Scrolling the contacts list on my phone last week, I realised there was this “Old man” friend whom I have not spoken to for about two weeks (which was quite unusual). This man is 65 year old and a German has been my friend for close to 6 months. I tried calling him, but his phone was switched off. I persisted, but still I couldn’t get through to him.

Incidentally, he called me today and after explaining that I have been trying to speak to him for so long he told me where he had been and what he had been up to and guess what? This man who has been married for over 26 years had taken a vacation with none other than his wife. I was sooooo impressed that he has been able to keep the flame of his marriage burning all these years! He proudly said it is something he does at least every 6 months.

After the call I started asking myself questions; why my friends who have been married for as short as 5 years are now bitter enemies and at a personal level, why I have not been taking time to relax. I sat down to ponder, especially over the last question and I have to admit that my life is so much calculated and ordered that things naturally fall in place each day and week and nothing new and exciting is happening to me at all.

Prior to my moving to Accra from Takoradi, I used to love spending time in ‘solitary confinement’ in my room and going to the beach. Spending time at the beach gave me such joy and inspiration from admiring nature and putting aside all my fears and cares. But since I moved to Accra I have come up with a number of excuses not to continue with the occasional beach breaks: traffic jams on the way to the beaches, for example.

After my conversation with my German friend, I decided on an additional ‘New Year’ ‘resolutions, which considering the period I should appropriately call ‘a mid -year resolutions. And these are, to come out of my “shell”, be proactive and at least once every quarter of the year have some fun with my friends.

So in case I don’t pick a call or my phone is switched off any one of these weekends, you should know where I am.

Mavis Gardiner
Finance Assistant