The Danger Lurking Within.

As we sat with the adults watching a movie, I wondered what this was all about.  I did not understand what the movie was all about nor did my friend. We sat silently, glued to the scenes parading in front of us on our black and white TV trying our best not to disturb anyone. The scene was interesting in a very strange way. It was also scary.

The following day, my 5-year-old friend came to me with a blunt knife asking me to replay the scene we both saw on TV. I did not know where she got the knife from, but, excitedly I collected the knife off her. I was about the age of six.

We had the mental image of the main character with a knife in his hand, running around chasing his victims. In our heads, we could only remember a scene. A gruesome scene. (more…)

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My Dance With Poverty.

As I opened the door for my mother that day, I knew something was wrong. With tears in her eyes, she walked silently towards her bed and  sat at the edge, sobbing uncontrollably. I sat on the floor watching helplessly not knowing what to do.  I was confused and so were my siblings. As we asked her what happened, she shook, breathing heavily in the surge to stop crying. I was about the age of 12.

It was a period we were experiencing what could be described as starvation. The food was never enough because my mother’s business was at a standstill. Everything she ventured in yielded no profit. We often went on with life with a meal daily. Times were hard. (more…)

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The Dangers in Negative Words.

I was in a training one day. The workshop was about “The effects of positive words”. A young lady in her 30s was the trainer. The trainer had a significant look, a look that was not too appealing and as I looked at her I had many thoughts in my head. She was in total control of the class. She knew her stuff and understood her audience,but, something was not right about her looks.

She started the workshop with these words, “When I was little, my mother always complain about how messy my room was and how scruffy I looked. This continued into my teenage years and I couldn’t be bothered till now “.

Then I knew it, the thought in my head finally focused on how scruffy this lady looked. I remember thinking that she actually let the negativism of her mother’s words shaped how she represented herself, but, I thought again and I wondered why.

I , sometimes, say some words to describe my children. Words that don’t bring out the beauty they encompassed. Words that don’t justify their innocence. Words that I say only when I am angry. Words that I always regret after uttering. Words that I cannot accept from people.

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