The Phone and the Palm Tree (Gratitude & Perspective)

I was stuck in Oshodi traffic this afternoon, cursing under my breath because my MTN data was dragging like snail speed and my bundle had finished again . Battery at 18%, no charger in sight, and I’m just there refreshing Instagram like it would magically load.

Then my eyes caught this young guy under a big palm tree by the roadside pure water seller in the blazing sun, no shade except that tree, plastic cooler on a wooden stool. Sweat dripping, but guy was smiling ear-to-ear! Every danfo or okada that slowed down, he’d wave energetically, shout “Oga, cold pure water!” and do a little happy dance when someone bought. I even saw him give his last sachet free to an old woman who looked like she had nothing.

I sat there watching him for a full 5-7 minutes, traffic not moving, and suddenly my “data wahala” felt so small. Here I was complaining about slow internet in an air-conditioned car, while this brother was turning ₦200-500 sales into pure joy and still sharing with zero grudges.