NEVER EVER GIVE UP

I was seated at a balcony facing the beach but my mind was filled with thoughts of what had transpired during the day. It was around 5:00 pm and the weather was beginning to become a bit cool. One could see the “orange-yellow” color of the sun at a distance as it begun to set. It’s beautiful sun rays could be seen shinning on the ocean surface while the waves were beginning to come in a little bit stronger to the shore. However, the events of the day had instilled a fear in me of not wanting to go close to the ocean at this time or even be inside it…

It was a glorious day and I had woken up feeling very excited to have visited the coast for the first time. I know this sounds odd to some people but for me it was one of those “once in a lifetime events”. All the stories I had been told about being in the beach would come true.  In the early afternoon, I finally got a chance to step into the beach. The beautiful blue ocean water could be seen to be swiftly flowing with minimal water waves. The soft beach sand caressed the skin on my feet and I could not help but be amazed by all this. The sun was also hitting it’s peak level of heat so this was the best time to test out my “swimming skills”. Before getting in the water I had to be a typical Kenyan and take as many photos as I could while being at the shore of the beach. All this went great and the moment had finally come to feel the ocean water run across my skin. The assigned hotel life guard recommended I peak a floater because ocean water was heavier in density and current than swimming pool water but I shrugged off saying I’ve been swimming for years…

The irony of this is that I could barely swim because I never took swimming classes seriously and the fact that I visited swimming pools occasionally convinced me that I could do this. As I got into the water, I could feel  a tangling feeling on my feet as I sensed I was going deeper and deeper into the ocean floor. A few moments later, I was calling out for help because I could barely breathe and I was drowning. All of sudden ,like the famous cliché “my life flashed right before me.” An inner voice kept telling me to keep fighting because this was not over yet until I gave up. A few seconds later, I felt a strong hand grab my arm and I knew for sure I was a “gonner.” I had heard stories of the crude Mombasa beach boys so I knew this was definitely the day I will pay for any sins I had ever committed. To my surprise though, the very well-built man with a dental formula to kill and a six-pack to die for, pulled me up and was guiding me towards the shore. The relief that I felt could not be explained. I must say the muscles, smile and generally well built body of the life guard helped me be less traumatized. Anyway, we got to the shore and luckily I could breathe fine and I was okay.

I sat on the sand for a while as I tried to get myself together and thank God I was alive. This was definitely a day I would live to remember.  My thoughts were however interrupted by somebody opening the door and I finally snapped back to reality. This event got me thinking on what kind of things would make me give up on this life and completely become hopeless. I went into the room and picked up my laptop which I mostly travel with as you can never know when a good idea will strike. So, here is what I could come up with on the issue of quitting which is commonly referred to as giving up…

I’ll only give up when…

The sun stops to shine and the moon no longer glimmers

Crystals no longer sparkle and grass no longer grows

The wind never blows and the oceans no longer have waves

Glass stops to be brittle and eggs cease to be fragile

The rain stops falling and sound is no longer heard

Love ceases to exist and music is never played

The earth stops being round and faith is no longer meaningful

Water becomes a distant past and children are no longer born

Clouds become extinct and snow ceases to be white

Ice refuses to be cold and fire never burns

Mountains disappear and seas stop to flow

Birds cease to fly and fish never swim

When Hearts stop to BEAT and life fades away then I’ll GIVE UP

Copyrights © 2017 Eva Mwangi