Loneliness and sadness are two out of many ailments of the human heart that like the HIV virus weakens the immune system and leaves the heart open to other undesirable elements. They are detestable.
The being who suffers from them can be likened to a desert with just one tree in its middle which of course may not be seen in a long time; and as it is a desert, the tree’s existence is a respite to the scorching heat from the blazing sun.
That tree to this sad lonely creature maybe the family who is concerned so much for him that he fails to acknowledge or that friend that is ready to poke his finger in the fire just to save him.
Being arid and deserted in his heart and left with his self-deprecating thoughts he is oblivious of the existence of that one tree. He pays attention rather to the problems and issues that surround him on every side like the sands in the desert. He is concerned with the large streams of water that are absent, the lack of green vegetation to give life to his afflicted heart, the harsh wind that blows cruelly carrying with it painful particles that are a nuisance to him especially his eyes. He is concerned with what’s not and fails to see what is.
That is the deserted heart, the heart that is bereaved due to the death of happiness and good company, the heart that is a field where different balls of pain are continuously kicked and goals of depression, loneliness, sadness, worry and anxiety are scored; where good is good as gone and the worst thoughts most welcome.
In foolishness the being refuses to heed to the diagnosis of being of good cheer and spending quality time with good company which is an antidote to its heart ailment. He shuts its door to the knocks of love, pleas to be loved and cared for and the request to allow into the heart the very people it has shut out. He sees the tree everyday as it stands still in the middle of its desert and is not bulged by the harsh weather by which the deserted heart is surrounded and characterized by. Rather, it ensures that its leaves grow larger and its branches increase so the scorching sun of pain doesn’t shine painfully down on the bald arid heart and when it does, it can find a haven in its shade.
Every morning, the heart perceives the scent of happiness that comes out with the C02 released by the tree but doesn’t completely inhale it. Before he knows, he is suffocated by dangerous air of self-loathing and unhappiness and finally is diagnosed sick and at risk of death.
In spite of himself, he still takes solace in that tree that has always stood unnoticed in the middle of its heart’s desert. He realizes how much the things he let himself be surrounded with suck and so must be avoided like a plague. Loneliness and sadness are two dangerous ailments of the heart. However, no matter to what degree they are raised up, their power can never be greater than the number of love and happiness.
The best miracles are most times never noticed because we expect they come in large parcels. They are however, the little things we see every day and take for granted. Keep your eyes then on the little and be grateful for those small favours as you await the bigger ones.
ONYEOKIKE 