What simple pleasures of life do you truly enjoy?

It had become a routine. Every morning after devotion I plugged my earpiece in and went to my favorite folder in my music player to play the entire list. From the top to the middle of the list, there were solemn songs but from the middle to the end were what I called Jamz. They were the ones that brought real joy.

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I took my hands off my laptop sometimes just to wiggle my body to the rhythm. More than once my roommate complained that I was singing a little too loudly and it disturbed her from sleep. Other times, I would just close my eyes to savor the music; lyrics, rhythm, and the voice of the artist.

I don't think there is a day I have gone from the beginning to the end without my ears being plugged for at least an hour, listening to my ‘favorites’ album. And every time a new song gets added to the list, it's a whole new level of joy for me.

Then there's cooking.

Growing up, I watched my mom toss different ingredients into the pot after I had prepared them for her. I saw how she would wiggle her waist to the sound of the music in the background, blowing on stew or sauce from a hot ladle to run on her palm so she could taste it, and when she did, it was with such pleasure that made my stomach rumble.

I never knew that one day, I too would enjoy the fancy of dancing around the kitchen and holding a hot spoon to my hand to see if the taste of my food was okay.

Every time my mom called me to assist her in the kitchen when I was younger, it was war. I wanted to stay back to play with my brothers who seemed never to be called upon for kitchen duty except none of the girls were around.

My mother would tell me then, “If you watch keenly, consistently, you too would become good at cooking” I didn't really care for all of that. I just wanted to be free to write or play with my brothers whenever I wanted to.

Eventually, as I began to cook for my family and everyone would look up to me with appreciation in their eyes, I began to love cooking. Sometimes my brothers would beg me to cook when my mom was not around and I began to feel like the queen.

I began to enjoy the feeling that came with having someone enjoy my food. It was a sweet feeling, one that made me excited and motivated me to cook the next meal and the meal after that.

I enjoyed my own food. There was nothing more annoying than having to eat out and getting served a plate of food that wasn't as good as the one I prepared. I would get upset then and return home to either prepare that same meal or plan to do so.

This was one of the ways I learned to cook certain foods I had absolutely no affiliation with, like the abacha of the Igbos.

Another ‘simple’ thing I loved to do was see a good movie. I cannot explain how good it feels to see a movie that has been well-represented, especially when it's a Nigerian movie. There was nothing I loved more than sitting in front of whatever screen and being sucked in such that I felt I was in every scene with them.

Usually, I didn't shed tears during movies no matter how emotional they got but if any movie could draw such in-depth emotions from within me, then I would be so excited that I would note the real name of whatever character made me cry, the producers and the director.

Every day I was privileged to see a good movie, I would stay up thinking of the process it took for all the actors to get into their characters, how long it took for the scenery to be built up, and how much money had gone down into such production.

There was this joy it gave, or was it hope? I too would be able to direct such a movie one day and someone would get to check for my name and commend me silently or drop a review on my channel because my movie touched a spot in his or her heart.

Again, it was only a daydream, but it was one of the things that brought joy to my heart and motivated me to want to delve into another aspect of the theatre other than writing.

On days when I get to do all of these things at once, I feel like I have had a fulfilled day. Those days stand as ideal days for me, no matter what other activity I carry out on other days.