Midnight Letters.

Dearest gentle reader.

It's 8:48pm.

And rain is falling.

Today is Friday.

I'm on my freshly laid sheets, and on top of me is my duvet.

I did laundry today.

My clothes are outside in the rain.

I just finished reading a novel. I started it yesterday. I should be reading my books, but there's no light, and there's usually no light when it rains this heavily.

It's not as cold as I'd like.

And for some reason, there's a lot I can do right now.

But all I want to do is write to you.

I don't know what to call you.

I'm always saying, "you guys," so maybe I'll stick with that.

Hi guys.

How are you?

How is school, if you're a student?

How is your mental health, if you're Nigerian?

How are you in general, if you exist on this planet?

I think it's weird that we're all different people, living different lives and going through different things, but somehow we make things work.

Yesterday, I called my friend.

He's always asking me how I am and checking in on my well-being. During one of our conversations, he mentioned that he was stressed, so I called him to ask how he was doing.

It was less about returning the sentiment and more about genuinely caring.

We spoke for 108 minutes and 49 seconds.

We talked about different things, and one of the topics that came up was the importance of having people who speak life over you.

The importance of having good friends.

More than good friends, good people.

Everything I am today was spoken into existence.

Nothing about my life is by chance. It's something I've come to learn.

There were times when I doubted myself.

Times when I felt inadequate.

Times when I felt like I was a bad writer, that I wasn't intelligent enough, that I was a fraud.

That I didn't deserve my life.

That I felt destined for greatness, but maybe I was just an ordinary person.

And in those moments, there were people in my life who consistently spoke words over me.

"Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor has it entered into the imagination of men, the things the Lord will do with you."

"You are intelligent."

"You are smart."

"The world is not ready for your impact."

"You are going to be so great."

"Your words carry light."

"You write so well."

And so many more.

Words spoken by my mum, my friends, and people I consider mentors.

The importance of the right company can never be overstated.

Regardless of how I feel or how tired I am, there are people I cannot speak badly about myself in front of.

There are people who remind me of who I am when I've forgotten.

People who have helped me get this far.

And I think it's important that everyone meets someone like that.

People who genuinely want to see you grow.

People who remind you of your worth on the days you forget.