I’m fascinated with uncertainty, mainly because it’s a secret. That edge of the unknown burns the fire of exploration in me.
My curiosity and subsequent eating Garcinia Kola aroused from witnessing an elderly man in my neighborhood frequently taking it. Garcinia Kola or Bitter Kola as popularly called in Nigeria is a bitter nut from a species of flowering plant in the Clusiaceae family grown in some parts of Africa.
Garcinia Kola or Bitter Kola
He would peel and throw it into his mouth. You can easily agree that the nut has no bitterness watching the way he consumed it without a frown on his face.
It was this puzzle that influenced me to try it out.
Surprisingly, my first chew was a shock. As a matter of fact, I cannot express the taste; the bitterness has no comparison with anything that had come in contact with my tongue before then.
The taste stuck with my tongue; I was left with either to swallow it or to stop chewing and clear my mouth. My facial expression was a complete opposite of what I had seen of the man.
It took patience and discipline for me to chew and gradually swallow the nut. Interestingly, the more it cleared from my mouth, the less bitter it became – at a stage I began to have a taste of sweetness.
It was a mix of bitterness and subsequent sweetness.
Naturally humans are addicted to sweet and softness which separate us from exploring the bitter and hard path. An addiction to comfort makes us avoid bitter experiences.
Image from Tenor . com
I will recommend occasional daring uncomfortable routes.
You’ll definitely be alright and happy to have taken the leap at last.
Daring your fears leaves you with no room for later regret.
If you’re going to come alive and live the best life possible, you need to get a little uncomfortable now and then.
Featured Image Credit: Dean Schneider
