It’s winter in my part of the world. Not the fuzzy kind.
It’s dry, sunny, and really cold at night. This brings a lot of flu and a dry cough.
When you think of morning routines in this season, I often imagine very cold mornings, dry eyes and blocked noses.
As the temperature drops, so does my anxiety rise in the opposite direction. I had bought balms, blankets, and sufficient winter clothing, but I still felt a strong sense of worry.
It wasn’t a worry without a reason. In fact, it was because the sound from my son sneezing his lungs out EVERY morning when he woke up.
It was heartbreaking to hear from afar, like he was sneezing with passion and discomfort.
It was less scary to see at close range; it was not as bad as it sounded… but there was no way I could be close by every morning, and the sound of heavy sneezing drifting through the house was becoming too difficult to bear.
I asked hubby dearest to buy a particular brand of menthol rub, which I believed would help soothe or at least alleviate the heavy sneezing when all else seemed to have failed.
He bought ‘Aboniki’, a renowned extreme mental balm from the western part of Africa.
In my opinion, ‘Aboniki’ is the strongest balm out there; it is harsh on the skin and feels like fire seeping into your heart when rubbed on the chest.
Later that day, I ‘anointed’ myself with Aboniki, and ‘laid hands’ on my children with it as well.
We woke up the next morning, and there was silence.
At first, I thought my son had gone back to sleep after being woken up, but when I heard water
running in the bathroom, I listened for the sound of painful sneezing, but it never came.
Three days later, no sneezing. 5 days passed, same story.
One day, I fell asleep and forgot to rub Aboniki on his chest for one night, and he sneezed heavily the next morning.
It was a wonderful mystery how Aboniki made the difference that vaccines, teas, nasal sprays and balms had not been able to be made in the past years.
There are little things – seemingly insignificant, mostly easy and within reach and hardly thought of that makes huge differences in our lives, and might just be the game-changer that makes all the difference.
It’s just like the Pareto principle says: 80% of our results are based on 20% of our efforts.
It’s not that 80% of what we do is unimportant, but there is a 20% of what we do that is
often overlooked but is a game changer.
What’s your ‘Aboniki’ ? For me, it’s gentle movement, a cup of tea while staring into space, a hug from my hubby dearest, my JESUS EVERYDAY devotional, smiles from my kids and my lunchtime snack.
People can be your Aboniki too, you are probably someone’s Aboniki, your smile, your check-ins, your style, your grace and your leadership.
It’s the little things that make all the difference.
It’s the little things that make us whole, bring lasting joy and form a lifetime of memories.
Pay attention to the little things that elevate your day-to-day, and do something little to elevate the day of those around you; even something as little as holding the door open, offering your seat, sharing a biscuit or picking up a pen.
What are your ‘Aboniki’ secrets or tips? I look forward to hearing from you.
Keep well, stay strong and keep giving and being a light in this world.
