Daddy Lessons

Trusting the Reroute.

There are always multiple ways to get to your destination, one may take you longer than the other but you will get there eventually. Some may take the train to get there, some may take the bus, some may walk, and some may take different routes on the autobahn but eventually we always get to where we are supposed to be.

Dad

My Dad and his gems. They are well known in our family and even beyond. On Father's Day I want to shout out my Dad for being the great mentor he is and always has been, for being there for me even when we did not see eye to eye he always levelled with me and kept me sane. Fathers are important, black fathers are important, their lessons, lectures, love and care can be felt throughout generations. Thank you to those fathers who are with us in spirit and those who are with us in flesh.

I remember failing my exam and being devastated because I knew I had to repeat a class. I couldn't afford to repeat a class, not with the amount of expectations that was on me. I was 15 and it was my first real lesson on life not being constant, life coming in the way of our plans and us having to adjust to it. I hated the lesson, still dislike it sometimes but not with the intensity of a teenager going through puberty (oh, the drama). My Dad in a very calm and collected voice spoke those words and the storm that was rising within me came to an abrupt halt. I saw a glimpse of a rainbow.

My Dad's words still ring in my ears when things don't go as planned and it seems like everyone and their mama, cousin, aunt, friend is getting ahead in life and I am here stuck. Plan A: abandoned; Plan B: burnt to shreds; Plan C: crushed; Plan D: destroyed (Yes, you eventually start coming up with a billion other plans because you know how life can get). But every situation so far, whether it was school, uni, work, love, friendships, opportunities, the reroute always led me to where I was supposed to be, which was mostly the better option for me in the first place. I can now look back on moments I thought were my apocalypse and laugh about how it all somehow worked out in the end.

This too shall pass.

So the next time you feel like you're stuck or things are not going according to plan, or everyone is rushing by you and reaching their goals in what seems like a matter of seconds, remember to trust the reroute. You can get there in a minute or in a year, maybe ten but your journey will be as unique as you and so will the experience you will have gained and the lessons you will have learned.

Love,

Maame