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E For extrAct

May 04, 2020

E For ExtrAct

 

Let nobody fool you; there is nothing as painful as a tooth that needs to be extracted! 

A few years back I had a wisdom tooth taken out and it was no easy task. The fact that it was lodged at the furthest end of my upper jaw didn’t make things any better. For the dentist to get that tooth out, my mouth really suffered. I think my cheeks hurt for like one week after that because I was forced to open my mouth unnaturally wide for the dentist to go in there. Actually, to put it correctly, they held it open with some “mouth opening” gadget for lack of another way to describe it. The point is, for him to relief me of my pain, he had to  extrAct the tooth i.e. he had to do do an extrA Act (extrAct).

I looked up the word extract from my usual go to online dictionary and found this particular definition: remove or take out, especially by effort or force. This is exactly what happened to my tooth, and get this, as soon as the tooth was removed that sleep wrecking and head piercing pain I had before ceased! Though the discomfort of having the tooth removed was still there, it was nothing compared to the pain I had been feeling prior to the extraction. 

So, why am I talking about my teeth at a time when the mouth is a no go zone considering it is one of the main transmitters of COVID-19? Please read on.

During this time I know many people might be going through different kinds of pain and discomfort. Maybe you have lost a loved one and you were not even allowed to go give them a proper burial. Or maybe you’ve lost your job yet that was your only source of livelihood. Or maybe your partner did something terrible to you 6 decades ago and you still haven't forgiven them, and now you find yourself having to spend 42 hours a day (yes I meant 42) with them and you are almost going crazy, and now you are about to pull all your teeth out because you just can stand him or her. Why? Because they hurt you so deeply that you find it impossible to forgive them.

Speaking of unforgiveness, I know and I understand how that feels because I've been there and done that. In fact, you see that day I went for that tooth extraction, I was quite angry at someone and I decided to walk from my office in Mikocheni to my then residence in Mbezi. I even left the car at the office that day because I didn't feel it was safe to drive with the anger and hurt I felt at that time. So as I was walking, I saw the dental hospital and I remembered I had a tooth ache. I just walked in and two hours later, I had the bad tooth in my pocket and continued walking home at 7pm. I was still angry when I got home at 11pm. Anyway, story for another day.

Back to my point, feelings of hurt and unforgiveness are normal to all human beings. It takes an extra act of will to forgive someone who has hurt you. It takes an extra act of acceptance to deal with the loss of a loved one. It takes an extra act of acceptance to come to terms with the loss of a job or a complete business. It takes an extra act of forgiveness to handle a situation with a cheating partner. It takes an extra act of self love to accept that you are HIV positive and then take the necessary measures to ensure you still live a full and satisfactory life.

That extra act, or extrAct as I am calling it, is what we all need today to go through this season of unprecedented uncertainty. You cannot make it through this time with excess buggage in your mind, heart or body! You need to be free in order to move forward from the situation we are in right now. You need to forcefully remove whatever is holding you back from progressing now, and whatever you know for sure will hold you back from moving on past this pandemic.

You need to extract stuff from your life!

  • The extrAct could be doing a complete lifestyle make over including your sleeping and eating habits.
  • The extrAct could be intentionally becoming more careful on how you spend your money during this time.
  • The extrAct could be starting an exercise regimen and sticking to it without any further excuses.
  • The extrAct could be learning that new skill you’ve been putting off, yet you know it has potential to open great doors for you.
  • The extrAct could be taking that leap of faith to start something you’ve been wanting to but was afraid of what people would say to you or about you.
  • The extrAct could be swallowing your pride and asking that person you wronged to forgive you even though you may have sworn never to do so because of your ego.
  • The extrAct could be choosing to forgive the person who wronged you even if they don't see how they wronged you or why they should ask for forgiveness. Trust me this will do you more good than them.
  • The extrAct could be ......[insert your own here]

It is that extrAct that will make all the difference during this time. What will that extrAct be for you? You decide.

You can listen to the podcast on E for extrAct here.

Be Ignited. Be Inspired. Be Influenced. Become the best version of yourself you can ever be as you do the extrAct(s).

 

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