After living in a crowded pen for so long,
Unleashed, I exhaled! Celebrating privacy.
I went the extra mile glorying in my liberty;
Being alone, being my lead, going my way
Was such fun at first but only for a while.
Quickly it turned sour, then boring, now scary;
No one told me space comes with costs
Key of which is loneliness. I lived all my life
In the fold, content until the day I noticed
A sheep across the fence, wandering,
All by itself. They said it was lost
I thought it was cool; alone, independent.
Suddenly I grew to hate the pen I loved.
Looking back now, yes it was crowded
But we were happy. Now I am alone and sad.
Following the Shepherd, we marched in line
Stepped on one another; we fought, we played
We hugged and fooled and laughed and cried
All in jumbled togetherness. Now I have
My desires, I live my dreams, yet I have
Never been sadder – I miss all I once detested;
I miss home and troublesome siblings
I miss irritating friends and my boring Shepherd.
Who would have ever believed that I of all
Would ever miss all I had grown to despise?

Food For Thought: There is a natural tendency to despise what we didn’t pay for or what we know we will always have. It loses value not in itself but in our eyes and is treated as common. I recall people trooping in and out of our house and regular celebrations that drew crowds. I resolved as I grew up: I wanted none of those. I wanted everybody on their own please: thank you. Everybody was going “Mummy, mummy” at my mum and she was so busy mothering the world. Of course that did not detract her attention from us but it could be annoying sometimes. I recall one day, my sister went, “This is my mum. Why don’t y’all go and give your own mums some of these drama and leave her alone?” My mum felt that was the most insensitive utterance ever made in the history of mankind but that courage was celebrated behind closed doors for days and analyzed through long distance calls. Roll forward a few years later: we were all grown and gone, the house was empty except for these adopted family members. They kept the house warm, they kept my mum going while we visited every once in a while. Much as I still cherish my privacy, I think we all still miss that trooping in and out every once in a while. Appreciate those around you because time moves on and never goes back. Opportunities lost may never be recalled. Privacy is great but like freedom, it must be duly managed lest it turn to harmful isolation.

Scripture: But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 1 Peter 4: 7.

Prayer: Dear Lord, may I never take Your blessing for granted: may my heart always overflow with gratitude, amen.