Reflecting on March: Embracing Challenges and Expressing Gratitude

Reminiscing on how the month of March went, I can't help but be grateful for everything. Although there were loads of drawbacks and challenges, I was able to overcome some, and others are in line. One thing about reflecting and taking a thorough check into the past is that it helps us appreciate how far we've come, observe our actions and mistakes, retract our steps, and the like, making us a well-versed individual that learns from their experience in being a better person.

The month of March started just like every other month. I entered full of optimism and hope that things would get better and that I'd be able to achieve all of my dreams within the month. Despite the work load that lies ahead, I never waver, and that was instrumental in helping me sail through the month when some drawbacks arise. I mean, normally, I know the month would mark the end of the term at work, and with students sitting for their exams, I've already prepared my mind for the task of marking and recording that would precede it.

Everyone of us wants to live a good life, have things get better for them, and enjoy the moments, but in all of these, the place of reflection can never be downplayed. Looking back on the month of March, I can't help but be grateful for how far I've come, the progress I've made, the setbacks I've overcome, and many others. The good thing about reflection is that it helps us appreciate our little victories and learn from our mistakes, as well as keep things in check for the greater good.

There were three top highlights for me personally in the month of March. The first was about my deteriorating health, which resurfaced, and the need to visit a hospital for medical checkups and treatment. This wasn't something I do often, but noticing the difference in my wellbeing and strength, I had no choice but to visit the hospital, and there I was told of a few illnesses, the highest of which was high blood pressure.

With that realization, I've been placed on several drugs to curb the effect, and that's where the second highlight of the year comes in: expenses. It went overboard in the month of March to the point where I could even say it probably added to the high blood pressure because, come to imagine, I've spent over 100,000 naira on buying medication alone.

And despite spending that much, I still haven't purchased most of the prescribed medicine, so the weight of the amount spent on medication, transport, and food items that has skyrocketed is another highlight of the month of March. I can't even help but wonder how I spend around 150% of my salary on just medicines and food items, not to mention other bills I've got to pay.

Third on the list, I'll say, is the workload of the examination. As you know, I'm a teacher. After the exams, I was left with the task of marking more than a thousand students scripts and recording them in about a thousand different places, both online and offline, in order to get the students report cards read. This workload and the short deadline almost wrecked me because I had to indulge in loads of sleepless nights to get the job done.

With all of this I'm bombarded with, I couldn't even have time to celebrate Easter; in fact, I was literally working around the clock to conclude the marking during Easter and thereby had no time to celebrate. All I did was buy some snacks for kids in my neighborhood, and that's how the Easter season went—nothing elaborate.

Talking about how all of this was to me, trust me, it's a mixed feeling. For starters, I was excited that the term was coming to an end, even though I had to work around the clock. I know thereafter we're going on a break, and I'm excited to take time off work. But aside from that, I'm not too happy about breaking down over and over again concerning my health, and to make things worse, spending so much on medication is disheartened.

Overall, what this speaks of for the future is probably knowing that I need to take care of my health more often, so it won't get to the point where I've got to be placed on so much medication to regulate my blood pressure and the like. Also, talking about the rise in expensive things, I can't help but start thinking of saving up funds so I can finally leave this country for somewhere better. At least I know that even though there are more expenses there, I'll be earning far more and have a good health care system.

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That's about all of my reflections on the month of March. I hope you had a good read and got to know how much the month went. Do have a wonderful day and stay blessed.

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_{The second and third photos are mine, while first and last Thumbnails were designed on canva}

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