The Experience: My Wabi-Sabi journey (1)_How it all started

<blockquote>I considered making this a premium insight but changed my mind because I felt if I do that, I haven't come out of my shell (which I have by God's grace)</blockquote><blockquote>Months ago, Madmoiselle Dolapo Oludairo shared an insight that had to do with psychological issues or relating to depression and I commented, and as shown in the cover picture Sir Tobi Igbinedion asked me to share my experience as well if I wanted to....well now I want to......</blockquote>Being familiar with the Wabi-Sabi trend on TikTok, I'll call it :My Wabi-Sabi journey, because I developed beauty from my flaw.<h1>Now......</h1>When I look back at my life, I see a path that wasn’t straight, perfect, or smooth. Instead, it was a beautiful mess of flaws, lessons, and unexpected victories. And honestly? I wouldn’t change any of it.I grew up as a stammerer, I often felt like something was wrong with me — like my words were trapped somewhere deep, fighting to come out. I thought my imperfection made me less because of the jests and all . I didn’t know it would eventually become one of my greatest teachers.Still a stammerer, It all started in primary school at a tender age of eight. I came back from break all sweaty because I was really playful then (well I'm still as playful 😂). Then we saw our female teacher writing something on the board. It was a topic but to us it was abracadabra because those words were too elite for us to grab. She faced the class, smiling at our naive sate, she then explained it was a voluntary topic that anyone could work on and present it to her personally as a debate. That word "debate" sparked a lot of mosquitoes (sorry I mean butterflies 😂) in me. I quickly scribbled it down thinking everyone else did the same. On the day she gave us to come to her, I found out we were only three that volunteered, I and two other girls (I was the only male🤧) out of a hundred plus pupils in all four divisions of Pry 5. We presented and when it was time for her verdict, Miss Gloria shocked us to our bones as she said we were going to represent the school as debaters with that same topic (It was an inter school debate competition 😲, Omo see trap😭). We were surprised but at the same time happy, so when the day came.....I remembered my speech defect, but having trained with my elder sister all night to suppress it, I felt determined and thank God my teacher didn't stop me 🙏. I presented and by the time results were announced, I was the only qualifying pupil from my school. Filled with surprise and joy, I determined to win the competition when we were informed that the finals will be holding at the state level. I didn't know how I kept doing it but I kept on qualifying multiple rounds (the competition lasted for a lot of weeks..). I developed an accurate sense of memorising to the extent that this same elder sister was helping me perfect my work in the middle of the night and she couldn't see a particular word so she came to wake me to explain myself... Till today I don't know how I did it because I gave her the statement still sleepy without checking!! and when she called me the next morning to confirm, I affirmed the same thing I said previously...SHE SEF SHOCK😂.No boasting....I was that good. It got to a stage, I became the only male among several females competing 🙆. It kept on going on till the final two local governments were picked... Ikeja local government which was the one I represented, and Agege local government. A lot of times (including holidays), we will go to LSUBEB (Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board) a very distant place from my abode all for rehearsals and drills with education dons present to assess us. A day came, (which was unknowingly the final day I'll go 😢) and we were given an impromptu topic to work on within a certain amount of minutes (I can't remember now). Practising with my teacher, I flopped a lot that my teacher gave up and decided she will sleep throughout the presentation so she won't watch me 😩 (which she did 😂). It was the official from my local government that explained to her how I performed eloquently again!! SHE SEF SHOCK😂. All of a sudden, I saw the senior female judge showing discomfort (it was later I learnt that she wanted Agege local government to qualify and win but I was an obstacle as I was better than my opponent), out of nowhere, she asked of my age and I told her "Eight". Feigning surprise, she said "You're too young for the competition! You're below the age limit! (A rule that was never mentioned from the beginning of the competition,👀 see corruption). That was not what actually broke me though I deeply grieved.Then came the statement that threw me into three solid years of depression after she asked some questions which I responded to STAMMERERING BADLY! (I stammer worse when I'm nervous and sad).She said 'SO YOU'RE A STAMMERER!!". That word pierced me deeply as that signified the end because a stammerer can not shame the pride of Lagos in a debate competition 💔. My teacher swore and swore, trying to soothe me with words but the damage had already been done 😓.<blockquote>To be continued 😓..</blockquote><blockquote>I'll share the effects it had on me in another post...</blockquote><blockquote>PEACE ✌️</blockquote>

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