I had a pink alarm clock in senior high school which I got in preparation for my final exams ( the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examinations) because the alarm on the wrist watches weren’t doing it for me. Oh! The Joy of analogue. It was a heart shaped adorable pink little thing which I placed by the shatters in the dorm (I slept by the windows). The sound was in everyway irritating and until you get up to turn it off , it just goes on and on. Here’s the fun part: it was a slight bother to my dorm members and so often someone would say ‘Sedem. Your alarm is ringing’ just so I can turn it off so they can resume their sleep.

It’s being many moons since I completed senior high school and wait for it (drum roll), I’ve still got the alarm clock. Of course, it’s useless now and broken beyond repair and yet I’ve kept in my room for a while now as some form of monumental piece because it reminds me of a time in my life. Or maybe, I just want to gather these things and show them to my kids someday (there’s no way I’m doing this).
I was cleaning my room when I came across this alarm clock and added it to the trash. I knew there was no use in keeping it anymore but of course I didn’t wanna devoid you of an opportunity to read a story with another clichèd theme.

What are the reasons we hold on to things or situations that no longer hold any value for us? One of my reminders for this year is to tone down drastically my pleasure in indulging in unnecessary sentimentality (which must have seemed like an unusual reminder).I’m a really sentimental person and more often than I would want to admit I find myself making judgements based on my feelings even if it’s not in my best interest. I don’t know the word to give for this unhealthy attachments I have for things, situations and relations that are no longer working for me. For others(of which I’m inclusive), it’s an unhealthy fear of letting go of things that never really happened or almost happened: the almost-a- relationship, almost-had something, the what- could-have been, what never was. These things can sometimes the roadblocks in our journey to becoming. If we’re not careful, our future will be an extension of the past.

It’s my hope that this year I can have the strength to let go of that which needs letting go of. Here’s the thing, letting go is really hard. Our minds resist it and for the most part we’re still hanging by a thread. It’s human nature to hope against all the odds. Because how do we suddenly leave behind that which our world evolved around, something that took up so much space and time in our lives and something we couldn’t stop thinking about? What would we be without them? That’s why letting go is a process which begins with the decision to move onwards even though our minds will resist and thwart this process countless of times before we realize one day that it’s no longer bugs us anymore and all it has become is a distant memory to smile about. It’s important to realize what doesn’t work for us anymore. Taking that first step to let go is courage in itself. Here’s what I’m reminding myself of: instead of being fixated on what’s behind, I can build for what’s ahead. Ahead of us are paths yet explored and waiting for us to leave a trail of us behind. May we have the strength to push onwards!