Today I was in the mood for a rich soak. You know what I mean, the timeless combination of Garri, Sugar, plenty of Milk and groundnut. The problem was there was no groundnut.
I was already at Agudama Street when this urge hit me so I decided to take a leisurely stroll down to Emekuku Street to buy groundnut from my “customer”; the same person I’ve been buying groundnut from since I was a young boy. After all my trekking (sorry, strolling), I got to his spot but he wasn’t there. In that moment, my daydream of a rich soak died a natural death.
But you know the thing though? Its not that his is the only place I know I can buy groundnut. After all, there are some spots on the neighbouring street just metres away. For some reason though, his groundnut is the best. And I know the reason; my customer is good at what he does. His groundnut is hardly ever burnt. You don’t encounter sand in the groundnut. When I buy N400 groundnut, I know its N400 groundnut. With some of the other groundnut sellers I’ve had cause to stray to from time to time, its either the groundnut is burnt or they sell a smaller quantity for a higher price or worse, some juicy grains of sand get lodged inbetween your teeth. But not my customer, he’s just really good at what he does.
Now it sounds like I’m making such a big deal about groundnut but I ran into my lovely cousin Debby and when I told her about my predicament, she equally confirmed that she has patronised my customer over time and he definitely knows what he’s doing. You can now imagine that for something so seemingly insignificant as the selling of groundnut, you can see excellence thrive in the midst of the ordinary.
While I can’t change the fact that my taste buds are going to be deprived of some awesome goodness this evening, what I’ve learnt today is far more important: that there’s nothing so small that you cannot put an excellent touch to it. The lesson here is simple: Put your best in all you do. Let those that come in contact with you know they’re dealing with a professional who strives for excellence all the time.
I really do hope you’ll shine forth in all you do. I have no doubt that you’re capable of extraordinary things. Bless you for reading.
Markkuro's Blog 
Like I said in your fb post, lol @ ” rich soak”.
I like that you draw out a lesson from something most’ll consider quite trivial, Mark.
I definitely agree with your sentiment.
Thanks Judith. That’s what I try to do with most of my posts. Appreciate your kind comments.
That you find “rich soak” funny is a telltale sign that you went to boarding school 😀
Putting your best in all you do is a mark of someone who values the true meaning of “trust”. Trust breeds excellence and when that becomes the backbone of your daily life, you begin to take care of things you say or do because people will want to trust your work due to your previous records.
Nice post.
*As usual*
Very incisive comment Andy. Will keep that in mind. Thanks for reading