Back in 2020, while I was at college in Blantyre, Trevor and I decided to ditch the hostels and find ourselves a quaint little house for accommodation. Thankfully, my buddy Trevor stumbled upon one in Kampala that seemed just perfect for two municipal boys taking their first steps in the commercial city. We were originally just two fellas from Lolo village, not far from the enchanting Sambagalu.

Our new house was conveniently located near a little road in the neighborhood, surrounded by a thatched fence. It was March when Trevor and I moved in.

On the first morning in our new place, I was rudely awakened by an unfamiliar sound. It turned out to be a man shouting outside on the small road adjacent to our house, and his cry was, “Wa Glycerin!!!” I soon realized that this enthusiastic fellow was a Glycerin seller and would become my daily wake-up call.

Every single morning around 6:30 am, I’d hear the unmistakable “Wa Glycerin!!” and he became my built-in alarm clock. I’d tell myself before bed that I’d wake up when I heard the “Wa Glycerin” call.

Little did I know, Trevor in his room was experiencing the same thing. It wasn’t until May that he confessed he’d been rising to the dulcet tones of our hardworking “Wa Glycerin” brother.

One day, we decided to set our alarms early to finally catch a glimpse of the face behind the voice. But, alas, he passed our house precisely at 6:00 am while we were in the depths of dreamland.

We persevered and finally saw his face one day, and we were genuinely thrilled to meet our industrious alarm clock.

In mid-2021, I moved out of the house for Lowershire, leaving Trevor all by himself, and, naturally, he recruited Psalms as my replacement.

Fast forward to last year when I visited Trevor. I didn’t find him but encountered Psalms and another guy. At around 6:30 in the morning, I heard it again, “Wa Glycyrin.” It transported me back to those days in the Kampala neighborhood. I overheard Psalms and his friend laughing from the other room, and they dubbed this guy legendary. We ended up discussing the “Wa Grycylin” character for nearly an hour.

Today, during my reflection time, I couldn’t help but ponder the words people toss around on social media. They say we’re working hard in the wrong country. I mean, think about the “Wa Grycylin” guy; for the past three years that I’ve known him, he’s been selling his wares and sticking to his schedule faithfully. But has he seen a substantial improvement in his well-being despite his diligent work?

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps we are indeed putting out our efforts in the wrong place. It’s making me consider the truth in what rapper Vinnie Paz once said: “Luck is when skills meet opportunity.”