Empathy

When I was a little girl… on car trips, I would imagine myself going the opposite direction. For a long time, it was very difficult to change my perspective, but over time, it became easier, and now it’s a simple trick for me. This trick, I think, helped me to see things from the other side. It developed my empathy, as odd as that seems. Seeing one road from both angles, and quite honestly, roads are more alike than they are different.

The Fable of the Hunting Dog

In the hairy savannas of far, far away
There once lived a hunting dog who wanted to play
Instead of searching for food with other dogs
Mumbi curiously observed hopping frogs.
Instead of bringing back food to feed the ill
Mumbi hunted for fun, and followed the thrill.

Mumbi was always distracted, but never meant wrong
He was even distracted when wrong came along!

One day, Mumbi’s mom gave him a specific mission,
“On the next hunt, you have a very important position.
You must watch out for any lions ahead,
and if you see them, tell your brothers to spread!”
You see, dogs and lions did not ever agree,
and when they saw lions, dogs would often just flee.

So the fun-loving Mumbi was eager to show
he was able to protect his brothers from woe.

So, the fun-loving dog started on his way
When Banana, the monkey, asked him to play.
“I can’t play today”, he said to Banana,
“I must scout out for lions in the savanna.”
“The lions won’t bother you,” said Banana, with glee,
“The whole pride of lions is asleep under that tree.”

Mumbi, relieved to hear Banana’s good news,
decided to play, there was nothing to lose.
The two journeyed along underneath the trees
following adventure wherever they please.
When twilight came, Mumbi decided to return
He found his mother at home with tears of concern.

Mumbi explained what he did with his day
about sleeping lions, and deciding to play.
“My foolish Mumbi,” his mother then sighed,
“Because of your playing, your brothers died!”
Mumbi didn’t believe her, so he went on his own
to search for his brothers, but all he found was a bone.

Moral: Don’t play until the work’s done.

.smoke that thunders

One of the clearest memories I have is my 6th birthday in Africa. We went to Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the natural world. This is where I developed my fear of heights and showers. The waterfalls are massive. As I stood there, carefully holding the wisteria-wrapped railing, I saw the enormity of the world, and the smallness of myself. I remembered my mind just opening up.. That whole place was so gorgeous, Eden couldn’t have been more perfect.

My experience at Victoria Falls was both a fearful and fearless one. At that time, I realized how great God is, how He created such a marvelous, thunderous… and how He created little, ‘ole 6 year old me. There was beauty in both of us.

.poverty

When I was younger, I never equated poverty with lack of funds. Poverty was and is a mentality, not an economic state.

I grew up in extremes. In my childhood, I experienced lavish wealth, with housekeepers and nannies and gardeners and personal cooks. I had Christmases filled with presents, and took vacations around the world. After the safaris and shopping trips, my mother and I spent her last years living with my grandma, in a shotgun house in the Deep South. We often scrapped together nickels and dimes and pennies to buy .39 cheeseburgers from the nearby fast food joint. We were strapped for money more times than not, but we were never poor.

The most important thing my mother gave me, besides entrance into the world, was a world view. She exposed me to different cultures, and mentalities. I understood that the world was immerse, and that no one is as limited as they believe. I rejected the idea of poverty as a lifestyle.