My friend "Love" is a year older today

I have no role models. In fact, talking about my role models is one of my least favorite interview questions because I have none, scratch that, I have one, Christ. Of course, there are qualities I admire in people and there are many people that I look up to for inspiration and mentorship but I do not do role models. However, my friend Love, comes as close as anyone can be to being a role model for me. He is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world! :D

I met my friend Love, through a mutual friend a few years back and I am grateful to God our paths crossed. He has become much more than a friend to me, he is a brother. You see, my friend Love is one of those people that do what they say despite the odds. He is a “dreaming realist.” He dreams big and sets out to achieve those dreams and he does achieve them. He said he was going to be published before age 2X and he did make that happen (and many more examples I won't bore you with) . If my friend Love tells me he will become the president of the United States, I will immediately buy in even though  he has never been to the United States but if Love says he will do something, I simply accept it to be possible because he will make it happen.

My friend Love is absolutely crazy and abnormal. His sense of adventure is unreal. He took a year of work just to explore his creative side. While off work, he auditioned for Desert Warriors and he took a trip across the Sahara by road. Who does that???

By reason of his education, my friend Love is an architect but he is much more than that now. He is a project manager, an entrepreneur, an author, a poet, an investor, a farmer, a musician, a student and at some point, he was a banker. Those are the only ones I know about, I’m sure there are others I am not aware of.

I recently took up writing again and one of those who inspired me to do so was my friend Love. I see him churn out writing after writing and I think to myself “how can one be so disciplined?” He says he isn’t but he recently celebrated his 400th Facebook note and his first note was two years ago. If that is what it means to be undisciplined, God please make me undisciplined.

Now do not get me wrong, my friend Love is not perfect. In fact, he will be the first to tell you of his foibles but then it is his birthday so I will only celebrate him today and I want you to celebrate my friend Love with me.

Here’s wishing my friend Love many more years of fulfilling dreams and impacting lives.

ForIfelanwaomolabinigbatiapadelatibarawasereamoasidupelowoOlodumarefunomooloriretiosifunwatiodesimadieniyanpatakiniayeyi, LOL (It’s a private joke, you should see my friend Love elongate my name)

Happy Birthday OIO

God be with you now and always.

Love,

Odunoluwa…