Nothing can stop you: There is really ABILITY in disABILITY

Cobhams Asuquo (Picture below) despite being born blind is undoubtedly one of the most talented producers, and musical geniuses, out of Nigeria. Listen to this amazing piece from him and inspire yourself. Remember there are footprints on the moon so the sky is just the starting point. I had goosebumps listening to it. I cannot even play the keyboard with my two eyes even with the times I have tried.

The World's Youngest University Students

Britain’s 12 Year-Old Xavier Gordon-Brown & Nigeria’s 15 Year-Old Saheela Ibraheem inspire many as two of the World’s Youngest University Students

It is always a delight to hear about great academic achievements from young and fresh minds across the globe. In a world where the focus of young people is being adversely affected by peer pressure and the negative sides of the internet/social media, it is refreshing and inspiring to read about these brilliant youngsters.
Young geniuses are always a pride to their family, friends and communities and it is no wonder why they are often celebrated.
Today, British media has been buzzing with the story of 12 year-old Xavier Gordon-Brown who has now become Britain’s youngest University student. Daily Mail noted that at the age of 8, he got A* in his Maths GCSE. At the time he passed his GCSE which was in 2009, he was the youngest ever student to gain an A* in maths, and could recite 2,000 digits of Pi. A year after his GCSE success he passed his  A-levels.
Xavier’s interest in numbers started at an early age. He  could do double-digit mental arithmetic before starting school and he knew his times tables before he was four.
He only turned 12 last month and is now studying abstract structures, vector calculus and Newtonian mechanics in his spare time!
Because he is still so young, he has to be accompanied to his Monday evening lectures by  his mother. He travels with his mother to Open University lectures in East Grinstead two to three times a month.
He may still be too young to join Facebook, but is already studying for a degree in maths.

His story also reminds me of that of a 15 year-old Nigerian girl who gained admission to study Neuroscience at Harvard University last year.
Saheela Ibraheem, who was then a student at Wardlaw Hartridge School in New Jersey not only gained admission into Harvard, but into 13 of the 14 schools she applied to. They include Harvard, Princeton, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Stanford, Brown, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and more.
Saheela skipped the sixth and ninth grades and by high school, she switched from public to private.
Imagine having admissions into such an impressive range of premier institutions to choose from! Wow, simply wow!
One interesting thing I picked out from the stories of these youngsters is that despite their love for the academics, they are also involved in sports and other extra-curricular activities.
Despite Xavier’s busy schedules, he still takes piano lessons and teaches himself Latin at home. He also enjoys football, chess,  Taekwondo and trampolining and takes French and Spanish lessons at a Community College.
Saheela also excels outside the classroom. She is a three-sport athlete, playing outfield for the school’s softball team, defender on the soccer team, and swimming relays and 50-meter races for the swim team. She also sings alto in the school choir, plays trombone in the school band and serves as president of the school’s investment club, which teaches students about the stock market by investing in virtual stocks.
We celebrate the achievement of these well rounded youngsters and hope they serve as a source of motivation to their age mates.
***
On a different note, I picked up a trail of comments from some blogs and Facebook where people said these youngsters would miss out on their youth as a result of their academic commitments. Some people claimed that they would miss out on the fun of socialising and would have boring teenage years.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it is possible to still be a “genius” and enjoy all the fun perks of their teenage years?

Culled from BellaNaija

The Window

 

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

 

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service! Even where they had been on vacation.

 

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

 

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

 

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

 

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

 

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

 

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

 

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

 

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

 

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

There Is Ability In disABILITY

As the Paralympics just concluded, it was a great scene and a great reflection for me because I saw people with disability still striving for glory despite their conditions. God bless whoever suggested and the group of people that initiated the Paralympics. On the other hand, some of us who have no physical disability still struggle in what we do and most times find excuses when things are not going well.

I have concluded and learnt that there is nothing that can stop you from attaining whatever you want and remember there is truly ability in disABILITY. Just like there is possible in imPOSSIBLE and sense in nonSENSE. Its what you make out of the situation

that determines which one you go for.

I leave with a theme from Microsoft that says "Impossible is Nothing".

Have a wonderful week peeps and remember that nothing can stop you.

Good Things Are Coming Down The Road

Don't Carry Your Mistakes Around

A Sweet Lesson On Patience

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.