Me: at Japanese gym for first time, trying to look athletic.
impossible task.
gym absolutely silent except weights.
everyone inside terrifyingly fit.
old man on treadmill running like government experiment.
Trainer approaches me.
Trainer: Goal?
Me: Survival.
Trainer nods respectfully.
Trainer: Understandable.
he puts me on machine, machine looks military.
Trainer: Easy.
five seconds later, Iโm fighting for my ancestors.
Trainer: Good warmup.
Me: WARMUP??
nearby high school girl lifting more than me casually.
not even sweating, she drinking juice between sets.
I attempt bench press, weight immediately crushes my confidence.
random old man appears out of nowhere
Old man: Need help?
Me: Yes please.
old man lifts weight with one hand.
ONE HAND.
man is seventy-two minimum.
Old man: Young people weak now.
Me: You fought in the Sengoku period or something?
Old man laughs mysteriously.
Trainer returns holding clipboard.
Trainer: Your body ageโฆ
long pause.
Trainer: โฆ58.
Me: I AM TWENTY NINE.
Trainer: Body disagrees.
Old man pats my shoulder sympathetically.
Old man: Come back tomorrow. We rebuild you.
Me: That sounds like anime training arc.
No matter how much you love your person, you need to be your own person.
Have your own hobbies, your own friends, your own time, your own fun.
Endeavor to be your own person.
Everyone shut up I just learned a new word:
Eremition
(eh-ruh-mish-un)
The act of gradually fading from the lives of others, not out of malice, but a desire for solitude or renewal.
Back in 2021, I met a lady who told me about this app where blind people could video call volunteers whenever they needed help with something.
Out of curiosity, I downloaded it and signed up.
I still remember how surreal it felt the first time I got a call. Someone was simply trying to decide what to wear and needed me to tell them if the colors matched. Another person needed help checking something on their TV screen.
And there I was, in my room in Nigeria, helping complete strangers from different parts of the world through a random video call.
It wasnโt paid or anything. It was just volunteering.
But I remember being so fascinated by the idea that technology could connect people in such a deeply human way. For a few minutes, you literally became someone elseโs eyes.
Till today, that remains one of the most beautiful things Iโve experienced online.
This sentences by Van Gogh hits hard:
โIf I am worth anything later, I am worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is a grass in the beginning.โ