I would like to assume today is the 8th day of February, 2023. 

It’s the day the final season of my all-time favourite show, “A Million Little Things” airs.

There you have it, it’s one of the things that makes me really happy. 

This one though is one of mixed feelings. 

So, I better share one that keeps me happy. 

Cleaning ears. I know doctors have said that cotton buds aren’t for ears but in my naive little legal mind, I beg to differ. 

I put it to them that it can’t be. 

The wax, when it coagulates and I bring it out of my siblings’ ears, the absolute joy I feel is beyond me. 

I have always maintained that “You can ask me if I’m happy and best believe, I wouldn’t know. But, ask me what makes me happy, and I’ll be sure to tell you.” 

It makes me happy to spend fundzzz on my sisters. 

It makes me happy to clean the ears of my siblings. 

It makes me happy watching those Instagram videos where people clean houses or wash a rug. I can’t explain it. I watch it non-stop. 

It makes me happy when my friends call me to rant about how this phase of our lives is really “the ghetto” but thankfully, we’re winging it. 

It makes me happy when someone acknowledges my work or my efficiency.

It makes me happy watching “A Million Little Things” which is riddled with themes of love, friendship, mental health, failure, et al. 

It makes me happy watching my dad and the men around me be human and expressive, not shrouding it in some societal expectation. It’s cute!

So you see? 

If you ask me if I’m happy, I don’t know the answer. 

But, ask me what makes me happy and you’ll have me going on and on.

For my happiness, I download my series weekly.

For my happiness, I love when my siblings and friends feel my love. 

Because, with me, if I love you, you will feel it. 

Loving makes me happy. 

Let’s still assume today is Tuesday, the 8th of February, 2023. The day my favourite show begins to end. 

About the author:

Karinate Olali is a curious and spirited legal practitioner, a TEDxPortHarcourt team member, and an advocate for the 2050 UN Net-Zero goal for carbon emissions. She has a penchant for diplomacy and loves to observe, analyze, and document human behaviour. She is currently in a Francophone country perfecting her spoken French and hopes to go Dutch afterwards. Her life’s purpose is sharing healthy joy and ensuring that women and girls around her see that they can explore and achieve their dreams. She is and remains a mental health enthusiast and she spends her resources purchasing more Nigerian literature than she will ever read. 

Feature image by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash