YOU MAY NOT KISS THE BRIDE
Focus on Your Goals. Avoid Distractions
Muyiwa Olumoroti
It’s that time of the year again, and the atmosphere is saturated with the smell of freshly cut grass, selected fragrances, and choice spices from far and near. The Sureland palace walls have been redecorated with bright colours. His Royal Highness, King Godwin the Great is about to give away another daughter in marriage to a deserving prince. The wedding ceremonies for the princesses usually have the trappings of the rich and the wealthy. Food and choice wines have been prepared for the three-day celebration and the subjects know that they can eat whatever they want and be merry. An invitation had gone out seeking men who consider themselves deserving of the honour of marrying Princess Emmanuelle. Only the king makes the rules, and he decides who marries his daughters. The king’s future son-in-law would become the proud husband of one of the most beautiful women in the land. He would also have access to vast treasures and the king’s 1001 palaces.
Over a hundred suitors wanted Princess Emmanuelle as wife, but only three princes made the final shortlist. The princes arrive at Sureland Palace with their big parties and entourage. Adolphus, the crown prince of Dinzneyland and his staff arrive first, and they quickly set up a big tent. The people of Sureland have seen great entertainment in the past, but Adolphus and his men took their displays to another level. Acrobatic displays, dance moves, horse rides, music, singing, and drumming. Their fireworks painted the sky in rainbow colours. The Surelanders really had it. Some inhabitants felt they knew who was going to take the bride away this time, and they shouted, “Rev it up! Rev it up!! Rev it up!!!”
Prince Marcus of Vineland and his people hear the noise from Adolphus’s camp as they approach the palace. They were beaten to the first place because they had to fix one of the lorries carrying fine wines for the king and the Surelanders. Prince Marcus sets up camp directly opposite Adolphus, and his party begins. He could not match Adolphus’s displays in any way, but his wines did the magic! Marcus gave nice speeches and handed out fine wines in barrels fixed with taps. The Surelanders quickly switched allegiance, and surged from Adolphus to Marcus’ tents. Just as Marcus thought he had won the people’s approval, Adolphus released exotic animals from cages. The acrobatic display by these four legged creatures quickly turns the tide for the people of Dinzneyland. The people surge back to Adolphus. The best animal circus ever seen in Sureland couldn’t match what was unfolding before their eyes.
As the people wander between Adolphus’s and Marcus’s tents, Prince Richard of Wisegrove and his attendants arrive at the palace. Adolphus and Marcus notice that Richard’s camp is smaller compared to theirs, and see Richard as no threat at all. Adolphus and Marcus ignore Richard, and continue to try to outsmart each other. Richard feeds his people and serves them drinks. He also prepares the animals that would transport his bride back to Wisegrove – if he got the king’s approval. Richard’s subjects had had their fill, and it was time for the day’s business. Richard asks one of the aides, “My lord, what’s the process?” “There is no process; whoever is ready presents himself before the king to make his request,” replied the aide. “Only the king knows the criteria and gives his daughter to whomever he chooses.” “Then in that case we are ready,” said one of Richard’s men.
Richard was ushered into the king’s presence to make the speech of his lifetime. Prince Richard of Wisegrove bowed before the king and said, “Your majesty the king, I do not take this occasion for granted at all. If you decide to give Princess Emmanuelle to me as wife, I promise not to let you down. I will look after this great treasure if you entrust her into my hand, and she will bear many fruits for your kingdom. I will serve your kingdom forever, and I will look after the king’s palaces and defend them with all my strength.” Richard stepped backwards, and the room falls silent. The king quickly goes into his recess and comes out with the princess. He declares, “Richard of Wisegrove, to you I give my daughter, Princess Emmanuelle. You will also keep the remaining 1001 palaces scattered around the mountain. You may now kiss the bride.”
Richard and his attendants waste no time; off they go with Princess Emmanuelle to the land of Wisegrove. Meanwhile, the people of Dinzneyland and Vineland still battle over who will impress the most. They continue their vain, drunken parties, oblivious that the glory had passed by them! The Vineland people drank until some couldn’t stand on their feet. The Sureland people surely had a party!
It is quarter to midnight when the raging parties at the palace come to themselves. Someone in the Dinzneyland camp says to Adolphus, “It is about midnight now, and we have dazzled the Wisegrove people with our displays. They have abandoned their camp, and I saw them riding away on horses a little while ago. Let us ask the royal aides about the procedure, and take the bride away while the Vineland people remain in their drunken stupor.” Adolphus went to the aides and said,”I think the king will be pleased with us; the people of the land loved our displays; they have never seen anything like this before. We have come for Princess Emmanuelle. Now usher us into the king’s presence.”
The aide is taken aback; he had thought Prince Adolphus only came to entertain the wedding guests. The aide too had enjoyed the displays by the Dinzneyland people. A senior aide later came forward, and said, “I am sorry Prince Adolphus; the king has given his daughter, Princess Emmanuelle and his 1001 palaces to Richard of Wisegrove, and the king has already gone into his chambers. The party will continue for two more days, and everyone is welcome.” Prince Adolphus fainted, and his three most senior assistants also fell. Adolphus woke up the next day with a very bad headache, and promised his people: “…heads will roll for this!” What about the people of Vineland? Some had woken up; some had hangover, and others remained paralytic from their wines.
What’s the moral of this story? Focus on your goals; avoid distractions. People go to different gatherings for different reasons and with different motives and levels of preparation. Some go like Prince Adolphus to display and dazzle people and their friends with their latest toys, gadgets, or cars; others go to display their flashy business cards, clothes, and latest fashion accessories. But it is important to focus on your goals or else you may end up like Adolphus or Marcus. In attending an important gathering, meeting or conference, consider to take a step back, and take time out, to ponder, and to think about how you will benefit maximally from the event. You cannot afford to be casual or complacent in this information age, otherwise you might miss what you are looking for. Stay focussed and be in touch. Be definite, be deliberate, and be determined to take something tangible from the meeting. Time wasted is life wasted, and you only have this one life to live.
