Waste all, find some.

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Visiting the village for Grandma's burial ceremony was just as good as an excursion, so I called it.

Well, I have never been to my mother's village before, so I used it as an opportunity to explore. Lucky me, I was on a holiday, so I left a week before the set day.

Getting to the village wasn't a challenge as traveling is amongst the things I love doing. I took it up to explore and have fun whenever I travel, so stress and boredom are out of it.
I arrived at my twin aunt's house, which was in the sophisticated area of the village, around 6 pm.

The next day after breakfast, I asked about uncle Debiyi and I was told he was living in a distant location that would take me six hours to arrive within the vicinity.

Uncle Debiyi is one of the people I cannot forget. Many years ago, he paid us a visit in Lagos and taught me a little about farming. He was a farmer.

“Would he be coming?” I asked curiously.

“I don't know because he was ill the last time he called and I couldn't predict his health status now, ” my twin aunt illustrated and continued.

“Network coverage is limited to his location so we couldn't contact him as well”. She concluded.

“I would like to pay him a visit,” I said, and from there, we shall meet in the venue, I told her, and left on the third day.

Getting to where he resides, it was a rural area of an unsophisticated environment where the settlers were not fortunate to have all the needed amenities. Not having a stable electric supply is normal for the folks there who only get a supply twice a week.

Everyone in this area budgets their livelihood involvement in accordance with the supply.

Some people will wash their clothes to await ironing when supplies come up. Everyone in the settlement must charge their mobile phones and pump water when the supply comes up as well.

Not that people don't have a generator as backup over there, but if you do, you are among the few of the rich folks who live comfortably there.

Such people are highly respected in this area because most people can troop in groups to their house using it to access the electricity supply for charging their phones.

What an experience I have had travelling to the settlement to visit Uncle Debiyi.

Getting there, I noticed that he was not bad and could make it to the party so we planned on going together.

Looking at how things are going, I noticed that both uncle Debiyi and my twin aunt are not on good terms but it is none of my concern. I ruminated.

Electricity was not an everyday thing, so I asked Uncle Debiyi about the status to keep me informed.

“We do share the usage of light here like two days on and two days off”, he answered and continued, “ the community leaders said, waste not, want not so we have mastered the act of electricity management.

“So how do you cope with water?”I inquired.

My brother, we hoard water here but when it comes to an emergency and there is a shortage of water, Mr Alamu Sheniyan’s house is a sure plug. He stated.

“This Mr Alamu must be one of the people with philanthropist behavior here,” I inquired, looking at the situation of the settlement, where very few people have generators as backup for electricity supply, as most of them are local farmers.

Uncle Debiyi continued, “I have known people in my life but Mr Alamu is different.

His family lives averagely but comfortably. He is the type who says that water is a free gift of nature and shouldn't be hoarded.

Do you know the worst thing?” he illustrated.

“What is the worst thing, if I must ask”. I replied optimistically.

“Mr Alamu has no backup generator and depends on electric supply to pump water like others but when he pumps, he allows people from any location around the settlement to come fetch water to the prime that after a day or two, he and his family will have to go fetch water from the stream”. He answered.

“But this is barbaric”, I said.

“How come he will please people to the extent of displeasing himself and his family”. I objected.

Uncle Debiyi answered, “ Mr Alamu never believed there is harm in that, he used to say that he knows that good deeds may suffer but it won't die in a wicked post”.

“This is psychologically inclined”, I answered then continued.

“Waste not, want not should be the significance of Mr Alamu, not for the community leaders who hoard electricity supply for God knows what reasons”. I concluded.

“Well, there are some with the belief that we bring nothing here and we will definitely take nothing along, so Mr Alamu Sheniyan is one of those people”. He hinted.

“Good one then, I am sure that staying here will be interesting and I won't lie to you, I awaits meeting Mr Alamu Sheniyan, the man who believed otherwise, even though it looks like Mr Alamu has a people pleasing habit and saying no is an issue for him”, I said jokingly.

“Something of your statement sprouted out last year when Mr Alamu’s child, Shemilore refused to comply with his father's way of living”

Do you know what he told Shemilore?

I answered with what Uncle Debiyi replied.

“Mr Alamu told his child that he had been living like this before giving birth to him, and he can not change his ways of living because of him”.

“Oh I see”, I said.

He is even adamant about changing, which makes it complicated.

“Waste not, want not……….”
“Waste all, find some………”

“What a life we live in differences”, I reckon knowing that everyone has different reasons to back their reasons and different circumstances to abide by each reason.

Thanks for reading through.