Mr Ajayi was our physical education teacher, I loved exercise because of him. We were just in basic class two (primary 2), but we already knew the essence of exercise. Through Mr. Ajayi we learnt different exercise routines and the need to exercise for mental health. He taught us songs and when ever we sang we played and ran around like the Captain Von Trapp family in the popular movie "sound of music". No wonder even at this age I still jump around while seeing that movie.
We chattered and sang all around the play ground and having fun, Physical education session was one of the best time in school then. Every child loved it. One of the songs goes thus:
Boys are to play apart!
(Boys are to play apart!)
Girls are to play apart!
(Girls are to play apart!)
Do not mix yourself with boys
(Do not mix yourself with boys)
Do not mix yourself with girls
(Do not mix yourself with girls)...(we repeated as many times as we wanted).
Back then trust me this little play songs made us look forward to every Wednesday for sports or PE as we called it. Most of all, we dressed cute with our shorts and white trainers. In fact sometimes I want to be on the playground again.
But then there was one of our play song that I would never forget. This song so much changed the way I thought even as a kid and I grew up with it. Although am not sure if I can still remember all of the lyrics but the chorus goes thus:
Do your best and leave the rest (×2).
Seems boring... I know, but then it was never boring. They were mostly short play songs but there were tons of them to sing. We enjoyed every big of our PE until it's over. Something tells me Mr.Ajayi composed those songs himself because I have not heard most of them anywhere.
I learnt from Mr. Ajayi's songs the basics of life.
I didn't know about most children but I picked so much from the songs Mr. Ajayi taught us. I can not say much but there was something about them. Most of them sounded more like an advise than mere songs to me.
At a point in life I realised that my PE teacher's song has taught me an aspect of life very important. Though he was quite old as at then, he never agreed to resign. His reasons I didn't know but now I do. I see he wanted to remain to groom more children to face the world.
one of them : Do your best and leave the rest.
When that song plays in my head, I ask myself, To whom do I leave the rest for? It happens that I asked lots of question back then and I don't think I have stopped. Well back then at the playground, "Do your best" was a going- in song that shows that we are done for the day and that it was time for the 2B class to come over for theirs. So I sang with all happiness knowing that my class 2A did their best and would be leaving the rest for class 2B. Truthfully we did our best at the play ground. All the mental and physical task we did, we gave our best to achieve but at tge end of the day we could end up not getting all. So those ones undone,we believed it was for class 2B, since they were to come in after we might have gone in for other lessons.
I came out later in the real world and there was no class 2B around to leave the rest for and that was when it dawned on me that this is no long our PE ground. Life has begun.
let what you can't change be.
Yes... We have the power to change things, change our lives and all of that. The power to become stars still remain in our hands. To move and change the ways we think, feel, and live. All these are in our hands and not in someone else's. The power to be happy, to be successful, to be at the top... All depends and lies with us. But these like our PE session requires their own human efforts.
But am sorry there are things you can not change as well. That is why if you have put all you have and can yet things you can't crop up, it's time to take a chill pill, relax, regroup yourself again before setting out again.
You can not change people's behaviour, you can not force people to believe what you believe in, to accept your ideas all the time even when they mean well, to like you, accept you, trust you and so on.
However, people quit when it happens that they can not change these things. Some want so hard for approval and if they don't get immediately they surrender.
It's not about anyone this time, it's about you.
Who told you can not do well , that you won't be great, Who is trying to put into your head that you are less of what you are? How is that?!
I tell you this, how you take live is how it plays out. You have to check what you entangle yourself with. How you twist your life around things that can never change. All you need is to do your own best and live the rest.
But you have to weigh your best if it is good enough. Your best is where you have exhausted all your zeal, hard work, and enthusiasm to succeed in something. Then all that is left is to hope and be positive that your hard work pays. However, positivity comes into play. If you have done your best and still not positive, then am afraid.
What is it that seem impossible to you, what is so like you can not achieve, what have you tried and it came out not even as quarter as you wanted or expected? Business, academics, relationship, marriage, right habit? Name them.
All you need is extra work, determination and positive vibes. Work hard till you are convinced and confident you will succeed. Do your best best and live the rest.
Mr. Ajayi's songs to us taught me to do my best and live the rest. I later understood that we have the power to do what ever is good that we want but to live those things we can not change and focus on ones we can.
After I left my alma mata, I missed our PE session with Mr. Ajayi. The last time I saw him he has grown even older but yet his bones were still so strong. I dedicate this piece to Mr. Ajayi my Physical Education teacher back in the days when I was starting to know what life is all about and to all teachers who taught beyond class room scheme but gave their pupils the power to be the best they can be.
Never forget that the power to change your live is in your hands... let your best be good enough.
Thank you for reading.
Image credit: PIXABAY.
The conclusion of the whole matter is you are what you make of your life, chiefly responsible for how your life plays out. Kudos dear.
That I was opportune to understand at the earliest stage. More people should understand that too. Thank you ma.
Hmmmmmmm, wonderful! Your post reminded me so much about Mr Ajayi, your PE master, a great disciplinarian but very kind hearted, too. Except that you did not tell us that Mr Ajayi also played the part of Father Christmas during your school Christmas parties. May the Good Lord reward Mr Ajayi, all your good teachers and indeed all good professional teachers abundantly. Amen
Hahaha... yes he did.
Amen mum. Thank you for giving us that opportunity to be in school and learn the way we did. God bless you too mama.
Nice one
Kudos to your teacher Mr ajayi
Thank you.
@gloglo Quite a motivating and and encouraging post. Thanks for sharing your experience. I can't help but upvote this post and follow such a magnificent writer.
Thank you very much dear one. I appreciate.
The best playground for exercise, but your teacher make you mentally fit rather than physical, that's are advanced way @gloglo
Yeah he was able to do both at the same time-Mental and physical health.
No matter how far we go in life, we cannot easily forget those teachers that have impacted our lives positively.
I learnt a lot from this post.
we often disturb ourselves over those things that we find difficult to accomplish, but we find out that at the end of the day no matter how hard we tried, we still find them difficult to change. The best thing is to free our mind.
You are veey right friend. It is better to accept what we can change and do our best.
Hi @gloglo
Thanks for sharing this, its like you just read my mind.. I just made up mind that i'm going to put on my "bestest best"( if that's an English word) on things that make me happy and on things that are fruitful in my life and in the life of those around me. And those things that i can't will work for my good sooner or later.
Am glad I became your mouth piece. Its good thing to appreciate those who did good in our lives.
fabulous one.........
Thank you.
this is a wonderful post dear @gloglo
i every time have with you
Thank you very much.
Nice write dear... It so painful cus, I wish I could give big upvote than this.. But please manage the little I can give out.. I Resteemed this post as well.
And thanks to my ajayi
Thank you for the extra encouragement and support. Thank you for the resteem.
Good teachers rock!
Great ones rock even more.
I second that thought.
Hi @gloglo,amazing afternoon my friend how are you?
Well I'm really glad you took time to eulogize a teacher it meant that his impact could still be felt in your life, I'm happy for this cause I use to be a teacher, cheers my friend
Ohh... shout out to you too. Teachers are the shapers of behaviour. After patents we have teachers and some of them are awesome.
You stopped teaching?
Yes I stopped oh, you know the income was very little you know teachers are not fully rewarded for their efforts
Such big lesson learnt from your PE teacher. PE was my favourite class during primary school too, but i was too young and mindless to notice things happen around me. Yeap, do agree that lives are in our own hands. We make our own choices, even not making choices is also one of our choices in life. Kudos to Mr. Ajayi
You said well dear one. Everything is in our hands. Thank you.
😊😊 good old memories. I was actually better in exercise than my normal class activities but it helped me too mentally that I could actually cope with my studies better too😊. Nice post all the same
That's great news. That is one of the numerous things exercise does. Thank you for stopping by.
Lol I didn't just stop by. I followed you😂😂
wow you really loved and remembered his teachings God bless Mr. Ajayi
Lol... yeah. God bless him real good. Thank you dear.
excellent narrative with interesting storyline and i trust you are following on Mr.Ajayis teachings currently and doing your best in steemit and life generally. keep it coming dear. Upped
Thank you very much dear friend. Mr Ajayi is special to me.
These pictures is clear! I do like this post and place. Thanks for posting >>>@gloglo