Hey, I just made it to twenty-five!
“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” - Frank Herbert
Welcome to the annual edition of this birthday article. At this point, it is pretty much a yearly ritual for me and one I do not take for granted. It helps me have a bit of introspection about my journey through life and it also reminds me that I am not growing younger anymore. Apparently, I am twenty-five today and that is also called a Silver Jubilee.
Something just came into my mind now, the fact that as of 2023, the average life expectancy for a Nigerian male is 59.93 years. To me, this means I am approaching the point where midlife crises will start being frequent. I try to tell myself that what I have been facing in this country is not a mid-life crises, yet, rather it is a quarter-life crisis. Does that mean I plan to live till 95? Well, time will tell.
I am 25 and not broke — not rich either. Life is really interesting when you think about the various random factors and how they influence the progress of life, or fate as some people say. While writing my last year’s birthday article, I had no sign of grid supply at home for over 7 days, which is a wild regular thing in my area. Coincidentally I am facing the same issue this year too, there has been no grid supply at home for over 10 days, but there is a difference this time around.
Last year I had to liquidate all my savings and pick up extra gigs just so I could fix the electricity issue. A year later, I don’t have that issue again, 24/7 electricity is sweet, don’t let them gaslight you and I am no longer broke. I did make a bet on myself that I would refill that money by the end of the year and luckily it panned out well. I would call it luck because it was more of things I did in the past, rather than what I did in 2024. Moral lesson? Believe in yourself like mad. Humble brag but I can afford to build a gaming PC I always wanted, and maybe I will, for the plot.
Being 25 is having your life not figured out yet. You might think I have my life figured out already, especially if you see the things I have done but I don’t have it figured out. In fact, sometimes I feel like I am just an imposter in this world. There are a lot of things I have no clue about how they would pan out for me. I am now experiencing what it is like to feel lethargic. I heard that word for the first time from a beautiful woman, when she spoke about how she was feeling in 2023. It took me two years but now I can relate better to that feeling.
Being 25 is supposed to be a big deal I guess, but the thing about new ages is that it’s not like you get a physical clue of what has changed about you in the last year. You just know that more is expected of you, thus more responsibilities. I don’t think any more is expected of me per se, rather than me continuing to be the best version of myself, which is what I expect of myself. Something I want to take seriously is my health this new year. I have already been consistent at the gym for a month and a half. I take my Saturday morning runs which I have come to fall in love with. I want to see what I can achieve physically with my body as this is supposed to be a prime youth age I think.
Being 25 in Nigeria is having constant reminders that you are one shawarma purchase away from going broke. It might sound funny but that reality is one that is really tiring. It seems like you are working hard but your state of living doesn’t reflect those efforts. The sad part is I don’t think things will actually get better in my lifetime. So it feels like I am stuck in a sinking boat and maybe that is why I am feeling lethargic.
Being 25 is having a lot of interesting hobbies which all happen to be quite expensive to participate in. I have a home lab server, and it feels so cool when I say it. It may not seem like a big deal, but it makes me happy knowing I have it and having to do fun projects with it. Sometimes during weekends, I lose track of time because I am engrossed in one new project involving my home lab server. There are a ton of other things I want but I am restricted due to funds. I wanted to get myself a birthday gift and I was considering what to buy from a list of gadget options I have always wanted for years. A premium PC build, 3D printer, handheld console (I still don’t know which one to pick between the Steam Deck OLED, Switch OLED, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go), doing an electric bicycle conversion project and VR headset. In the end, I looked at my pocket, sighed and just decided to get the Dune book series set.
I am 25 and funemployed currently and recently seeking actively for a new role. I have tried interviewing for two positions I really liked to work in and for both of them, I ended up failing after the third interview stage. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel bad about losing it. There was a time in my life when such an email would make me upset emotionally. I guess I can call that growth. If there is something I strongly believe, it is living life with no regrets.
Finally being 25 is having a network of amazing friends and family. People who are like solid rocks and support my life. I appreciate everyone who pushes me to be better and I also am grateful for the impact I have had in a few people’s lives in my short stay on this planet. It is also coming to the realization that women are too beautiful. I don’t think I could survive in a world without women.
I do not have any plans for today, aside from playing video games, which I like to do on my birthday lately. My solar production forecast for today says there will be less than average production, due to weather conditions. I hope it is wrong this time and I get to generate enough solar energy to play for a long time. I also plan on going to the gym today, despite puking at the gym yesterday, as I am recovering from malaria.
Thanks for reading, I hope to catch you folks the same day, next year.
