It was as busy as any other working day in the city of Harare. I looked at my wrist watch only to realize I was running late for a project presentation.(I have to be at a place thirty minutes early so I was not really late.)I rushed my way through the busy and congested streets, rubbing shoulders with the ‘give me way’ type of pedestrians. I finally made it to the terminus and boarded a commuter. I scavenged for my phone in my purse. If one could go through it, one would take ages to find a single item, why? It has everything a girl needs. I found my phone then immediately opened WhatsApp to check with my project partners where they where.
To my disappointment, they were still home. Angrily I shut off my phone and dropped it in my bag, looked outside the window and started day dreaming. I eventually got lost in my thoughts and it was pure bliss. “Good afternoon miss.” My face turned blue, red and green at the same time with annoyance, who had such audacity to ruin my most perfect drifts. A middle aged man, fairly light in complexion, and middle built had sat in the vacant seat space besides me. “Good afternoon sir.” I said giving him the, ‘I am not in the mood for a conversation’ look. Surprisingly he smiled at me and said, “Whatever is bothering you does not matter right now.” I was beginning to flinch a little with anger. How dare he tell me that my presentation did not matter at that moment? How could I not worry? My project partners where still home and I had to relax, relax! I took a deep breath ,forced a smile on my face that rather looked crooked and was not welcoming at all and said, “How has been your day so far?” Instead of replying he began to laugh, he laughed so hard that I could hear his lungs crack out of dryness, he laughed away all the oxygen he had in him. Tears streamed down his plump cheeks and he let out a little sob. What was this man’s problem? I looked at him in bewilderment. He sniffed up the snot that was about to evacuate his nose then he said, “I recently lost my wife and my two children in a car crash. A few days after burial, my employer called and said I had been let off, the company could not afford to pay for a public relations officer any longer. Right now, I am on my way to visit my mother who is on her sick bed. If I lose her too, I would be left with nothing, nothing. I am not telling you all this to prove that what you are worrying about is insignificant to my worries,no. I am telling you not to worry because the more we worry, we tend to over think things. As time progresses, we end up with mental health issues which you and I both know are one of the most overlooked issues in our country.” This man was right, contrary to worrying and over thinking. I had boarded the train before and it felt right to worry, over think and eventually get mental health issues but there was something actually rather someone who was trying to help me out maintain a healthy mind.
Surprisingly, I met a great whole lot of people who had been helping me out but I just had to go over the top sometimes. I decided to share my story.” Excuse me sir, I don’t mean to be rude but you are right about the whole process but you are missing out on something, our country is looking into this mental health issue affecting our youth at large. There are organisations out there, the likes of Ignite Youth Org started by Tadzipira Madzima. It has a platform that addresses the issues of mental health and they invite guest speakers to talk to the youth at large. They hold campaigns and have recently started a blog to post articles and poems in relation to the issues. There’s Enterprisingly You, a mentorship program by Miss Clotida Rufasha. She sends emails to my inbox with a new challenge to help me maintain a healthy mind set every day. The list is endless really sir but thank you for helping me snap out of my dilemma. My deepest condolences on losing your family and I pray your mother recovers the moment you step into the room.” He looked at me, smiled and said thank you. I had been lost in the conversation I did not even realize that the commuter had almost reached my destination. I thanked the man for the conversation and disembarked from the commuter. Upon reaching the venue, I just sat there and smiled, grateful that I had a mind blowing conversation with a stranger.
By Hazel Jieman.