An ode to time: hearty cheers to 3 decades and half

1990: My parents break into a smile while celebrating my mum’s 35th birthday

Present day: I celebrated my 35th birthday a few days ago.

Another 365 days, another birthday and time for deep introspection.

I vividly recall my mum’s 35th birthday celebration like it was yesterday, all the way down to the orange t-shirt I wore.

ME on the right (in my very orange t-shirt)

The pictures help me remember most of the faces at the party.

My uncles Gbenga and Gbolahan posed with their sister, the celebrant

I especially remember a particular incident that happened few days after the celebration. Chief Manny Igbenoba, my dad’s socialite friend and bestie from their time in England, sponsored a paid advertorial in one of the dailies using one of the post-birthday photos. In the picture, my dad held my mum’s hands as they cut the cake that was baked and decorated by her.

The fabled picture: mum and dad smile while cutting the cake

I recall the idyllic smiles on their faces. I’m sure everyone that lived in the nineties with an iota of lower middle-class privilege can relate. My siblings and I fawned over the newspaper post for days after the celebration, I think someone even made a clipping of it and I’m equally certain we earned some bragging rights in school on subsequent days. I was just 5 going 6 years old and it felt like I could be a kid forever.

Thinking back to those times and it feels surreal that I would be here celebrating the same milestone as my mum in my lifetime. She it was who reminded me. She called to wish me a happy birthday and in her words “It’s worth celebrating, do you recall my 35th birthday?” And then, the memories started to flood in.

My dear mum is now 64 years old and I celebrate her everyday because I love her!

I agree it calls for celebration, rightly so but how about some reflection? Having recently started a family of my own, I realise how important this is.

Time remains the single most important variable to qualify our lives by. Minutes become hours, hours roll into days, and the years pile on so in reflecting, we need to constantly evaluate what we’re doing with this fascinating concept.

As for me, I’m learning everyday the upsides of building a good name (brand). What are you doing with your time? I’ll love to know.