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How Was Work? - Thoughts and Stuff

How Was Work?

shikungigi

I’m having a mild headache. You know, those ones that you know will disappear once you get home. I was okay before I left the office. Then I got into this matatu with a drunk kange and it hit me that my head was aching. Dude was laughing the whole time, in delirium, not giving passengers change and showing them his “change-less” palm.

“Kama watu huishi kama wewe, hawawezi pata depression,” one passenger at the front quips.

We all laugh. It’s hilarious. The guy is pretty much harmless save for the fact that he used some unprintable words on a lady alighting at Racecourse. I can’t help but wonder why he’s so drunk at 5:40 PM. All in a day’s work. Do Kenyan laws even work? Whatever he’s smoking or drinking is definitely in the illicit list. Moving on, I get on this other matatu and kange charges me extra.

“Rungiri,” I shout from the back as the kange waits for me to tell him my destination. You know how they ask where you’re alighting without saying a word? That way.

Ni ukuongerera,” he answers. You’ll have to add more.
Cigana?” I ask. How much?
Ikumi,” he replies. Ten shillings.

I would normally pay 50 shillings to Rungiri from Corner so I hesitate while looking for the coin.

Riku ikumi?” dude asks. Where’s the ten bob?
Ni gwetha ndiretha na umenye riria ringi ndiongagirira,” I retort back. I’m looking for it and remember that I normally don’t add more. I find it and give the guy next to me who needs 10 bob.
Kaba kuongerera,” the kange smiles that innocent way they do and we move on. It’s better to add more.

We all don’t like it when people want to rob us of our hard earned coins in broad daylight. But it happens. And we move on. Right above him is a sticker that reads “Early to bed, early to rise, makes someone healthy, wealthy and wise.” And immediately the song dad taught us as kids kicks into my system. We were raised to work, knowing our parents were working extra hard to ensure we did not lack. Another one in front of him reads “Utamu wa kazi ni pesa sio kuambiwa kuja “Kesho”. We are all working. All doing different things, all for different reasons. All this time I have not been blogging, it’s because I’m at my 9-5. The other bit, I just felt I needed more recharging. But all this time, something kept telling me to write about work.

First thing that did was a song. Til the Day I Die off tobyMac’s This is not a Test album. This features NF, an awesome artiste who just happens to do all tracks justice. Remember Start Over by Flame and a guy you had not seen before? That’s NF. NF’s verse here goes something like this:

Say you goin’ harder, mmm I doubt that’
You say you doin’ work, but you’re asking where the couch at
How you doin’ work when you asking where the couch at?
God is not a crutch, you can use Him when you wanna
You only look to heaven when you goin’ through some drama
And when they goin’ through some problems and that’s the only time they call Him
I guess I don’t understand that life, wonder why?
Cause’ I’m all in
Til the day I die

Aside from that part having way better rhythm than any other part, it made me think about work. When we go looking for jobs then complain when we get them. Or spend the better part of time allocated to them on completely different things like watching videos all day or looking for other jobs half the time. What is to guarantee that you’ll work at that new job if you don’t do your best at your present one? We all love to rest but I wonder how it feels to rest from doing nothing. I know when I don’t give my all, I feel guilty and spend the rest of the day trying to make up for wasting time. Which reminds me of that hymn from my childhood. Work for the night is coming. I grew up singing hymns, from church to school, so I pretty much know the songs by heart even when the guy operating the PowerPoint at church falls asleep.

Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.

This hymn reminds me of reality. That we will not always be strong enough to work. That we cannot always work day and night. There’s a time for everything. So use the time you have wisely, because time waits for no man. “I’ll rest when I die,” you’ll hear a Kenyan say, because that’s more or less true. Some people literally don’t sleep. Which I guess works for them but not for me. That’s the thing, you see. You cannot begin to compare your work ethic with someone else’s. Just because he comes in late and leaves early shouldn’t make you think that you can do the same. He probably spends half the night working. Same case as was in school. Simply because she looks like she doesn’t study, doesn’t mean she doesn’t. You never know what she does when you’re dreaming your third dream of the night.

Finally, the last thing that set this post in motion was today’s verse on Faithlife Study Bible. It was sitting there asking what I was waiting for to write.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23

Need I say more? Needless to say, I hate it when mum asks me how work was. I don’t want to talk about it, especially when I’m having a headache. But that won’t stop me from asking you. 😀 How was work? Are you really working whether in the shamba, shop, office or home on your computer?

4 thoughts on “How Was Work?

  1. How was work?.. Most times I have a default answer, “It was good” …( this is what my default answer really means)
    It was good = I didn’t black out on my desk, I kept awake ALL day.
    It was good = I managed to close at least one pending item.
    It was good = I learnt something new in the Tech world.
    It was good = I managed to keep up during conversations over lunch break and tea break.

    PS: T-mac is good! 🙂 I like his sound too. Especially his choice of lyrics.

  2. Believe it or not, My hobby actually became my job 🙂 . I enjoyed making websites right from my school days, now i’m a full time web developer. 🙂

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