By Kate Henshaw
Sometimes you have one of those days when things get on top of you and you are at a loss what to do. You want to stop and say, am getting too old for this, but you know that as long as you are alive, you must work, get the dough, get going and make things work for you.

The bills pile up and at the end of each month, it is the same drill: staff salaries, electricity bills( how they calculate mine is still a mystery as my generator works everyday), diesel, generator servicing, water bills, refuse bills, refilling gas cylinders, shopping for food and sundry for the home, mechanic’s bills, satellite television subscription bills( my driver went to the bank this week to pay cash and was told they would not accept it any longer, I had to get a card and pay my subscription, I am still confused as to what that is all about), dry-cleaning bills, petrol to run more than one car in the home, vehicle particulars renewal, car insurance renewal, life insurance payments, the list is endless… and this is not counting sudden unbudgeted expenses.

After the week long run we had staging AJAI THE BOY SLAVE, a stage play on the life and times of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther at the Agip Hall, Muson Centre from the  April 24-29, I was bone tired. Rehearsals had taken place two weeks before this time. It was a successful outing, thank God for that.

The cast and crew were in top form and the play starred my humble self, O.C Ukeje, Carol king among others and also included oyinbo cast from the United Kingdom. It also offered a slave trade exhibition to the public which also included on display, some of his personal effects, such as his personal mirror and it was a refresher course for those who had forgotten the story and a history lesson for the young children and teenagers who came from different schools.

My daughter came with me on one of the days and she learnt a lot from the whole experience. I wonder if our museums have such artefacts on display. We really have a dearth of information on our heroes and those who have contributed in one way or another to our existence in this country.

Data gathering is still alien to us unless it has to do with registration to vote for another election or registration of your sim cards. Once you are dead, you are totally forgotten or so it seems to be here in Nigeria. Hopefully the late Rasheed  Yekini will be immortalised in some way as he contributed in no small way to football, one of the great loves of this nation. Going by the looks of his burial, it was lack lustre and did not befit his status in life.

I had a lazy few days after the stage play and now I have to start packing my travelling bags and head off to the United Kingdom to attend the premiere of a movie I starred in titled “THE ASSASSIN’S PRACTICE.” Shot both in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, it tells of the story of a failed stock broker trying to fake his death so his family could claim on his life insurance.

He had lost all his investments and could see no way of facing life any more. However, things do not run simply to plan. There is a lot of intrigue, suspense and of course, it is action packed; written and directed by Andrew Ukoku, the movie will premiere at the Odeon Cinema.

Much as I love to travel, it is always an anti climax going away on holiday or for a business trip but once you return to this country of ours, it seems one never went away.

There are always a thousand and one things that require your attention once you return and this is after you have faced the heat at the airport, the wonky trolleys one pays for, the long wait for the only functional conveyor belt to bring up your luggage if at all it does and the traffic on the third mainland bridge heading to the island. You want to just turn back and travel again. Welcome home you mutter under your breath, grit your teeth and resign yourself to what lies ahead.

A famous musician once sang “the more money we come across, the more problem we see”. How true. Money is handy and nice to have but it does not solve everything, else the rich would not need any more. Finding time to enjoy yourself, treat yourself and relax is very important.

All work and no play make Jill a very dull girl indeed. Life is for the living indeed and since we have only one life, live it right, regret nothing and do not dwell on mistakes. Touch as many lives as you can, positively, one day at a time. We can only do our best and leave the rest to our creator in heaven.