Nowadays we need to be cognizant of our surroundings. Some people’s hearts have become desperately wicked while there are others with pure hearts but unfortunately, their arms are impure. An impure arm may not be as dangerous as an impure heart, but they still have something in common – they are both unhealthy. To be honest too, while it’s only God who can fix an impure heart, we are the ones who will need to fix an impure arm. Fasting and prayer won’t even help because it’s usually not one of those spiritual attacks. You may ask how a forearm causes danger but after sharing my experience with you, your question will be answered.
It all happened on a warm Tuesday afternoon. I was on summer break but not totally as I was asked to be a part of a summer program, for four hours each day and three days per week. The distance from home to work was a little less than a mile – a four-minute ride or twenty-two minutes worth of walking. However, I felt energized that beautiful afternoon and decided to walk. I was in no hurry to reach home, plus, I enjoy looking at the green environment from home to work – so I thought of being adventurous that day. I remember walking from home to work for a year, and it was a bitter-sweet journey. Bitter in the sense that I lost too much weight and felt ‘marga-dung’ but sweet because I felt like I was exploring God’s creation. Also, I used to reflect on my life while walking. It was usually quiet and peaceful so my mind could travel miles away without being disturbed.
As I started on my walking journey with my good-sense-of-adventure self, I smiled and felt safe seeing that the community and neighboring ones were usually violence-free. The only problem is that if rain catches me while walking, then ‘dawg nyam mi suppa’. In other words, I would be soaking wet as there’s no where to take shelter from the rain. So as nature-loving as I am, I sure do not wish to walk when it’s raining. Anyway, it was a beautiful afternoon so all was well. As I continued walking, I saw vehicles of all sorts passing so the road was super busy. At one point, I thought of counting the number of them that passed but I was too focused thinking about different things.
After walking for about 15 minutes, I saw a man in the distance on the same walkway I was on but going in the opposite direction. He had a bag, and it would seem he was coming from work. However, even though we were the only ones walking, I still did not feel fearful because as said earlier, it’s usually a peaceful community. By this time, I was about ten feet from the man but was still enjoying my walk. Unfortunately, though, just as we were about to pass each other, he hit me terribly with a weapon. And, immediately I became dumbfounded wondering why he was so cruel to me. The worse part of it was that he didn’t even look back to see if I were ok or not. It’s a lucky thing I’m a strong black woman or else I probably would be knocked out even until today. Despite what happened though, I reached home safely but had to reflect on it.
While reflecting, instead of being bitter at the man I was there feeling remorseful. It was obvious that what he did was unintentional so he probably didn’t even know he had offended me. I couldn’t have said anything to him about it either as I’m sure I wouldn’t have lived to tell tales the next day, though his demeanor seemed cool, calm, and collected. As a matter of fact, probably I could have said something but not when it’s related to his armpit weapon. It would be quite embarrassing to talk to a stranger about his armpit weapon, his strong and offensive armpit odor. It was so overwhelmingly offensive that I had to consult Google about it and the answer was quite informative.
Google said the reason the weapon, his armpit, was so offensive is because: “The apocrine glands in our armpits produce sweat that can smell when bacteria break down the otherwise odorless sweat on our skin. And people who sweat more than others have a condition called hyperhidrosis, where the excess sweating can lead to body odor. There’s hope though, because at-home measures seem to solve the problem, like applying antiperspirant correctly and shaving or washing with an antibacterial soap”. However, if the armpit odor lingers after a shower, then the ‘culprit’ should then see the armpit doctor.
After learning so much about the cause of the armpit stench, I realized that I may have offended people years ago but if I did, I trust they will find it in their hearts to forgive me. I may have offended someone with my armpit odor, especially as a teenager. Based on my experiences, that man wasn’t the only one who offended me but just that his own was beyond the extreme. Smelly armpit odor can be a high-tech weapon to passersby so I’m hoping we all take heed and consider others. What is ok to us can be offensive to others.
