THE COCKTAILS OF LIFE

If you have guested at my house, or just passed through, and you have privileged us with the honor of sharing a meal with us, we do always try to wash down the meal with fruit juice for a drink. And I’ve been told I make really great juice (blowing my own trumpet). Matter of fact, this year I want to venture into availing you with this juice; watch the space and be ready to place those orders. And I can promise the damage to your wallet will be so minimal that you won’t even feel it.

I’ve been asked many times about the recipes (fruit portions) that I use, then I go on to point out the fruits I’ve blended to squeeze out the cocktail. When am asked about what quantities however, I do struggle with explaining myself because I don’t seem to be intentional about the quantities when am making the juice. It’s like asking my grandmother how many grams of salt she puts in the source, no, she just scoops the salt from the salt tin and then the finger tips and the eyes do the math. Well, enough with the mambo jumbo, too much praise normally slides into flattery.

In the juice making process, I’ve scooped out some life lessons that I would love to share. I’ve noticed that if we allow ourselves the serenity that God offers as we trust Him in our daily struggles and endeavors, regardless of the circumstances, every simple activity gets to be inspirational. Even simple activities like making juice. May be that’s what the apostle Paul meant when he admonished the saints that, “in everything you do, work as If you are serving Christ not man.” Enough said, what’s the juice lesson here?

As long as you are born of a woman, life will give you a cocktail of both good and bad times. Without doubt, you will taste the bitter drink of loneliness, sorrow, grief, pain, disease, death of a loved one and much more. In the cocktail juice of life however, there will be sweet flavors of happiness, good friends, wonderful memories, accomplishments, the joy of children and so forth. And for the most part, you don’t even get to choose the mix; life might serve you a career breakthrough mixed with a rebellious child, or wonderful memories mixed with loneliness, or good and loyal friends mixed with the loss of a loved one. Life serves and your job is to drink.

With the wisdom that comes with age, I’ve learnt to leave the “whys” for most cocktails to be asked in the afterlife. However, with the belches from sweet cocktails and drunken stupors from the bitter servings, I am compelled to leave a few of the ‘Whys’ that won’t leave me alone. Some I’ve experienced others I’ve observed. You might disagree with some perhaps, well, these are my whys. Feel free to add yours and if you can, offer answers to some of my "whys" if not all. But if i can add a tip, the questions are meant to stimulate reflection.

§  Why do criticisms come much easier and faster than compliments?

§  Why mistakes are so easily remembered than achievements?

§  Why do lies spread so much faster than the truth?

§  Why is it easier to spend money than to earn it?

§  Why do good plans seem to evaporate as soon as money comes in?

§  Why is it easier to give good advice than follow it yourself?

§  Why does it come easy to see the wrong in others than our own wrongs?

§  Why is it easier to gain weight than lose it?

§  Why do most Ugandans respect foreigners more than their own people?

§  Why are Africans or Blacks considered second class citizens by the rest of the world?

§  Why is that idiot rich and I am not?

§  Why do most of us think that wealth and honesty can’t co-exist peacefully?

§  Why is it hard to break old habits and build new ones?