Harmattan in Ibadan?

Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn't bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die.

1 Timothy 6:6&7

No one needs to tell you that's it's been cold in Jos. I mean, when is it not cold? But Kano has been having it's share of subnormal temperatures since the onset of the harmattan. The harsh north-easterlies come bearing their dust and chill and one must cover up to sleep at night.

I'm billed to write an examination here in Lagos tomorrow and, coming from the North, I was dreading the heat of the West. We stopped over for the night in Ibadan and this morning, as we took off, the weather was reasonably mild. As we got onto the Lagos-Ibadan expressway one of the ubiquitous police checkpoints stopped our commercial car. A passenger remarked about the policeman, "Why is he sweating in this harmattan?" You call this Harmattan? I wondered. It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing. Granted, it was not boiling hot but it was certainly not cool enough to warrant such a designation. Needless to say, a couple of hours later I was in Lagos and sweating like a pig.

But then it occurred to me. This man was appreciating the weather for it's coolness and dryness, as opposed to the heat and humidity of Lagos. I on the other hand appreciated it for it's warmth and moistness, compared to the harsh and cold conditions of Jos and Kano. We had widely differing perspectives of the same conditions and because of this we both appreciated it.

You see, I think an important function of harsh conditions that we face in our lives is to help us to better appreciate the good things. How would we appreciate a safe journey if we'd never had an accident? How would we know to say thank you for a meal if we've never been hungry? How could we be grateful for a breath of fresh air if we'd never experienced the common cold? Yes, adversity increases our awareness of God's benevolence in our lives. It teaches us contentment with what we have.

So thank you Lord for the cool of Jos and the heat of Lagos. It makes harmattan in Ibadan that much more enjoyable.

With love, Doosuur.