite sympathetic as he asked her a question, “What do you think your husband is saying now as he watches you from home now?”

She smiled knowingly. “He’s pointing a finger at me and saying, ‘greedy woman, take what you have and leave.’”

Frank nodded. The woman choose an answer from the screen.

Frank cocked his head to one side, “Is that your final answer?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really sure?”

“Yes.” She said with a confident grin.

The answer was wrong. Within that same second, the woman’s eyes became watery as she looked close to tears. I’ve never seen Frank escort someone off the screen so fast. As I doubled up in laughter; I wondered why she didn’t listen to her hubby’s booming voice.

2) Yesterday, this man,  a long time fan of WWTBAM, was also doing so well. Frank paused in between to ask him the greatest lesson he had learnt on the program. His response was spontaneous – “Knowing when to walk away.” Frank nodded.

The answer to the next question was to earn him a quarter of a million. … but he  obviously didn’t know it even after he used up all his life lines.

He decided to guess. Frank reminded him of that most important lesson. But the contestant insisted on locking it in and he too lost eighty percent of what he had in hand.

This morning I got thinking. The Bible says – “You shall know the truth and it will set you free.” Sometimes it’s not enough to know the truth. We also need to act on the truth we know before we can be truly free. The gentleman and the lady knew what they had to do (the truth) but they didn’t.

In a race to be what we want to be, we do need to make a conscious effort to act on what we know.

So, I went over to get some advise from the WordPress Forum and in not more than two minutes, the problem was solved. I immediately recalled a 18th century story about a British Ship…

Many years ago, the engine of a large giant shut down. The Captain of the ship invited one ship engineer after the other, but none of them could fix the engine. Then someone recommended an old man who had been fixing ships for a long time. He came in with his bag of tools and inspected the engine thoroughly.  The owners of the ship were watching him. The old man opened his bag and brought out a  small hammer. He gently tapped something and the engine revved back to life. He replaced his hammer and walked away with the ship owners watching with gratitude.

A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for $10,000.

“This is a rip off.” the owners exclaimed. “What did he do that should cost so much?” They immediately ask the old man for a breakdown of the his bill.

Here’s what he wrote:

Tapping with a hammer……………………………..$2
Knowing where to tap…………………………..$9998

A cursory look at labels on my website, blogs, facebook page will reveal that I love the word – Inspiration.

A little deep thought and it’s clear that we’re inspired every day by a number of things we come across; the things we see, books we read, music, movies, testimonies of achievers, news items,  and the burnt fingers of mischievous people. And if we just take a minute to pay attention many of these stories (fiction or real life) have the potential to propel us in the right direction to….

• Re-asess our potentials and take steps outside our comfort zones
• Understand that we do have a choice not to join the bandwagon of the majority (contrary to what many think, the majority is not always right.)
• Do the seeming impossible
• Take a look at what others have done and see if it resonates to activate your gifts and calling

Right away, I’ll give a clear example of doing the seeming impossible…

I built a website.

With no experience, no training, I decided I needed to replace my old website and I decided I would build it myself. I researched , sighed, ploughed through many sleepless nights and even though it took me two whole months; Here I am…

A brand new website and a brand new blog.

It’s not perfect yet but I’ll tweak it as I go along and hopefully very soon it will be. That’s one true life testimony of being inspired to do the impossible.

So I will be dedicating this blog to the things that have the potential to inspire everyday. Day by Day or week by week, I hope to write about something that will make someone say, I love that story and it’s touched me to make a move