Go deep and wide

A round of misbehaviour brought on this insight. My firm conviction is that airport tolls have become too expensive! A count of Ghana cedis for hanging around the airport for less than an hour. Naaaaa … So these days, I do a terribly naughty thing. I go to the car parks of my bank or the hotel close to it, or this office car park close to the airport. I wait there. Then I move to the airport when my guest is out of the halls and ready for pick up. Cheap behaviour? Well, I learnt a valuable lesson today while cruising for a ‘non paying‘ car park that made this whole shenanigan worth it, I think.

I noticed the buildings around the airport. I remembered the stories behind many of them because I have lived in this city long enough to know much. One of the tall buildings belongs to a friend I have known since university days. As her business prospered, her marriage collapsed. By the time she finished the glorious buildings that the world now enjoys, she had seen bankruptcy, heard slander, and experienced lowness. Like a sphinx, her rise out of the ashes brought her to ownership of more and more properties. But what a price she paid for her rise. The cost of those buildings was distress, trauma, disorientation, and sheer emotional strength.

This other building is festooned in lights as I watch it. It spirals. But I also recall the spiralling dances of it’s owner in the courts. Bankruptcy stared at them. They faced the sale of their properties to pay other debts while this flagship one remained uncompleted. It looked as if the cards will crumble and leave them inheriting the wind. They tried all sorts of pleas. I remember praying for them often. I am glad they pulled through that uphill time. Today, their lights are shining and I trust they are breathing easier.

Wow, but the price of success! Those buildings are tall. But so are the stories of their owners. The higher the height of the edifice, the deeper the roots of great grace. And dare I say from these stories, the harsher the winds and storms that may lash as you journey to create. You may give up. Throw up your hands. Let life take you to the cleaners. Each higher investment calls for greater capital cost. So be comforted if building the future brings experiences so harsh you want to crumble. One thing that I am sure of is this – when you have settled on the destination you want to reach, each move will take you close. Pay the price for the prize.

‘It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness …’ Seneca