TAKE ME BACK TO MY INNOCENCE

I found myself in a public space earlier on today. The moment I sat down something caught my attention.

It was a Two Rand coin lying on the floor.

At the same time, something else caught my attention, it was a boy, four years old, sitting adjacent to me and had his eyes also fixed on the coin.

I asked him if the coin was his and he said no.

I also asked if he knew whose it was, he said he did not.

I tried to read the boy’s mind, but it seemed as though my psychological toolbox was not up to scratch for this particular scenario.

I just could not decipher the boy’s mind at that juncture.

Eventually, I picked up the coin and stretched my hand to give it to him.

The young boy shook his head, refusing to accept the coin.

I had to add some more money from my pocket but he still refused until his mother encouraged him to receive the money.

Overcome with anxiety, the young boy eventually surrendered his hands to accept the money.

I asked the boy what he would do with the money and he said, ‘I will buy a Stumbo (candy) Freezit (frozen lolly) and a toy’.

That then pacified my inquisitive mind as I automatically realised the boy actually knew the value of money and what it can do for him.

That prompted me to ask yet another question.

I asked the sweet boy why he didn’t pick up the coin from the floor and why he initially refused to accept it when I offered it to him.

His answer blew my mind.

“My mother taught me not to take what is not mine and not to accept gifts from strangers.”

When the boy, together with his mom walked away, my mind went back to ‘my days of innocence’ and I was left yearning to go back to those days.

Don’t we all yearn for those days?

Those days of innocence.

Take me back to those days when I had a pure heart.

Take me back to those days when I purely trusted, believed, and loved.

Take me back to those days when I would easily apologise if I wrong anyone.

Take me back to those days before I knew what a woman is, to me then, everyone was a mother or sister.

Take me back to those days when my heart and eyes were still virgin from the corruption of this world.

Take me back to those days when I would sit on my father’s lap and feel that I was complete.

Take me back to those days when I would run into the arms of my mother even after she would have chastised me.

Take me back to those days when I had not a single grain of bitterness or grudge towards anyone.

Take me back to those days when I would innocently pray every morning, every evening and before every meal.

Take me back to those days I had respect for everyone.

Take me back to those days when I was simple and palatable to others. Take me back to my innocence.

Take me back to where I belong. I

belong to innocence. Erase everything foreign from me.

Take me back to my innocence.

GO GET YOUR BLESSING

Recently, whilst I was pushing some agendas in Africa’s best city, Cape Town, I witnessed something which invoked a deep impression in me. It was nothing I have never witnessed before but it certainly triggered a multitude of emotions in me.

What provoked these emotions were memories of what used to be.

One day, during my morning jog I saw an aeroplane making the lowering down in preparation for landing at Cape Town International Airport. Suddenly, something hit me and it simultaneously brought me to a vivid mental glimpse of what used to happen when I was young.

Growing up in the ghetto, whenever we would see an aeroplane flying by, there was something we would do religiously and always spontaneously, without any provocation or motivation.

We would run down the dust roads in a gesture making us feel like chasing after the aeroplane, shouting, 'aeroplane, aeroplane, aeroplane' until it was out of sight. That brought a great deal of fascination and fulfilment to us.

During that time in our world, that was the closest we could get to an aeroplane and we concluded that it was other people’s portion and that we were virtually destined to end with using Zupco buses and emergency taxis for travelling.

We had ascertained and defined our own peripheries which constricted us to a second class, back of beyond curve. We were our own limitations because everything about our worldview in this aspect only fitted in the little boxes we inherited and lived with.

The devil thrives on such mentalities and worldviews!

That devil is a liar, isn't he? You have to know that you are not a second class citizen, you are not inferior. You are not going to spend your lifetime cheering others as they enjoy their blessings. You are blessed too. You are not going to die running after aeroplanes like we used to do.

You will fly anywhere without even feeling the cost. You are not going to spend your life talking about sushi. You will eat the best sushi too. You are not going to spend your life seeing pictures of nice cars or houses in magazines. That too is your portion. It’s your turn, go get your blessing. 

Docpeedee
Mwana Mutoko

WHEN IT'S A THING'S TIME

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come," Victor Hugo.

During one of our numerous trips from Mutoko we gave transport to a woman experiencing prolonged labour. She had been in labour for three days and so she had to be transported to a bigger hospital for an operation to be administered. Her pain was apparent to all of us. 

As we approached the hospital we heard a loud knock on the screen of the van. It was the pregnant woman's mother in law signalling we had stop the van as her daughter was finally giving birth. I looked at my friend with that kind of a look which was meant to communicate that I had to be excused from that expedition and that he had to go assist because after all he is a father of four. Besides, along the way after giving a ride to these women, my friend had related to me how he had witnessed her wife giving birth thrice. He stared back at me as he grabbed my hand and together we went to the back of the van. 

What I witnessed on that day was my most phenomenal experience. I did not know what to do, what to touch or where to look. As the woman struggled to push the baby out, I could not help but join the encouraging team in shouting, 'push, push, push'. In no time, for the first time I witnessed the greatest miracle of all time, the birth of another human being. Obviously my friend did much of the work which includes cutting the umbilical cord as I gave him a hand in my fascination and bewilderment. 

This experience taught me so many lessons and it totally transformed my perception towards women. It gave me more reasons to value and respect women. The other lesson I siphoned from this has everything to do with time. I learnt that when its a thing's time, whether the conditions are conducive or not, permiting or not, nothing can stop it. Even though the conditions were constricting for delivery to take place, the fact that it was time made the conditions conducive even though they were not actually conducive. 

Think of it, this woman spent three days in a clinic but she could not deliver even though the conditions were conducive for delivery. Why?? Because it was not yet time. When the time was ripe, even though the conditions were not ripe, she pushed that baby out. It happened in the middle of the road, in a bush, back of beyond. There was no nurse or a medical practitioner but she successfully delivered. 

Here is the deal, some of you know deep within that the time for your ideas to germinate has come but the conditions are not conducive. You know its your time to take take that leap of faith but your conditions seem to be screeming a contrary message to you. 

Push that devil aside, enter into your season of elevation and new begginings. It doesn't matter weather its in the bush or wherever, push that baby out, push that dream out, push that job out, push that marriage out, push that business out. Push, push, push.

So what if you don't have the money? Push anyway, its your time. So what if you are not qualified? Push anyway, its your time. So what if you have never done it before? Push anyway, its your time.

Due to the fact that time is ripe, everything around you will cooperate with the agenda of you delivering that bouncing baby.

Docpeedee
Mwana Mutoko