Harmattan

Once school’s in session, my responsibilities extend to doing homework with the kids. This isn’t something I look forward to but there are some benefits. Believe it or not, I get to learn new things as I get involved and it is an opportunity to see the world from their point of view.

This weekend, Nathan had to write an essay about Harmattan. Part of the requirement was to outline some its benefits. I realized then that all the thoughts that readily came to mind about this season were negative – dryness, cracked lips, leaves falling from trees, grass turning brown, poor visibility, delayed or cancelled flights, irritation of the eyes, respiratory complications, and so on. I had to give it some extra thought and even consult Google for help with the benefits.

And yes! There are benefits. I’m enjoying the drop in humidity and my dehumidifiers are on break. If you spread your clothes outside now, they’ll get dry faster. Mosquitoes are also hard to find because their preferred habitats have dried up. And if I were still at my former home, I would be singing praises because the band of frogs in the next compound which was water logged would have temporarily relocated – lead singers and the entire choir. Terrible voices. I prefer the cricket choir over here; they have a more classical feel.

So no matter how bad things seem, there’s still some good to find. May take some effort but it’s worth it to find that good in what seems like a bad situation. Take this beautiful sunset I was able to capture a few evenings ago for instance.

Harmattan Sunset on quiet sea