The focus for the 4th week (Jan. 24 – Jan. 30) of the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge was:
A Family Member
I bet you had a childhood hero when you were growing up. A good number of us did: maybe a superhero, a superstar or someone of that nature. But until the focus of this week’s gratitude challenge, I ever thought I had a superhero.
The Realization
I know this article is about a family member who I am grateful for. Yes, but as I thought about my family members, I discovered my childhood hero!
Growing up as a child, my elder brother was probably the first person I knew. We do so much together and I always looked up to him. I always admired his creativity and how he did things that he was an inspiration… I wanted to be like him when I grew up!
Evil Genius
Every family has a white sheep, or a black sheep or both, and Tobore was easily the black sheep. I remember one time when we were kids, we each had a pack of peppermints. He then came to me saying “do you know that it’s sweeter when you take them 2 at a time?” I tried it, and he was right! It did taste sweeter! Unknown to me was that taking the mints 2 at a time meant it would finish twice as fast, but I just kept enjoying myself.
Just as mine got finished, my brother shows up with an almost full pack of peppermints! What?! Of course I started to cry as he still had a full pack, and I had finished mine. Yea, who knew that my elder brother was an evil genius too lol
Childhood Memories
One of my favorite childhood memories was a time when he made our own WWF wrestling set! Yes, my creative elder brother build a wrestling ring and we played with it all the time. I don’t recall what the ring was made off, but the wrestlers were paper cut drawings (yes, Tobore could draw too).
My favorite wrestler then was “The Hammer” and it was difficult to get him off the ring because of his hands. His hands were curved at the end and so he would always hold on to one of the ropes around the ring. After a while, Tobore had to cut his curved hands off because The Hammer started to feel like a cheat.
My brother also taught me how to trace drawings using candle wax. I believe he inspired my desire to draw because he would draw entire comic books for us! I really don’t know how he did all that, but I just wanted to be like this guy! He was simply amazing!
After Childhood
Even after growing up, I still had much to learn from him. When we had out first computer and printer sometime in 2001, he would make greeting cards and print them out. Oh how I remember those days, and it was in an attempt to be like him that I made one custom card for my girlfriend at that time. She was impressed (thanks bro!).
Because of my elder brother, I knew about Corel Draw because he did most designs on Corel Draw. There was just so much to emulate from this guy. Another thing that impressed me one day, was when he made a perfect looking, well cut, 200 naira note! Okay well, I think he did that just to impress me though, because he gave it to me (and I kept it like a trophy).
Years after, he started a video club with one of our neighbor friends at their compound next door. Perhaps what was the beginning of my interest in business? I don’t know, but I was wow-ed by the idea.
From then until now, his creativity has always been something I admire. Thanks to the gratitude challenge this week, I realize now how much my brother contributed to who I am today.
My Childhood Hero
I never shared all these stories at once before, because I never really thought of them like I did this week. After thinking about all these things, I realize that Tobore was my childhood hero!
So I am grateful for all the inspiration, ideas and fun times we had growing up. I am grateful for my elder brother. I am grateful that my childhood hero was no person other than Tobore.
Who was your childhood hero growing up?
Please share in the comment section below. Thanks
7 things was grateful for during the 4th week of this 52 weeks of gratitude challenge:
- I’ve understood really interesting things from be Bible over the years, and even until very recently. I just want to say that I’m thankful for my understanding of the Bible
- I know she can be stubborn since times, but we’ve had some moments. I’m grateful for my sister Oghale
- Growing up as a kid, my childhood hero was not some superhero. I have been thinking about who I really looked up to as a kid, and I can say with confidence, that my childhood hero was my elder brother! So today, I am grateful for Tobore, my elder brother
- This might sound like a strange thing to say, but I am actually grateful that my dear friend, Sommie, has her very own car! Now she is no longer at the mercy of someone else, whenever she needs to get around.
- I was talking with a friend earlier today about money and business when I realized how much I actually know! I may not be an expert in many things, but there are many things I can give good advice on, several things I can monetize, and I am grateful for this!
- I’m grateful that today, I learned how to make shawarma. As a matter of fact, I realized that I already had the recipe for a special kind of shawarma, but I never knew it until today. Thank God for shawarmas too 😉
- The oldest living people take alcohol in moderation, because it is healthy and good for the brain. So let us thank God for alcohol
View last week’s post: www.kheme.tk/2016/01/gratitude-challenge-week-3-family/